Healthy aging is something that most people don’t think about until they start to notice issues.
Just 100 years ago the average life expectancy hovered around 50 years old. Thanks to advances in nutrition and medicine, we're now living approximately 30 years longer!
But thinking about healthy aging is not just for older adults. Since we're living longer now than ever before, it's important to consider your health at an early age in order to promote healthy living long into your senior years.
During our younger "working years", we dream of retirement, and the bucket list of activities that we'll finally be able to check off once we have the time.
So what can you do to make sure that you still have the vitality and health to tackle that bucket list into old age?
You need to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Let’s take a look at 6 actionable health tips you or a loved one can act on right now.
1. Eat A Balanced Diet
Diet is one of the most important health topics when it comes to healthy aging. But there is nothing groundbreaking here that you don't already know: Eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruits with a balanced intake of healthy meats and fats can go a long way in improving your overall health. By decreasing processed food and increasing your intake of a variety of whole foods you'll be much better equipped to meet your bodies needs for vitamins, minerals and macro-nutrients. Also, healthy eating and wise supplementation can help you maintain a strong immune system, making it easier to fight off illness such as the common cold.2. Lose The Sugar
It has been estimated that the average American consumes around 120-150 lbs of sugar per year. This equals around 3 lbs of sugar every week. Yikes! Some of the biggest culprits in refined sugar are sodas and fruity drinks and baked goods. Luckily, with a little will power, these health destroying vices are easy to avoid- and can make a MASSIVE impact on your overall health as you age. Just avoiding sugar alone can likely increase your chances of avoiding many serious health issues. Be sure to read labels carefully and analyze nutrition fact tables. Sugars come in many forms and under a variety of names (honey, fructose, sucrose, syrup, glucose, molasses ect.). These sugars have little to no nutritional value and excess levels can lead to weight gain, blood sugar issues, decreased immune function and increased risk for heart disease.3. Get Moving
Physical activity is any movement of the body that requires energy expenditure. There are four main types of exercise and physical activity, all of which are beneficial for healthy aging:- aerobic exercise
- muscle-strengthening (weight lifting)
- bone-strengthening
- stretching
4. Chill Out
Stress is a real killer, and the evil culprit behind a number of serious health conditions. In short, stress is the response to a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation. In other words, stress is your bodies way of responding to demand. Stress can be good (compels people to action) or bad (acute or chronic and may lead to serious health problems). In today's fast paced lifestyles it is easy to become overwhelmed, burnt out and stressed. How do we manage our stress?- Try to start a journaling practice, documenting gratitude. This is an activity that has been proven to help reduce stress.
- Spend more time with family and friends which can give you the social support you need to get through stressful times.
- Try to laugh. It really is good for your health, and will help to melt away stress.
- Learn to say ‘no’ when your plate if already full of tasks.