Healthy Aging

It is a common misconception that declining physical and cognitive health is part of the aging process.  Physical health relates to our strength, endurance, aches and pain (or lack of them), and our ability to move our bodies.  Cognitive health relates to our ability to think, our memory, and our focus and concentration.  While it is true that our bodies do change with time, it is a myth that aging always equates with illness. We can make certain choices each day that help us age well and decrease disease risk and cognitive decline.

Healthy Aging – Steps You Can Take Today

Healthy aging is, overall, living a healthy daily life – your entire life. Your daily actions influence how you will age, your cognition, and the risk of developing certain diseases. It’s also important to note that it’s never too late to make healthier choices. You are never too old to put your health first. Here’s a good way to break down each aspect of healthy living.

Diet

Nutrition has been shown to significantly impact our health for the good or bad. Eating a diet filled with highly processed foods and sugar has been linked to numerous diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and certain cancers. The good news is you can influence your risk of disease, mental performance, and how you age by eating a healthy diet. 

Recommendations for a healthy diet vary widely, but in general, a high-quality, nutritious diet emphasizes limited consumption of red and processed meats, unhealthy fats (saturated and trans-fats), sugar, sodium, and alcohol, and a greater intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. The Mediterranean diet is a good example. It also emphasizes eating whole-natural foods. This may seem like a no-brainer, but many of us don’t fully understand what that means. These are foods with few steps from farm to table….meaning there was little to no processing of the food before it goes into our mouths.  

Whole natural foods include:

• Fresh vegetables and fruits - Boiled, steamed, roasted, baked, and lightly sauteed veggies – vegetables should be the star of every dish. Everything else is on the “side.”
• Lean minimally processed protein – like grilled, baked, boiled, or roasted chicken, fish, and turkey.
• High-quality red meat, but eaten sparingly (about once per week)
• Dry grains like brown rice and quinoa prepared by simply boiling or pressure cooking
• Nuts, seeds, and berries
• Olive or coconut oil for preparing foods
• Herbs, spices, garlic, onion, and citrus to add seasoning to foods

Generally, the most nutrient-dense foods are good for our physical bodies and cognitive health. Remember, what you eat matters. And eating a variety of healthy foods from different food groups will give us well-rounded nutrition.

Movement

Daily movement is vital if you want to live healthily as you age. You have probably heard the expression: if you don’t use it, you lose it; well, there is science to back this up. Once we stop moving, it’s much harder for our bodies to regain our stamina, muscular strength, and endurance. Not only is this true for our physical bodies, but it’s also true for our brains. We will get to the brain and cognitive health in a moment, but the key is never to stop.

If you are in a place where you don’t move much throughout the day, you can always change that! Start making small doable, sustainable changes that work for your body and where you are today.

Here are some ways to move every day at any age:

• Make a daily walk part of your routine – learn more about the health benefits of walking in our article “Walk Your Way to Health”.
• Prepare foods from scratch – this means more time spent in the kitchen standing and moving to prepare meals.
• Sit less – start tracking how many hours a day you spend sitting and aim to cut back gradually.
• Take up a hobby that gets you moving, like joining a walking, running, or cycling club.
• Make exercise a priority – aim to get some kind of physical movement every day. Set a daily step goal and stick to it. You can choose to dance, swim, play tennis, whatever gets you moving, and find fun. Read more about the recommendations and importance of physical activity here.

Brain Health

As we mentioned above, one of the most significant pieces of advice is never to stop, including your brain. Never stop challenging your brain. Like your muscles, it will begin to atrophy (waste away and gradually decline), which no one wants. Just like physical movement, you must focus on challenging your brain daily to keep it strong and prevent disease and decline.

Tips for a healthy brain:

• Regularly do puzzles and brain games to exercise your mind.
• Make sleep a priority – learn more about the importance of sleep here.
• Eat well – as noted above, eating well is essential for your physical health and critical for your brain health.
• Exercise and movement help promote blood flow which is essential for the proper function of our brains.
• Try new things: Challenge yourself to play an instrument, learn a language, etc.
• Limit alcohol consumption – alcohol has many adverse effects on the body. It may significantly impact brain health and increase the risk of dementia. Read more about the effects alcohol has on the body here.
• Manage stress – remove stressors (if possible), practice meditation and breathing exercises.

Live Well, Age Well

Your daily actions matter. If you make an effort to live well each day, the odds are very good you will age well. Begin putting your health first today for your future.