Learn the Secrets of Staying Young from Leading Anti-Aging Expert Barbara Morris

When Yale researchers recently announced the results of a new study showing that a good attitude about aging added nearly eight years to subjects' lives, many people were surprised. But not Barbara Morris. A registered pharmacist and author of Put Old on Hold, Morris is living proof that getting older can also mean getting better. Although she could pass for forty-something, Morris is actually in her 70s. Not only does she look younger than her age, but she is also free of the diseases that so often tarnish the golden years. Morris's secret? "Take control of your health and your life, starting now." Here are a few of her suggestions on how to stop - or at least slow -- the clock.

What's the most common mistake that people make when it comes to aging?

Barbara Morris: Not thinking for themselves, and accepting our culture's ideas about growing older, which are all negative. The truth is, we have an enormous amount of control over how we age. We don't have to accept the mental and physical decline that everyone assumes comes with old age. Stop saying, 'Oh, I'm getting old,' when you forget something, or 'I'm too old to do that.' And don't listen to your friends when they tell you that either.

What's the best way for people to start changing their attitudes toward aging?

Barbara Morris: First, decide that this something you really want to do and something that has enormous personal and social value. It's not vain or frivolous to want to be healthy in old age. It has enormous value.

After you make the commitment, start educating yourself and taking charge of your health. You're going to have to change the way you eat, the way you think about food, and learn what anti-aging nutrition is all about. Get on the internet, look at the excellent publications in health food stores, go to the library and educate yourself.

What role do physicians play in slowing the aging process?

Barbara Morris: It's very important to find a traditionally trained physician who specializes in anti-aging. You need to monitor levels of hormones, thyroid, insulin and so many other things on a regular basis. This is absolutely the best thing any Boomer can do.