Aging is a fact of life, but you can be in charge of how well you age. A healthy lifestyle can have a big impact on this, along with a positive and happy outlook on life.
Ready to start living a happy and healthy life well into your 50’s and beyond? Yes, if you are younger...begin now...These 5 tips can help you to stay fit, healthy and happy for years to come!
Tip #1 - Exercise for Stronger Bones and Muscles
As you get older, you can become more likely to develop osteoporosis. Regular exercise can help to cut your risk factor. Any exercise is always going to be better than nothing but some types of exercise can be a particularly smart move in your 50’s and beyond.
One of the big ones to look at including in your fitness plans? Strength training.
Weight bearing exercises can be a super effective way to improve bone density. If you’re worried about the impact of falls as you get older, you’ll definitely benefit from doing more of these types of exercises. They can help to strengthen the muscles and connective tissue around the bones, which can make you less likely to fall and can lessen the effects if you do. And, when you strengthen your muscles around your joints it helps to decrease joint pain.
Begin with lower weights and few reps and then increase as you begin to feel stronger. Start with 3x a week and move to daily. As you begin to feel stronger, increase the size of the weights and then every other workout use different sized weights.
There’s another big benefit linked to regular exercise too … it can help to slow down the aging process! And, when you exercise your body releases the ‘feel good’ hormones and that will help you to feel happier and healthier…This is another area where strength training can really come into its own.
And from a personal perspective, it’s also a great way to get fitter and stronger. Perfect for keeping up with younger members of the family and keeping your joints and muscles in good shape for the demands of day-to-day life.
#2 Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Feel like you’re stuck in a rut? A lot of people feel as though they’re acting on autopilot as they get older. This isn’t always a conscious decision, but it can mean that life isn’t as fulfilling as it could be.
One way to move away from this…Start getting out of your comfort zone and getting involved in new experiences. This can build new pathways in your brain and is super important for keeping your mind healthy and sharp as you get older.
How you do this is totally up to you. You could take up a new language, learn a new skill or hobby or just do things that you’ve already wanted but never got a chance to do when you were younger. You might also decide to conquer a few fears while you move out of your comfort zone.
Have a think about what you’d like to achieve in the future and make it a priority going forwards. As an added bonus, you might even make friends with some like-minded people, as well as keeping your mind active.
#3 - Overhaul Your Lifestyle
If there was room for improvement in your lifestyle in your 20s, 30s or 40s, don’t worry!
It’s not too late to get on board with a healthier lifestyle, even if you were pretty inactive and didn’t eat the most balanced diet in previous decades.
The important part is that you’re making changes now and reducing your risk factor for poor health in the future. Given that you’re at great risk of most health problems as you get older, getting more active, eating a healthier and more balanced diet and reducing your stress levels can all play a major role in staying healthier for longer - even if you’re only starting now.
#4 - Take Care of Your Brain Health
Lots of people worry about cognitive decline as they get older but it’s not an inevitable part of getting older.
What can you eat for better cognition? Some top choices include leafy greens, blueberries and fatty fish…preferably wild caught. These have all been linked with slower cognitive decline and better memory, especially as you get older.
According to studies, the Mediterranean diet can go a long way towards improving cognitive health. This is my go-to-diet!!
Exercise is also great for brain health. In fact, studies have even suggested that exercise can reverse cognitive decline after 6 months!
#5 - Think Positively About Getting Older
How you look at the aging process can be super important for your health and happiness. If you see it as a chance to rack up enough more wisdom and experience, it’s a whole lot easier to see the future in a positive light.
Accepting and even embracing the aging process is a huge part of this. That’s not to say that you have to give up on looking fab as you get older, but it can involve a change of focus.
Improving your fitness, moving away from lifestyle habits that can encourage premature aging and embracing health and happiness can be much more empowering than anti-aging products and most likely less toxic. And they’re more likely to make a real difference to how fabulous you look and feel.
Changing the way that you think, feel and act can have a HUGE impact on your health. The first key is to make yourself aware.
Here is a fun game to play in your household by yourself or with others:
Blame, Shame and Complain Game
– Take out a big bowl or jar and put in on the counter—each time you or someone else blames, shames, or complains about something—put a quarter, dollar or the amount you choose into the bowl.
– See how much is in the bowl at the end of the week.
– See how your perspective changes.
– See how you begin to look at your life.
– Now go spend that money on something fun, a healthy restaurant meal or donate to your favorite cause.