Elixir Botanica

Dear Friends,

Grow Old Strong 🌿

How it began…

Recently, I was getting coffee at my regular coffee shop when the lady serving me asked me to wait for a moment.

She was helping an elderly gentleman carry two cups of coffee back to his table, where his wife was waiting for him.

It was such a simple, everyday moment — but it made me think more deeply about how I see myself growing old.

Following my recovery from a stroke, I am even more aware of what I hope my future will look like.

I want to be able to walk and move well, think clearly, enjoy my food, have coffee with the people I love, laugh, travel, remain independent and continue enjoying life.

In other words, I want to:

GROW OLD STRONG.

And that’s how this little campaign began.

Next month, I’ll be sharing more about what we can do now to give ourselves a better chance of growing old strong.

We’ll talk about maintaining mobility, muscle and bone health; eating well; staying active; managing stress; sleeping and resting well; nurturing relationships and happiness; and taking care of our health from the inside too.

My approach remains very simple (in order of priority):

EAT WELL.
LIVE WELL.
SUPPLEMENT WISELY.

And my mantra to better health?

KISS — Keep It Super Simple.

There is so much talk today about longevity and anti-ageing. But rather than chasing vague promises of living longer or every new health trend, I want to focus on something much more tangible:

How can we stay strong enough to enjoy the years we are given?

We cannot prevent 100% of illnesses or unexpected things from happening.

But we can work on building a stronger body and a healthier foundation. And if illness or setbacks do come, being stronger and healthier may put us in a better position to cope, rehabilitate and recover.

Grow Old Strong isn’t about trying not to grow old.

It’s about preparing ourselves to grow older well.

And it doesn’t begin at 70.

It begins right now — at whatever age we are.

Follow me next month as we explore how, one simple step at a time. 💜🌿

GROW OLD STRONG.

Start now. At whatever age you are.

🙏❤️🙏

Interesting!

Play, joy, and love are biological necessities, and the science is unambiguous. 🧬

Laughter lowers cortisol and epinephrine, crying releases built-up nervous system tension, hugging shifts you out of fight-or-flight and into calm, singing stimulates the vagus nerve (which governs your heart rate, digestion, and immune response) and dancing actually promotes the growth of new brain cells.

These aren’t fringe concepts, this is your physiology responding to joy in real time.

We’ve built entire industries around optimizing food, sleep, and exercise, and those things matter deeply, but joy, play, and love belong in that same conversation.

Think of them as part of your health stack — non-negotiable, not optional, and available to you right now.

Joy IS health.