How to Age Gracefully & Healthily

Dec 10, 2019

Aging well isn’t about trying to make yourself look like a teenager. Instead, it is about enjoying your mental and physical health and living a good life. With the right care, you can get better with age like is the case with wine. Here is what you need to do to age gracefully.

Do Exercises

Regular exercises are an ingredient for your mental and physical wellbeing. Being active can make you fit and strong enough to perform your activities and give you the independence to go anywhere you wish. Regular exercises can also provide relief or protect you from chronic conditions such as arthritis, depression, diabetes, and heart disease. However, the key to staying active is to do exercises that you will enjoy. Consider riding a bike or going on a walk if you can’t stick to a regular gym routine.

Reduce Stress

Your stressors are likely to change as you age, and so do your ability to cope up with stressful situations. Long-term stress among the elderly can lead to depression and damage the brain cell. Stress is also associated with a decreased ability to recover from infection, fatigue, and memory loss. Research has found that most illnesses are either complicated or caused by stress. Though the elderly cannot entirely avoid stressful situations, there are proven techniques to cope up with stress. Eating nutritious foods such as Vitapulse by Princeton Nutrients, exercising, and getting enough sleep are a few ways that can help in alleviating stress. You can try some relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, and circular breathing or share your stressful situations with a loved one or counselor.

Get Enough Sleep

Humans can survive longer without food than sleep. The elderly need as much sleep as toddlers. Lack of enough sleep can cause memory problems, irritability, depression, and increase the risk of fall. Older adults should develop a regular bedtime routine if they want to age gracefully. They should avoid caffeine late in the day and stay away from the TV while in bed.

Decrease Alcohol Consumption and Quit Smoking

Alcohol and smoking have both been found to increase the risk of disease and cause premature aging. You may struggle with quitting smoking, but some tricks can help you achieve that. Seek advice from a counselor or doctor on how to quit smoking. As for alcoholic beverages, experts recommend limiting yourself to the recommended amount to reduce your risk for diseases such as lung cancer. The recommended amount is one drink for women and two for men.

Find New Hobbies

One way older adults can stay engaged throughout their life and maintain a sense of purpose is to find new and meaningful ideas to pass their leisure time. Studies show that people who often engage in social activities, leisure, and hobbies live longer and are happier and less depressed.

Drink Plenty of Water

One way to improve your brain function and boost your energy levels is to drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated has also been proven to help reduce signs of aging and keep the skin healthy. The amount of water you drink can depend on how much you sweat, your activity level, your gender, how often you move your bowels, your thirst, and how often you urinate. You can consult a doctor if you have concerns or questions regarding your water intake.

Take Care of Your Skin

Of course, the skin is the largest organ of the human body. If treated well, the skin can help provide sensation, regulate your body temperature, and protect the body from unwanted elements. Wearing protective gear and sunscreen when you are outside can help keep the skin functional and at its best.

Avoid Overindulgence

Of course, even the older adults can live a little and have fun. However, moderation can help them age healthily and gracefully. Whatever you eat or drink, whether it is soda, sweets, fatty foods, or alcohol, too much of sweet things can be detrimental to your health. Increased leptin and insulin, hormones that are responsible for fat storage and blood sugar control, can increase the risk of health conditions such as high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes. Not getting enough exercises, consuming excess sugar, and eating fatty foods are all culprits of chronic conditions. Free radicals that damage human DNA as someone ages can also increase as a result of poor dieting.

Avoid Wearing Too Much Makeup

Older adults are often tempted to overdo makeup to try to emulate a youthful look. However, nothing seems attractive about spidery lashes and cakey foundation. Instead of masking your natural beauty, makeup should enhance it. Experts often stress the importance of wearing natural and clean makeup for skin health. Instead of trying to dress like a teenager, older adults should go light on their makeup. Wearing too much makeup will make you look worse than you are. Instead of overdoing the makeup, think about treating wrinkles and sags on your skin.

You’re probably aware of the importance of applying moisturizers and sunscreen when it comes to skin protection. But what else can be done to make you age gracefully? Exercising, eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, taking care of your skin, reducing stress, quitting smoking, getting new hobbies, drinking plenty of water can help you age healthily.

There is no time like now for older adults to feel and look better and age gracefully. The tricks are simple, to eat healthy, exercise, avoid overdoing makeup, and avoiding overindulgence.