Is there a mission behind September Healthy Aging® Month? Yes! It is to draw attention to the importance of healthy lifestyles for adults, 45-plus,” according to Carolyn Worthington, president of Healthy Aging®, an international multi-media platform.
“Since we kicked off the observance month in the early 1990s, there have been no more significant changes in the world and the lives of older adults than what we have seen over the past year and a half,” Worthington said. “We’ve hunkered down, taken stock of our health status, changed the way we communicate, work and play. While it’s been a challenge in many ways, we can now ready to capitalize on what we’ve learned and move forward in a healthy, positive way.”
Be Passionate About Life
It is not only important to follow a healthy lifestyle, but also to remain positive and passionate about life. Looking forward to each day is a truly a blessing, reaping the rewards of feeling healthy is a gift. It is not always easy, but we strive for ways to improve physical, social, mental, and financial wellness in recognition of the quest for healthy aging.
Got Any Tips? Let’s Start….
Attempt to remain realistic, set goals and say “no”. Don’t allow outside forces to overwhelm you, compromise and listen to suggestions. It’s not good to expect perfection, and learn to make adjustments.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by some activities, learn to say NO! Eliminate an activity that is not absolutely necessary. You may be taking on more responsibility than you can or should handle. If you meet resistance, give reasons why you’re making the changes. Be willing to listen to other’s suggestions and be ready to compromise. In other words, take each day at a time. If you are interested in obtaining more mental wellness tips, visit Mental Health America.
Let’s Get Physical
Let’s examine the many benefits of physical activity for adults and older adults who want to achieve that goal of healthy aging. Six in ten adult Americans have a chronic disease, and four in ten have two or more.
According to health.gov, exercise is proven to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke), hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cancers of the bladder, breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, lung, and stomach. Keeping fit helps improve cognition, reduces the risk of dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease), builds skeletal muscle strength, power, endurance, and mass.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans provides evidence-based guidance to help Americans maintain or improve their health through physical activity and can be found at this link. Move more, sit less improves the quality of life, reduces anxiety, the risk of depression and improves sleep to say nothing of potential weight loss, improved bone health, and a lower risk of falls.
Adults should try to do some aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening, involving all major muscle groups on two or more days a week. This type of activity provides additional health benefits. Of course, for more substantial health benefits, for healthy aging it is suggested, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity.
Pay Attention to Blood Test Results
Addressing any issues from your recent blood test results is a smart way to begin lowering your predistortion to chronic problems and move forward to healthy aging. Thyroid problems, high blood pressure, Type 2 Diabetes, kidney function, and cholesterol, easy to track via blood test, are issues that must be addressed. Those tests indicate how well your body is functioning and how well it is aging.
Just recently there was a finding published on how important it is to determine how your body breaks down cholesterol. Lower levels of bile acids, which are made when the body breaks down cholesterol, are linked to a higher risk of dementia among men, according to a recent NIA study. So, abnormal cholesterol metabolism is linked to dementia and Alzheimer’s risk. This means a simple blood test review with your doctor can help you make educated choices on following guidelines for medication or lifestyle changes.
Eating to Promote Healthy Aging
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 provides advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and help prevent chronic disease. This edition of the Dietary Guidelines is the first to provide guidance for healthy dietary patterns by life stage, from birth through older adulthood, including women who are pregnant or lactating. Follow this link to download a PDF, this site is a wealth of information with infographics and graphics. It can help put you on the right track.
What a great way to start reset and reinvent your diet because 42 percent of Americans have packed on the pounds with an average weight gain of 29 pounds since the start of the pandemic. The problem is not only eating more, but alcohol consumption has increased too.
Participate in Social Activities
Stay connected because loneliness can be harmful to your health and does not promote healthy aging. You can feel lonely if you live alone or with someone else, even in a crowd. Engaging in social activities keep stress hormones at bay, and enrich your life. Seniors who feel left out or isolated have difficulty with everyday tasks. Thar’s where we come in, at GoldLeaf Home Health, we can help in in more ways than one. So, keep the immune system healthy by staying connected to a friend, to a family member, to life itself. And remember, It will assist in promoting healthy aging, a goal you really want to aspire to!