Isabel Contreras, 57, Switzerland

What comes to mind when I hear Age Esteem is having self esteem so that when you age you will feel good about yourself.  Age Esteem is about having self esteem while aging.  I suppose that for me aging is once you reach 55 onwards.

Isabel’s Tips: Because I am very active in the work that I do, my own concern with aging is that I want to look relatively fresh.  I feel very young inside so therefore I would like to look very young on the outside – and I know and see that gravity is inevitable in aging.  Sometimes I’m concerned about that.

Positive thinking is key.  I maintain a positive attitude in everything I do.  I keep my dreams high, exercise,  read positive books, and avoid being with negative people.  I think that has been the most important thing.

I would say that to age well you need to enjoy every day of your life, to greet every morning with love in your heart, and to be grateful to be alive and to enjoy every day as a gift from God.

Isabel Contreras is founder of  Life Motivations and an international trainer.

Helen Drew 59, English

When I hear the term Age Esteem I think of the value that older people can bring. – And that would be from the experience that they bring.  If I think personally I think in my life I’ve done many interesting and very different things, and the nice thing to do would be to pass that on to other people.  Of course we do pass them on to our children, which is actually quite difficult.  Often the children don’t appreciate your experience and they don’t really want to listen; but eventually they get to the age when they do.  I have constantly reinvented myself I think. Whatever I started out doing when I left University at 22, I’ve used that experience but I don’t do the same thing now.

Helen’s Tips: I’m very into what I eat and I eat very carefully.  I’ve trained myself to eat carefully.  I make sure I always do some exercise because you also feel better if you do exercise.  And when I get up in the morning I like to have the lot of my day planned out.  I like to know what I’m going to do.  That for me is my raison d’être, my purpose.

I like to think young but I like to look young as well.  I like to keep abreast of fashions.  When I was growing up in the UK the saying for ladies who dressed slightly younger than their age was “mutton dressed as lamb”.  I love to be a mutton dressed as a lamb and I enjoy people who are dressed a lot younger than they probably should be dressing.  Just because I am my age I will still occasionally wear high heeled shoes or platform shoes if I like it.  I will tailor my look for the fashion of that season and I will always buy new clothes every year.

There is always something new to learn and there is always something new you can be doing.  I’m training my mother who’s 81.  I just persuaded her to buy a laptop and I’m training her on how to use it.  She’s a bit nervous about it but we’ve got the email sussed (figured out) and while I was training her I thought, “Oh, I wonder, when I am 81 what will there be new for me to learn at that age?”  I think I will be up to learning it.

I was trained as a designer but didn’t paint for years.  It was only recently that I thought, “Well I’m not going to go down in history as a graphic designer or a trainer but maybe I can carve myself a small niche as a painter.”  I’ve taken on the new challenge of showing my paintings.  I’ve got three expositions coming up and I’ve just hired myself an agent which I think is a wonderful idea.  I hate selling my own work.  If someone else can do that for me I’ll be quite happy.

Helen Drew is a trainer, graphic designer and watercolorist.  Her exposition at the Gallery Chausse-Coqs in Geneva, Switzerland will take place December 5-23, 2010.

Inez Kirby 74, NY, USA

I think Age Esteem is not letting age become a factor in what you do in life, not giving in just because you’re old.  My mother is 96 and she’s one of the most young at heart people that I’ve met in my life.  I think that that affects all of us, her kids who are all now in their 70’s.  When we look at Mum and very productive older people  I always think it’s really funny when you hear someone of 30 say, “Oh my God.  I’m going to be 30.  I’m going to be so old!”  I’ve never ever felt that way in my life.  I always try to approach the age that I am and enjoy it for what it is because there is nothing much you can do about it.  You might just as well have a good time as best you can.  Obviously it’s not always possible, but just take life and do as much as you can and enjoy it as much as you can.

Inez’s Tips: Not looking in the mirror. (laughter) Because when I look in the mirror I see my father.  I think for me it’s an innate thing.  I’ve always been an optimist in life.  I’ve never really looked back and regretted too many things, and I always try to enjoy what I do.  Obviously my knees are giving out a little bit and I’m having the, you know, sans (without) teeth, sans hair, sans everything.  I enjoy plays, reading, music, friends, and especially family.  I think family is a big part of feeling good about my age.

July is a month of independence.  And not just for the United States and France.  It is also the month of the independence of Burundi, Rwanda, Algeria, Cape Verde Islands, Argentina, Solomon Islands…

Independence is a key word when it comes to age esteem.  It is a major concern as we age. – To lose our independence and become dependent on others.  It is a real concern, one that we should take seriously. – Especially since much of our independence is based on our attitude.

You can be visually impaired, deaf, or lacking normal mobility and still be independent.  Yes, you will have to accept care and guidance from others for some of your daily needs, maybe even most of them.  However, you are the one to decide how you will accept this help and what your relationship with the care givers will be.  Will it be one of appreciation and reciprocation?  Will you make it agreeable for others to help you, and maybe even make it a highlight of your care giver’s day?

Independence comes through doing what we can.  That may be listening actively, smiling, sharing, giving your support and encouragement, being grateful…   Independence is manifested through our own positive attitude.

Teresa Kaufman, 56, France

When I heard the term AgeEsteem the first time I thought it is truly learning or knowing how to get older in life and enjoy it and respect it. – And enjoy yourself as you get older.

It probably brought that to mind more than anything else because I’m here in Chamonix, France at the foot of the Mont Blanc where you have some of the greatest athletes in the world of mountain climbing and trail running, paragliding, delta planning, base jumping and sking.  I’ve seen so many people here afraid to get old and who do everything that they can to hide it.  It’s sad to see because they’re not going to win that game.  All they can do is fool themselves, but they can’t fool their surroundings.  Instead of fooling themselves, they should flaunt it and get older more beautifully in a handsome way.

