In a psychology class I taught one day last summer, the topic was aging.  I asked the students to name the first thing they thought of when they heard the term, “Older Adult.”  I was expecting responses like, “Sweet,” or “Kind,” or perhaps “Wise,” but do you know what they said?   “Fat!”   Really?  Ouch.

After I brushed my indignation aside, I realized that the truth for many of us is that getting older does mean getting fatter.  If you don’t believe me, just Google “Ideal Weight.”  You will notice that it increases proportionally as age increases.  And it’s widely assumed, I think-mostly because of media representation- that it just happens automatically, and we have no control over the process.  But I emphatically disagree.  Here’s why.

I’m a tennis player, and I find tennis to be a great teacher, mainly of being present.  It is impossible to win matches, to even play for that matter, without being present on the court, without seeing the ball, without knowing where the racquet is in relation to the ball.  Presence. If we were to bring this same presence to food, to nourishing and fueling the body, I don’t believe anyone would ever again need diet or nutrition gurus.

There is a Buddhist teaching  that goes, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.  After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”  To me this teaching speaks to this notion of being present.  It also speaks to the importance of simplicity, of eating simply, mindfully, and close to the earth.  And as we get older, I think, we  do things more on an automatic pilot; we perform habitual activities that are comfortable and routine, forgetting about what benefits come from being present.

I used to work in a very stressful occupation, and I realized after I left it that much of the eating I had done (and the weight I had gained) was a result of, and a response to, the stress I was feeling.  I ate automatically, seldom when I was hungry.  Eating mindlessly  was a way to not be present with the stress, to not acknowledge it, to deny that the stress was perhaps harmful, which it was.  Have you ever done this?  Check yourself the next time you  reach for something in the cupboard.  Are you genuinely hungry?   Did something just cause you agitation or anxiety?  How are your muscles and jaw?  Are they tight, clenched, rigid?  If so, chances are that you are responding to the stress and not to any physical need for food, and this is what causes fat to accumulate and ill-health to perpetuate.

Working with the breath is the most effective way I have found to practice being present; to chop wood, carry water, to not be on auto-pilot.   Paying attention to the movement of the breath forces us to become present, to slow down and check in:  Am I really hungry or am I responding to something external?  Breathe in, breathe out.  Chop wood, carry water.

Being well and healthy is the best gift we can give these bodies that do so much for us and allow us to experience so much joy and pleasure in this life.  Being present is key to maintaining good health and good balance in allowing health to happen.  Namaste.