Do you fear getting old? For the first time in history, most people on the planet can expect to live beyond 60 years old. With many Western countries especially having ageing populations, it looks like the future is grey! Unfortunately, while some cultures venerate their elderly people and surround them with love and family until the day of their passing, others do not. Nothing is more sad than visiting a care home full of lonely, miserable people just waiting to die.
While many of us get older with the expectation of simply managing our decline, there are more positive things to do with your twilight years. If you are able to look after your health, the extra years at the end of our lives can be full of new experiences, challenges and fun! There are many ways to 'grow old gracefully' so let's have a look at a few of them.
Stay positive! Seniors who think of age as a means to wisdom and overall satisfaction are more than 40 percent more likely to recover from a disability than those who see aging as synonymous with helplessness or uselessness, according to The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Obviously, your diet plays a huge role in your physical and mental health too. Load up on veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and low-fat dairy while eating less fatty meats, butter, sugar, salt, and packaged foods.
Many studies have found that this diet can help you live longer and protects against heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers believe one way it works is by physically changing parts of your chromosomes linked to age-related diseases. With all that free time on your hands now, there's no excuse not to get busy in the kitchen!
As we age, we lose muscle mass and became less mobile. Naturally then, exercise will help to keep you strong and flexible. Resistance exercise to maintain muscle is great, don't be afraid to pick up those weights! But even something as basic as a regular walk can produce massive health benefits. According to Real Simple, staying fit may also reduce age-related memory loss too.
Let's not forget the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for approximately 60 to 70 percent of all dementia cases. Increasing physical activity can decrease this statistic by 25 percent, because exercise strengthens the hippocampus, the region of the brain associated with learning.
It's important to stay connected to people as well, because loneliness can be very harmful to your health. According to WebMD, if you feel lonely -- whether you live alone or with someone, have lots of friends or none -- you are more likely to get dementia or depression.
"Seniors who report feeling left out and isolated have more trouble with everyday tasks like bathing and climbing stairs," they explain. "They also die earlier than less-lonely folks do. Researchers found that lonely people have higher levels of stress hormones that cause inflammation, or swelling, linked to arthritis and diabetes. Another study found more antibodies to certain herpes viruses in lonely people, a sign of stress in their immune system. So stay or make friends. Do volunteer work or simply help someone in need. Just connect."
Those stereotypes about prune juice and bran cereal exist for a reason! Getting plenty of fibre as you get older is an easy way to eat your way to better health with every meal and snack. "Swap out your white bread for whole grain," WebMD advises. "Add kidney beans to your soup or apple slices to your salad. Fiber fills you up and for longer. It cuts your cholesterol levels and lowers your chance of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer."
"It also helps you avoid constipation, which is more common in older adults. After age 50, men should aim for 30 grams of fiber a day and women should get 21 grams a day."
So there you go. A few easy tips to help you embrace getting old, and go into your last years full of happiness and gratitude for a life will lived, instead of fear and unhappiness. Enjoy it!
#16
