It’s inevitable. We all get older, and things change. Our bodies, our relationships, our minds, the world we live in. Change is the absolute constant in aging. Fortunately, for most of us, we can choose how we deal with change as we get older.

Many seniors will grudgingly accept getting older with the attitude that there is nothing we can do about it. In the worst extreme of this scenario, many older people will become victims of “internalized ageism” which is strongly correlated with significantly shortened lifespans.

At the other end of the spectrum are the aging deniers who take extreme measures to prove to the world they aren’t getting older. They undertake challenging physical training, strict diets, and other over-the-top efforts, often to no avail. Chronological and biological aging are correlated, and all the intense training, fringe nutrition, and unproven mental exercises will never fully offset the physiologic decline.

At Camp Codger, we take a different approach. We allow aging into our lives, accepting that decline and change are simply part of the natural human lifecycle. We embrace, even celebrate, some of the good things aging brings but are also keenly aware that we can control the pace of decline. Exercise and diet as well as staying mentally and socially engaged can make a huge difference. Our goal isn’t necessarily to live longer but to live better in our remaining years. We want to make the most of our “third act” with vigor and a sense of resilience, self-acceptance, and control.

We plan to launch a new channel over the next few months called Lean into Aging. Through podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts, we will offer our listeners and viewers advice on how to take control of the aging process by leaning into the challenge of aging, accepting what we must, but changing and adapting to what we can.