Teresa’s Tips: The wording of age esteem and self esteem is so appropriate because I think you have to truly love yourself in order to hold your head up high through all different points in your life.  It’s something that I always appreciated seeing.  You can see it in someone walking down the street, just by the way they walk, the way they hold their body, the way they present themselves to other people.  It’s the way they present themselves to themselves in the mirror in the morning.

Our esteem comes and goes with life and good days and bad days.  Yesterday I said to a friend, “Today I’m in love with life.  I’ve got to take a picture because it won’t be like this tomorrow.  Let me take this picture because this is how I feel today.”  It’s being sensitive to the wonderful things in your life.  That could be a breeze.  It could be the light just before the sun goes down.  It could be birds singing in the morning.  It’s as simple as that.  That will help you enjoy your life.  And you can do that anywhere and under any conditions.  It’s about being sensitive to your environment. It’s my recipie for getting old in life.

Teresa Kaufman is a photographer whose photos capture the essence of life.

Unfortunately, intense heat goes hand in hand with increased pollution.

Besides taking precautions to keep your body healthy during the heat wave, it will also be good for your age esteem to be proactive to help reduce the effects of pollution on everyone.

• Limit your use of polluting engines during the heat wave.
• Use your car as little as possible.
• If you do use your car, drive 20 km (12.5 miles) per hour less than the limit.

Olive oil has been a life support in many countries for centuries. The golden nectar is known to be a miracle for the heart and for lowering cholesterol levels.  It can enhance your inner and outer beauty of age esteem.

In Greece, where olive oil and the Mediterranean diet (fish, wine, vegetables and olive oil) co-exist, people have one of the longest, if not the longest, life span on earth.  (It is also said that this is due to close family ties.)

Vincent Van Gogh painted olive groves in his beloved St. Remy in Provence in the south of France where he was hospitalized.  These are some of his most beautiful paintings, possibly captured from his hospital window.  They fulfilled him in a spiritual way.  In some orchards the olive trees are hundreds of years old. Looking at these lovely paintings brings a sense of peace to the viewer.

• Cold-pressed, virgin olive oil which should be used in salad sauces, on pasta and on bread among other foods.
• When cooking with olive oil, especially on high heat, the non-virgin, non-pressed oil should be used.

To accompany drinks eat olives instead of potato chips. Your body will thank you!  Olive oil is also used in beauty soaps which makes the skin smooth and is a natural ingredient as well.

Grandma Nature

A friend of mine was pretending with her grandchild that they were at the grocery store.  My friend was the check out clerk and her grandchild was purchasing articles of food.  As the child brought them to her, my friend pretended to hit the keys on the cash register.  “What are you doing?” asked the child.  When my friend tried to explain, her grandchild said, “But Grandma, you do it like this”! and proceeded to scan each item with her hand.

Recently our 3 year old granddaughter received a little grocery store for her birthday, complete with an old fashioned cash register and scale to weigh fruit.  It also came with a credit card!  Modern?  Yes.  But how can a brand like Hello Kitty be so age inappropriate?  Whether a child is 3 or 8, how are they going to learn the importance of having the funds to pay for purchases if they learn that a plastic card is the same as money?

With the credit card debts at $775 billion in the US, and the equivalency of US$ 87.5 billion in the UK, $73.9 billion in Canada, and $40.4 in Australia (USA Today, Dec. 09) we would do better to have games that teach financial literacy to children.  We need to raise them to understand that money still represents compensation for an effort made or service rendered.

Do you offer age appropriate games?

• Look at the recommended age on the toy.  Companies have researched these ages.
• Play with your grandchild so she understands the game or toy, and you can see how she develops.
• Ask to see what is in the box so you can remove anything that is not age appropriate like the credit card in the grocery store package.
• Most bookstores have specialists in the children’s section.  Seek their advice.
• It is always age appropriate to make a photo book of the child, with or without text.

Remember.  It is never too early for age-esteem.  Age appropriate toys help foster age-esteem.

As grandparents we try hard not to spoil our grandchildren with “things”.  Instead, we offer them endless unconditional love, educational experiences, happy memories filled with fun and adventure.   As much as we laugh together and play together, we remain their grandparents.  This is important for their age esteem as much as it is for ours.

Recent studies at Yale University, USA and the National Institute on Aging in the USA show that the attitude that children have towards aging influences how they feel about age when they become older.  This means that our attitude towards our own age is an important factor for our little ones later in their lives as well as today.

In order to offer unconditional love to our grandchildren, we must love ourselves unconditionally.  This indicates that we love ourselves at the age we are and celebrate ourselves as well as our grandchildren.   Children feel this sincerity and what we get in return are

• lopsided hugs and sticky kisses,
• pet names that only a child could chose,
• questions and statements that melt our hearts,
• a chance to rediscover life through new eyes, and
• the privilege of knowing we are important in very unique and important ways to our grandchildren.

Age esteem is the perfect gift for every occasion.

Suzanne Hough, 70, Oklahoma, USA

It means that you like the age you are in.  If you’re 40 you like being 40.  If you’re 66, you like being 66.  You don’t go moping around feeling depressed because you’re older than somebody else.

Susanne’s tips: You have to do something that you enjoy.  You have to have an avocation, some hobby that will give you pleasure and maybe eventually be meaningful to someone else.  Stay healthy so you can feel happy.  If you’re healthy you can do just about anything that you want.  And that’s the key.  You have to take care of yourself first before you try to take care of anybody else in the world.