Keeping Good Health in Your Elder Years

Keeping Good Health in Your Elder Years
Socializing, staying engaged in life, exercising and eating well can have a major impact in how you age. (Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock)
6/21/2020
Updated:
6/21/2020

Healthy aging is about getting older without disease or disability, maintaining cognitive and physical function while actively engaging with the world.

Healthy aging, or anti-aging, is about doing what you can to keep your body and mind active and engaged. When you are focused on doing those things, you’ll stay as young as you feel.

A positive outlook is one of the pillars of anti-aging. Happy people tend to be healthier and live longer than their negative peers. A positive outlook can be a catalyst for adopting healthier lifestyle traits. It can help you deal with stress and move through difficult periods more fluidly. Focusing on acceptance, lifestyle factors you can control, and avoiding resentment are all ways to limit stress and its myriad health consequences.

Regular physical activity promotes healthy aging in several ways. It lowers the risk of heart disease, dementia, diabetes, arthritis, and obesity. Roughly six hours of brisk walking per week can help with mobility, cognition, and more.

Additionally, exercise is great for bone health, mood, and metabolism.

Staying connected with friends and others that make you feel good can also offer anti-aging effects. Chatting, attending events (once it is safe), and other forms of socialization can all help your brain stay young. For added benefit, mix it up and try new things.

Diet plays a massive role in aging, as well. Your physical and cognitive health is majorly impacted by what you eat. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats can reduce inflammation and disease risk.

Eating too many processed foods, refined grains, and sugary snacks can promote weight gain and disease, which can hold you back from building a healthy future you desire.

Mohan Garikiparithi holds a degree in medicine from Osmania University (University of Health Sciences). He practiced clinical medicine for over a decade. During a three-year communications program in Germany, he developed an interest in German medicine (homeopathy) and other alternative systems of medicine. This article was originally published on Bel Marra Health.
Mohan Garikiparithi, MD, practiced clinical medicine for over a decade before shifting his focus to health communications. During his practice he served as the head of the Dept. of Microbiology in India. During a three-year communications program in Germany, Mohan developed an interest in German Medicine (Homoeopathy), and other alternative systems of medicine.
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