Dr. Jen Palmer, 44, Florida

I love the term Age Esteem because it has such a positive image. I have always hated the term “anti-aging”, because it implies the natural process of aging is a negative event that should be avoided and fought against. That creates an unreasonable pressure to try to look younger than we are, and to even pretend we are younger than we are.

Personally, I believe we should embrace the gifts that come with getting older and consider life to be a great adventure. For me, every decade gets better and better! Age Esteem brings to mind confidence, wisdom and strength. The term is a great reminder as to how we should feel, at any age, especially as women.

My personal conerns? For the most part, I look forward to getting older because life gets better every year! I think as long as we have our mental and physical health, we can create a great quality of life for ourselves whether we are 30 or 80. So my biggest concerns would be losing my memory, or having difficulty walking, because those would present challenges (but not roadblocks) for living the kind of life that I imagine.

Jen's tips: My focus is on creating a lifestyle that promotes health for myself and my husband, while still enjoying some splurges here and there. We try to get a good dose of activity and exercise through the week, eat lots of veggies and whole foods, and take supplements. It’s all about balance and moderation. And have fun, because that keeps us youthful and positive about life.

We have plenty of inspiration because we live in an area of Florida that has a large senior population, and the majority of the people we meet are fit and happy. Every day, I see people in their 70s and 80s playing tennis, walking, and swimming- sometimes better and farther than I can! So my assumption is that I will be one of those happy, healthy seniors when the time comes, as long as I take care of myself.

Dr. Jen Palmer is a Naturopathic Doctor ProAgingLiving partnering with AgeEsteem. 

Mother Nature entices us to try all of her fruits and vegetables with their bright and various colors when we see them displayed at outdoor markets and food shops. Their beautiful colors mingled together remind us of a secret garden, all in bloom.

Today it is known that these colors, phytonutrients, are beneficial in preventing heart disease and cancer, among other illnesses.  The darker the color the more important they are to the body. Yellow and orange vegetables are full of vitamin A and beta-carotene, a wonder drug in preventing cataracts and retina problems. Vitamin A is known to help control lung cancer.

What is even more important is to combine them together and eat various colors at the same time.  This is easily done, for example, with a mixed salad of dark red tomatoes, bright orange carrots and bell peppers, dark green lettuce and white onions and garlic which enhance the immune system and increase memory capacity.

Dark blueberries and blackberries are full of a nutrient effective in helping to offset the anti-aging process as well as circulatory problems.  And these precious little berries can be mixed with other fruits of a different color.

A couple of dishes consisting of several different colored vegetables are ratatouille and a tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. Just use your imagination when shopping and pick up whatever you find in season. Your body will then be filled with valuable nutrients to keep you fit.

Grandma Nature