As you get on in life, your age can bring about some of your most rewarding decades. You may also feel more confident than your younger self, gaining wisdom and patience. Here are a few ways to grow older with your body and mind as healthy as they can be.
Whole Foods
Rather than a diet, eating whole foods is more of a lifestyle change. Load up on veggies, fruits, grains, nuts, and low-fat dairy while avoiding fatty meats, butter, sugar, salt, and processed foods.
A number of studies have found that this diet can help you live longer and protects you against heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists believe it works by physically changing parts of your chromosomes linked to a number of age-related diseases.
Walk
Try to walk at least 30 minutes every day and if that’s too much, break your walk up into shorter strolls. Regularly exercising delivers huge health benefits, especially if you walk briskly enough to feel a little breathless. It also helps keep your brain cells healthy by delivering more blood and oxygen.
Stay Connected
Staying lonely is very harmful to your health. Whether you live alone or with someone, have a huge friend group, or none, if you’re lonely you are more likely to suffer from dementia or depression. Seniors who feel left out and isolated often have more trouble with everyday tasks such as bathing and climbing stairs.
Eat Fiber
There are a number of ways to eat your way to better health with every meal and snack such as swapping out your white bread for whole grain, adding kidney beans to your soup, or adding apple slices to your salad. Fiber can fill you up and keep you full for long. It also cuts your cholesterol levels and reduces your chance of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, as well as colon cancer. Another perk is keeping you free from constipation.
Stop Smoking
Tobacco harms almost every organ in your body, so quit consuming cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and any other products with nicotine. This causes heart disease, cancer, lung and gum disease, among many other health problems.
