As a Healthy Aging Coach, I think a lot about what it takes to keep living in health … not just adding years to our life, but life to our years.

It’s not just about avoiding illness.

It’s about staying strong, energized, and capable, so we can keep doing the things we love, on our own terms.

 And I truly believe:

 Focusing on getting stronger is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. 

That’s why I want to share this with you today:

 I feel stronger at 62 than I did in my 40s (and that's a good feeling).

And not because I’m doing anything extreme, but because I finally got consistent about getting stronger. 
 
Why does strength matter, more than we think?  Well, the biggie is:

 Strength is the #1 predictor of independence as we age.

As we age, many of us carry a quiet fear:

"What if I lose my memory? 

 What if I end up like mom, dad or grandma?"

 In fact, a 2020 Harris poll cited that 82% of Americans say they’re concerned about Alzheimer’s disease, and more than half worry they’ll personally develop it.

If some form of dementia runs in your family, it can feel like a guarantee.

But here’s the good news: It’s not.

Yes, there’s a genetic link.

 But no - it’s not a life sentence.

The truth is: Alzheimer’s is often preventable.

Out on my morning walk yesterday, I started thinking about Mark Twain.

And, I know you’re thinking … that’s odd.

Well, I can kind of explain it.

Just the other day, a friend sent me a video of Conan O’Brien receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. 

(if you're interested in hearing a clip of Conan's acceptance speech expressing his reverence for Twain, here is one.  

Yesterday, I saw the news that the Pulitzer Prize was awarded to James by Percival Everett — a novel I read a few months ago. 

It’s a fictional retelling of Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, but this time through the eyes of Jim — or “James,” as he’s called in the book - a Black man who was enslaved.

If you’re not familiar with Huckleberry Finn, it’s set in the pre-Civil War South and centers around Huck, a young white boy, and Jim, a man escaping slavery. 

Reading James through Jim’s perspective offers a profound shift in understanding - one that expands empathy and reminds us of how easily we miss the full truth when we only view a story through our own lens.