As time passes and we progress through the aging process we naturally start to slow down and can’t always do the things we used to do (or for as long), but aging doesn’t always have to be a painful process and we can do a lot to slow down or minimize many of the elements of getting older. Our aging processes are encoded into or DNA and there is not a lot we can do to change that; we have quite recently discovered that the natural lifespan for a human being is actually just 38 years. Of course, we tend to live much longer than this but that seems to be correlated more with our advanced medical science and our lifestyle choices than our DNA. In other words, how long we live can be determined in part by the way we lead our lives. In this article, we’ll look at a few ways you can ensure your lifestyle helps to slow down your aging process.
Making the right choices
There are some fairly obvious choices you can make to help you live a longer life; we know that stopping smoking, not drinking so much alcohol, maintaining your exercise schedule and eating healthily all have a huge impact on the way that you age and the diseases and health conditions you may be susceptible to. It’s also very important to support your mind alongside your body, staying socially active, retaining a strong sense of gratitude (working hard to maintain a glass half full view of life) and challenging your mind with puzzles and learning are all crucial as you get older.
Change your home for your needs
You need to accept that as you get older, you might not be as able as you once were. Making the decision to look after your health and body in your home is one fine example of accepting that you are not as young anymore and that you need to make changes. You should, therefore, proof your home against potentially dangerous falls and breaks by ensuring you have stair lifts for older people, grab bars and other safety features if required.
Get Help
As you get older it becomes increasingly more important to take the right steps that are going to help you improve your health and well-being. Now, there are a lot of ideas that will allow you to achieve this, and getting help is one of the best things you can do to achieve this. It is important to make sure you come up with ideas that will help you improve and enjoy a healthier lifestyle. And this might mean joining a retirement community, or hiring some live-in care assistants to help provide you with the help and support you need in order to help you boost and improve your life in the process.
Senior care home services play such a massive role in helping you to enjoy a little extra independence, as well as being able to live a healthier, happier, and more comfortable life in the process. There are a lot of factors that play a part in this, and you need to make sure you focus on the best ideas that are going to help you with this. If you are eldderly and looking to be able to benefit from some of the best possible health advice, you should try to make sure you get help and support, and this is something that can help you make the right choices here.
Finding physical activities that work for you
We have recently discovered that it is possible to continue to grow muscle mass well into our seventies and beyond, so there is a strong argument for maintaining resistance training in your movement schedule, if at all possible. Anything from lifting weights to wearing weighted wrist or ankle bands, light push-ups against a wall or even just regularly carrying shopping home from the store can all help to keep muscles strong. This helps to support and protect your bone structure, too, which is vital as bones can become more brittle and susceptible to breaks and fractures as we age.
If you are able to walk, then you should. Conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis can make movement uncomfortable or sometimes impossible but however far you are able to walk, even just a little is better than none at all. Walking is not only a fantastic regular exercise for the body but is also great for mental health and as an anti-stress activity. This can also be combined with social activities; perhaps join a walking group so you can maintain your physical health while nurturing your social circles too.
Maintain a healthy diet
Keeping your diet rich in vegetables, healthy carbs, fruit, nuts, and seeds will not only help your body to remain strong, fit for purpose and bursting with energy, but it will also ensure you don’t carry excess weight. Obesity is one of the leading causes of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Keeping your diet healthy will give you the best chance of getting the most out of life, no matter how old you are.