Much of what we do for health and fitness is more for the benefit of our future selves than for our current ones. Don’t smoke now so you don’t get cancer later. Don’t tan now so you don’t wrinkle later. Don’t eat ice cream for breakfast now so you don’t develop diabetes—you get the picture.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if something could show you a glimpse of what your future holds? But there is! Your grandparents. Monstrously poor life choices aside, the way your grandparents have aged can clue you in to how you might age; by looking at them, you can get some insight into what you have to look forward to.
Your Looks
Okay, if your grandma is a three-pack-a-day smoker or has spent her whole life tanning, those activities might skew the results here. But for most people, grandparents can clue you in to how your body is going to hold up over the years. Is grandma’s hair thinning? When did she start going gray? Did she gain weight after having kids or after menopause? Did her skin stay smooth? Here’s an infuriating little dose of reality: a lot of aging is genetic. Some people hit the chromosomal jackpot, and some don’t. If your grandmother looks older than her years, that might be extra incentive for you to live healthy and stay out of the sun. Just a thought.
Your Faculties
True story: one of my grandmothers wore glasses her entire life until late middle age, when her eyesight spontaneously started improving. Seriously! By about age seventy, she didn’t need them anymore. While I can’t promise miracles for everyone, it’s good to evaluate your grandparents’ eyesight, hearing, and mental capabilities. Even the sense of taste is affected by the aging process. Maybe the most you can do to stave off disaster is to do some crossword puzzles, but still, it’s a start.
