While aging is a natural process, and affects every one differently, providing support for body and mind can make a big difference in our ability to enjoy life.
Here are a few steps that can make a big difference going forward.
Support Your Body by Eating Well
A healthy diet is not a myth. Limiting foods laden with fats and sugar have been proven to keep us healthy and feeling fitter at every age. It is especially important as we age to limit empty calories and foods that do not provide fuel for our bodies.
You can support your body as you age by choosing specific foods that help us maintain our physical and mental health. Consider adding some or all of these to your diet;
- Fatty fish – Omega 3 is essential for building brain and nerve cells and improving memory function.
- Coffee – in moderation, coffee can help preserve your brain against neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s’. 3-4 cups per day showed significant improvement. Plus, coffee perks you up and boosts your short-term memory.
- Blueberries – can prevent inflammation, and studies have shown they can boost memory in older people too.
- Broccoli – high in vitamin K, which studies show can improve memory or cognitive function, is also anti-inflammatory.
- Milk Chocolate – this is a new one, but current studies are emerging showing that eating 85 grams of milk chocolate within 1 hour of waking can help to reduce appetite and avoid weight gain. It is beneficial for post-menopausal women as it has a greater effect in controlling sugar cravings and helping to maintain weight.
Eating a Mediterranean diet low in saturated fats and sugar but high in fiber is often thought to be the best diet to follow for all age groups. This is especially true as you get older.
Remember, a little of what you fancy does you good. Everything in moderation is highly beneficial. After all, if you can’t enjoy what you like as you reach your senior years, when can you!
Supplements
If you cannot get all the nutrients from your diet for any reason, then adding supplements to your diet can be beneficial.
Calcium and Vitamin D are two of the most important supplements recommended as we get older. Women over 51 are recommended to have 1,200mg per day, and men aged 50-70 need 1,00mg. Three 8-ounce glasses of milk provides 1,000 mg of calcium. Calcium is vital for strong bones and teeth and muscle, cell, and nerve functions. As we get older, our calcium levels deplete.
These nutrients can be obtained from our diet, but adding a supplement may be beneficial. Foods high in calcium include;
- Oranges – 74mg per average-sized orange
- Broccoli – 2 cups have 86mg
- Raw Kale – 100mg of calcium
- Figs – 1/2 cup dried figs have over 120 mg.
Vitamin D is important in building and maintaining bone strength and helps regulate the growth and development of other tissues. Your body can get Vitamin D from the sun via the UVB rays. Spending short amounts of time in the sun each day can boost vitamin D levels. But too much sun can cause skin damage.
Alternatively, vitamin D is found in oily fish, red meat, and eggs and beneficial when included in your diet. Also consider taking an age-specific multivitamin that helps meet the aging body’s requirements for vitamins and minerals.
Healthy Exercise
Our physical abilities do decrease as we age. However, staying active mobile and doing some form of exercise each day is encouraged.
Walking and swimming are popular low-impact exercises that can support the joints and help us keep active and mobile. Yoga and Pilates are workouts that tone and strengthen the body.
Studies show that even less than recommended levels of activity can have health benefits. So do just a little every day to help support your body.
Cut Your Vices
Everyone has vices. While cutting out everything bad can take the fun out of life, overindulgence takes a heavier toll on the body as as we age.
It is never too late to cut back on your vices to healthy limits. Alcohol increases dehydration, disrupts sleeping, and increases the physical appearance of age. Drinking too much regularly can make your body look older. Cut down the number of drinks you have in an average week, or switch to lighter version. Drink more water on days when you drink alcohol, and make sure you eat well to reduce the affects of the alcohol.
Tobacco use is detrimental to almost every element of physical health. It is particularly harmful to the lungs, but it also raises the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other types of cancer. Many tobacco-related disorders, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, might have long-lasting symptoms.
If you find you are struggling with reliance on a harmful substance and are ready to take steps to address it, learn more about support options.
Sleep
It is common for people as they get older to find that they don’t need as much sleep as they did, or that sleep is more fragmented. However, chronic sleep deprivation can also cause health problems, including increased cardiovascular disease, increased inflammatory blood marker levels, and reduced immune function. Sleep deprivation can cause weariness making it difficult to engage in physical activity.
Some level of sleep disruption is to be expected. Waking up feeling tired or chronic sleep disturbances are not normal and need to be addressed. Encourage healthy sleeping habits by:
- Reducing blue light screens in the bedroom
- Avoiding stimulants before bed such as caffeine and alcohol
- Avoid using your bed for anything other than sleeping or sex
- Create a cool dark room that encourages sleep and blocks out light that could be disturbing your sleep
- Keep a regular sleep schedule
- Remove clocks from your view
- Turn off artificial lights close to bedtime to naturally boost melatonin
Reduce Chronic Stress
Chronic stress is stress that is ongoing and interferes with your lifestyle and your health and isn’t resolved or addressed. You might believe that stress levels will decrease as you age, but there are many issues that can cause stress, such as caregiving, health concerns, loss.
Physical health issues such as cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and impaired immunological function have been connected to stress. According to research, stress can hasten “cellular aging” and elevate inflammatory indicators in the body.
Talk to someone to help you alleviate stress levels or consult your doctor for advice on reducing stress.
Find Your Community
Loneliness is a silent killer in retirement communities everywhere. Often thought of as the forgotten generation, the elderly struggle to adapt to the changes in their lives and keep up close friendships and family connections. For whatever reason, many older people spend a lot of time alone, and the loneliness is reflected in their physical health.
Joining a community of like-minded and similar-aged people will help you remain active and connected to others, and stave off loneliness. Joining different clubs or activities in your local community or choosing to live in a thriving retirement community can offer you unique and specific opportunities to socialize with peers and surround yourself with people from all walks of life.
In Conclusion
Just because you are getting older, doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to support your body and mind. Give yourself the best chance of remaining happy and healthy with each passing year and enjoy your senior years as much as possible. After all, you have spent your life working hard, now is the time to enjoy life.
