How to Focus on Healthy Aging in Adults
As we continue to live longer lives than ever before, our attention needs to be on how to be both alive and well. There are some aspects of age-related diseases and other negative impacts of growing older that we simply have no control over, but there are many others over which we do. Having a focus on healthy aging will help you to manage your health, live as independently as possible, and maintain a high quality of life as you get older.
Today, we’re taking a look at healthy aging tips for adults. Live long and stay healthy!
What Is Healthy Aging?
More than just keeping in shape or trying not to catch a cold, healthy aging is defined by the Pan American Health Organization as “a continuous process of optimizing opportunities to maintain and improve physical and mental health, independence, and quality of life throughout the life course.” What does that mean, exactly? It means that a focus on healthy aging should happen throughout our entire lives, not simply start when we’re already older. With that in mind, let’s explore healthy aging tips you can easily integrate into your lifestyle!
Tips for Healthy Aging in Adults
Global life expectancies continue to lengthen, increasing by 6 years between 2000 and 2019 from 66.8 to 73.4 years. While we all strive to live a long, happy life, the key to getting there is to focus on healthy aging. A few easy healthy aging tips you can start integrating into your daily routine include:
- Managing stress levels
- Eating a healthy diet
- Maintaining social interaction
- Finding a hobby
- Staying active
- Getting enough sleep
- Going to the doctor regularly for preventative care
Managing Stress Levels
Starting off our list of healthy aging tips is learning how to manage stress levels effectively. We can’t avoid all the daily stressors in our lives, but learning how to manage stress properly can have a major positive impact on our well-being. Not only does stress management factor into improving mental health as we get older, but it affects our physical wellness, too.
Whether you turn to calm music, learning how to meditate at home, journaling, or other forms of relaxation, discovering ways to let go of stress is vital. You may also consider popular methods like starting a relaxing night time routine. Simple tasks like taking a warm shower, a relaxing bath, relaxing in a zero gravity chair, or drinking a hot beverage (decaf only!) will help you unwind from your day while preparing your mind and body for sleep.
Eating a Healthy Diet
It should come as no surprise that eating a healthy diet makes our list of healthy aging tips for you to follow. A well-balanced diet is critical to healthy living at any age, but becomes all the more important as we get older. Following a healthy diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats from nuts and fish.
Speak to your doctor for guidance on how to maximize your diet and changes to make as you get older. Our metabolism changes as we age, so a focus on healthy aging means adapting along the way.
Maintaining Social Interaction
We’re not only creatures of habit, but we’re also social beings. While not everyone is the social butterfly of the group, maintaining social interaction is an important part of healthy aging that can’t be ignored. This focus on preventing social isolation becomes all the more important as we get older as studies have shown that older adults who experience social isolation or feelings of loneliness are at higher risk for heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline.
Finding a Hobby
Taking up a hobby isn’t just fun, but it’s also an effective tip for healthy aging! Finding a hobby or leisure activity you enjoy can have a direct impact on your overall mental health by preventing cognitive decline, fighting symptoms of depression, and increasing happiness. Hobbies are also great for alleviating stress and helping you unwind. Who knew a focus on healthy aging could be fun?
Staying Active
We can’t present a list of healthy aging tips without talking about the importance of staying active and exercising regularly. Experts recommend getting at least 30 minutes of exercise each day, 5 days a week as part of a healthy lifestyle. This doesn’t mean you have to become an avid gym-goer, though. Being active can be as easy as taking a walk after dinner, getting up and doing stretches during breaks at work, or even doing full body chair exercises while sitting in a zero gravity chair at home!
There are loads of options for how to get in some daily exercise and focus on healthy aging. Get creative and find which ways you find the most engaging to have the highest chance of success to formulate your new healthy habit.
Getting Enough Sleep
Just like eating right and exercising, no list of tips for healthy aging would be complete without talking about the importance of sleep. When it comes to sleep and healthy aging, it’s not just about quantity, but about quality. While experts recommend the average adult strive for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, this means uninterrupted, quality sleep.
What can you do about this if you struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep, you wonder? There are plenty of tips for better sleep you can try. From calming breathing exercises to changing up your sleep position, it’s all about finding what works for you. Many people have turned to the multifunctional purpose of zero gravity chairs to improve sleep quality. Not only can these modern recliners be used for comfortable seating, but the plethora of potential health benefits of zero gravity chairs ranges from back pain relief and better circulation to faster bodily healing and higher sleep quality!
Going to the Doctor for Preventative Care
Last, but certainly not least, on our list of healthy aging tips is going to the doctor regularly for preventative care and other health screenings. Staying on top of your health is important at every age, not just once you’re older. Making regular doctor appointments for annual checkups, health screenings, and other preventative care reasons is key to monitoring your health and catching anything that may occur as early as possible.
Having a focus on healthy aging should be something you do your entire life. As we age, our health becomes even more precious than ever before. This means adopting a healthy lifestyle isn’t just a good idea, but a crucial one. Check with your doctor for guidance and consider ways to improve your lifestyle to give you the edge on living a long, healthy life. You’ll be glad you did!
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