Healthy Aging
As we get older, we need to actively seek ways to improve, support and maintain our health. This is crucial for our later years in life.
It’s called, ‘Healthy Aging’, and simply put, it’s about practicing a healthy lifestyle as we get older. Thinking healthily and keeping our brain active, eating nutritiously, and keeping our bodies fit and strong. There are immediate benefits such as reducing or even preventing the burden of age-related diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.
Even a small change to our lifestyle can make a huge difference to our health.
Our general well-being requires a combination of three principal elements:
- Healthy eating
- Mobility, flexibility & exercise
- Looking after our emotional well-being and keeping our brain active
Healthy eating.
Our diet plays a significant role in healthy aging. The foods we eat now will have a considerable impact on our health in the future.
It’s important that we eat nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, and healthy fats, and to avoid eating too many processed and packaged foods, and trans fats (bad fats).
A healthy and balanced diet can help us to prevent or better manage chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Mobility, flexibility & exercise.
As we age, it’s important to keep our bodies moving every single day. We need to keep our joints flexible, to stretch and strengthen our muscles, and to take care of our heart.
Exercise is important at every age, but it’s especially important to keep our bodies fit and strong as we get older.
Looking after our emotional well-being and keeping our brain active.
In addition to the foods we eat and being physically active, maintaining good health is also about looking after our emotional well-being and keeping our brain active too.
Our emotional health is an integral part of our well-being. Our psychology affects how we think and feel, how we act, and how we relate to other people. It may also have repercussions on our physical health too.
Find out more in my book, ‘A Survival Guide on Aging Healthily’
