Senior is not retiring, he's beginning a new career

Intermountain Catholic

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Golf is something Dr. Scott Fisher can do for exercise and also spend time with his wife. He started golfing at age 70.IC photo by Chris Young

HOLLADAY — Dr. Madison "Scott" Fisher, 72, does not believe in retirement. He is beginning a new career as a speaker aboard a cruise ship giving lectures on longevity. He will travel to Hawaii in November.

Fisher holds a doctorate degree in higher education and psychology from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). He received a Master’s Degree in counseling and education from Brigham Young University, Provo. He was a consulting psychologist for more than 30 years in Ann Arbor, Mich., as well as in business for himself as a career coach, and a trainer in interpersonal problem solving skills, communication, leadership, and team management. He has been a student of Eastern psychology for 15 years.

Fisher began his interest in longevity about 15 years ago. The title of his seminar is "Living Long – Really Long."

"Our world is filling up with people who are living longer," said Fisher. "The centenarians are one of the fastest growing age groups after the baby boomers. The demographers are worried there will be no benefits left for the coming generations. The answer to that dilemma is for those of us who have done one retirement, to go back to work and be productive. If the social security legislation that was passed in 1933 was passed based on today’s life expectancy tables, the retirement age would be 83. However, we live in a society that has been referred to as a youth-oriented society."

Fisher said the first step to longevity is mind talk, and the key word is intention. Your body’s master intelligence, your spirit, directs the behavior of the intelligence in each of the cells. The cells listen, so when you say, "I’m getting old," they follow orders.

"Yogi Berra, the great Yankee baseball player, is quoted as saying, ‘How old would you be if you was as old as you think you was,’ recognizing the thinking aspect of how long we live," said Fisher. "Our skin renews itself every two weeks, and in reality, 98 percent of the entire body remakes itself. It is important to integrate into our thinking the truth of the scientific world, and apply it to aging and long living where age 70 is mid life rather than old age. If you do, your attitude will direct your body."

The second step is other talk, changing toxic habits into nourishing relationships. The biochemistry of the body is a product of awareness. Beliefs, thoughts, and emotions create the chemical reactions that uphold life in every cell.

"The real secret is inner quiet," said Fisher. "It is hard to control our inner quiet by ourselves because we are in constant interaction. Choosing partnerships and companionships that feed our inner quiet is the key. A good student of Eastern and Western psychology will recognize that anger is a function of the person who is angry. You do not have to get angry because someone else is angry.

"On the other hand, when you are in the presence of someone who loves you, it communicates to you that something good, warm, peaceful, and quiet happens inside," said Fisher. "So there is no doubt that love has a great deal to contribute to longevity. We have to create around us a society of people who value us and value our wisdom, experience, and what we contribute."

The third step is body care and what the body really needs. Our bodies need good nutrition and 30 minutes of exercise each day. The body needs whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and fish. Meats and sweets are to be eaten sparingly. The body responds to regular and simple exercise. Even centenarians can increase muscle mass with simple weight lifting.

The fourth step is your spiritual center. The spiritual aspect is linked intimately to the psychological and social aspects of life. The question is how do we access our own spirit. Stress is the great destroyer.

"The psalmist wrote, ‘Be still and know that I am God,’" said Fisher. "Through meditation, we learn to be still with disciplined attention where we are not thinking about the past or worrying about the future. When we stop the thinking process of the mind we become present in the spirit world and we learn to listen to our bodies, our feelings, and to our higher power, and escape into the truth that will set us free.

"When you are able to be still, aging stops or slows down," said Fisher. "You have inner peace, which is the fifth step and the doorway to longer life."