Every stage of life comes with some difficulty. However, none is quite so progressive and irreversible as the process of aging. Degenerative diseases affect the function of every part of the body. Living a healthy lifestyle, avoiding stress and avoiding negative environmental factors may slow this complicated process but their is no cure for aging.
Aging shouldn’t be a time to sit around and grow old! This is your time to enjoy life and experience new things! Do something you always wanted to do. Take a cruise, go to Vegas, write a book! Even a new pet can bring new joy and be a positive learning experience!
For healthy aging, don’t be afraid to be a bit of a nester. Find things that you absolutely love and put them all around you, whether it’s flowers, friends, family, music, movies or any of a multitude of hobbies. When it comes down to it, your home is your place of comfort. Make it your own. Make it a place where you love to be.
Increase the intensity of your exercise program. When you get older you will need to be more active to stay strong. Consider a brisk walk several times a week. Mix it up with some strength exercises twice per week. You will be more fit and at a level that will keep you young.
Different things happen when we age. Caring for yourself might no longer be possible at some point in life. Research local nursing homes, assisted living facilities and retirement communities to find the right place for you. Sometimes this is not what is wanted, but it is the only solution to ensure that a person receives the care they need and protect them from harm. Licensed professionals are specially trained in all areas of aging and can provide excellent health care and companionship.
It might be harder as you age to take care of things as you used to. Now is the time to simplify. This could be as easy as cleaning out a drawer or even a closet. Once you have seen that you can reduce the clutter, and get rid of things that don’t serve a purpose any longer, you can then move on to other parts of your life that need simplification.
Reflect on life. As you start to get on in years, it is a good idea to reflect on your life and what has worked and not gone so well for you. Take this time to forgive those who have wronged you and to make amends to people you have wronged.
Try having a glass of red wine with dinner each night. There’s a chemical found in red wine called resveratrol that has excellent anti-aging properties. But remember you should only drink alcohol in moderation. Drinking a moderate amount of red wine has also been shown to reduce your risk for heart problems.
As you age, start increasing your intake of raw fruits, seeds, grains, nuts and vegetables. Eat a well balanced diet and be sure to include raw broccoli, cauliflower, soybeans (edamame) and cabbage in your diet. Limit your red meat consumption and try to eat more fish. Raw foods will help your digestion and nutrient absorption.
It’s important to be very careful as you age, especially when it comes to slipping and falling. In older individuals falling is the main reason that people break bones and have serious injuries, some even die. Walking is a low impact exercise that can really make a difference in your health. Decrease your risk of fractures through a program of weight training, increased calcium intake, and Vitamin D supplements.
Working on your self image during aging is vital. Self image is important as western cultures often place a great deal of emphasis on young people and you need to keep your self- esteem while aging. Just because media and popular culture is obsessed with youth, it does not mean you do not matter!
Take aspirin every day to prevent cardiac arrest, or “heart attacks”. Heart attacks become more of a risk as you get older, and taking one aspirin a day has been found to help avoid them. Check with your doctor first to make sure that an aspirin regimen is safe for you.
Common causes of hearing loss while aging are tinnitus and prebycusis. Tinnitus can be diagnosed by a buzzing or ringing in the ears and prebycusis is just a gradual hearing loss due to aging. Adults over the age of fifty are more prone to prebycusis and tinnitus. Hearing loss is quite common and can be combated by regular ear check-ups and hearing aids.
Throughout life, the body replaces and repairs itself. As we age, the body’s ability to heal itself slows. Many people begin to feel the effects of aging as early as 40 but the generally accepted age when individuals become ‘aged’ is the age of retirement, 65. Despite this, many elderly individuals remain independent and free of serious disease.
Keep Yourself Fit And Strong By Continuing Gentle Exercise In Your Golden Years was originally published on Spring