The lifestyle changes you need to make to help prevent disease haven't changed much from those suggested a decade or so ago: proper nutrition, enough exercise, and maintaining a good mental health outlook.
For me one of the major keys for physical health is good bone strength as you age. That means weight bearing exercise accompanied by routines that help your joints maintain their flexibility. That means keeping up the aerobic activity such as walking, jogging or dancing. It also may mean taking yoga or Pilates classes. The point is to build your strength to a point where you are able to lift weights and have the flexibility to get you there.
Keeping in mind that emotional and mental vitality are closely related to physical vitality, social contact with others can make a big difference in how you feel. I found that replacing a lost activity with another activity that keeps me active works very well. For example, I had to give up jogging so I took up walking. Today I jog in very short spurts while I'm walking. During a 2 mile walk, for instance, I may jog three times for a distance of one quarter or one third of a mile.
If one of my lost physical activities also involved being social, such as playing tennis, I make it a point to keep in personal contact with some folks and replace the social activity with another social activity such as learning to play bridge. The point is that replacing lost activities helps me keep a positive attitude even if family circumstances and my changing health means I can't do all the things I used to do.
Of course, the signs of aging include not only wrinkles but can also include some degree of memory loss and decreased brain function. Knowing this motivates me to protect and even improve my memory and mental sharpness by challenging my intellect on a daily basis. Writing this post, for example, is a challenge. Learning to play bridge is a challenge.
I am convinced, however, that figuring out the software programs it takes to manage my online and offline business is the ultimate challenge. I suspect the software replaces any of the cross word puzzle activity recommended to keep mentally agile. For me computer frustration has replaced any chance for depression as I get older. In fact, getting to the point where I finally understand how to work a particular program is an absolute high for me.
What has worked for me the most, however, and throughout my life is my commitment to positive thinking. Even though I am an optimist, as I get older it sometimes takes an extra effort to frame my life positively. Humor, friendship and love work for me. Spiritual wellness also works.
There is no magic bullet to aging gracefully no matter the anti-aging hype on a TV infomercial. My goal is to look and be my best without going under the knife. I feel fairly certain that my success to that commitment lies somewhere between my ears and at the grocery store.
Join my blog, Secrets to Health and Aging, for more details about living a full life as you get older. This blog may be retiring but you can continue to receive excellent information about your healthy aging.
To your healthy aging successes.
Ruthan Brodsky