Aging is inevitable, but there are plenty of ways to be proactive about aging to ensure you’re able to remain safe and independent at home for as long as possible. Frequent gentle movement, a healthy diet, regular doctor’s visits, and taking care of your mental health are a few simple ways to age gracefully, and they can be easier to maintain than you may assume. In this article, we outline a few simple ways to age healthily as you reach your golden years.
Supporting Your Physical Health as an Older Adult
Taking care of your physical health can help you stay independent and healthy later in life, and it’s never too late to start. From moving your body on a regular basis to getting enough sleep, there are many habits that help you feel stronger and more mobile as you age. Here’s a look at some of the ways you can support your health as an older adult:
Move Your Body
Staying active is crucial for maintaining your health and physical fitness, especially as an older adult. Regular exercise, like resistance training and balance exercises, can help maintain muscle strength and improve balance, reducing the risk of falls and fractures.
Instead, engaging in activities such as walking, swimming, or cycling can help improve cardiovascular health by strengthening your heart and improving circulation. If you’re looking for an easy way to be more active, consider setting small, achievable goals for yourself. For example, start with a goal of hitting a certain number of steps each day or spending a certain amount of time walking and moving around. The more you practice this habit, the easier it’ll become, and soon, you’ll notice that you’re living a more active lifestyle.
Eat Well
Eating a well-balanced diet can have a direct impact on maintaining a healthy weight, but it isn’t just about the number on a scale. Eating a well-balanced diet can also provide the right vitamins and minerals to fuel your body, and help you maintain energy along the way. Maintaining a healthy diet can also help you avoid developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Changing your diet later in life can be overwhelming and discouraging, so start small. Think about how you can incorporate fresh produce, whole grains, and healthy fats into your meals.
Get Adequate Rest
While you may have noticed that not getting enough sleep can make you more irritable, it can have more serious consequences, leading to depression and negatively impacting your mood and memory. Alternatively, getting enough sleep (between seven and nine hours) can lead to lower levels of insulin resistance and lessen your chances of experiencing heart disease and obesity.
An easy place to start improving your sleep habits is by going to sleep and getting up at the same time each day. Avoiding caffeine and naps later in the day can also help, and moving your body regularly can help your body get tired naturally at a reasonable and consistent time.
Schedule Regular Doctor’s Visits
Seeing your primary care physician on a regular basis can be essential to aging healthily. The consistency helps your doctor catch inconsistencies that can lead to chronic diseases early, and also helps you reduce risk factors associated with disease (such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels).
Supporting Your Mental Health as an Older Adult
Mental health can be just as important as your physical health, as it directly impacts how you think, feel, act, make choices, and relate to others. Managing loneliness, stress, depression, and mood is key to healthy aging. Here are some tips for supporting your mental health as a senior:
Combating Loneliness and Social Isolation: As you age, changes in hearing, vision, memory, and movement can make it difficult to maintain relationships. One in four older adults has reported feeling socially isolated or lonely, which can unfortunately lead to a higher risk of heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline.
Managing Stress: Stress is a natural part of life, but when it isn’t managed properly, it can lead to major changes in the brain and affect your memory. It can also directly impact your ability to make decisions and your mood. Participating in activities, meditation techniques, moving your body, and regularly seeing your doctors can all have a positive impact on managing stress.
Keeping Your Mood Stable: Depression is common in aging, but it does not always mean “feeling sad,” Depression can also look like being uninterested in activities, unwilling to talk about feelings, or an overall feeling of mental numbness. Untreated depression may lead to heart disease and other metabolic disorders, so it’s important to understand how depression may feel and seek treatment if necessary.
Prioritizing Your Cognitive Health: Cognition is the ability to think clearly, learn, and remember, and this often changes as we age. Simple habits such as eating healthy, staying active, and learning new skills could help your cognitive health from declining. Activities such as reading, writing, and playing games (such as crosswords, word search, and Sudoku) are easy ways to keep your cognitive health intact.
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Aging is inevitable, but prioritizing your mental and physical health can help you enjoy your golden years. Building healthy habits and creating positive routines can help you maintain your independence and steer clear of physical or cognitive decline so you can enjoy your time with your family, friends, and community. Explore our other lifestyle articles for additional resources to help you thrive as an older adult.
