Here are a few ways to improve your health as you age:
The consistency of exercise is super important, but you need to be sure to get in both cardio and strength training. Cardio adds years to your life, while strength training adds life to your years. Cardio is great for heart health and keeping your weight in check. But strength training is also critical because bone and muscle density deteriorates yearly after age 60. Therefore, you need to build it up in your younger years. Not to mention more muscle helps you burn more calories and maintaining a healthy weight is also important.
Eat a whole foods diet. A whole foods diet is when you eat foods in their natural state, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. In addition, you may include fish and lean meat in your diet. But be sure to focus on getting in your leafy greens and vegetables. Strive to eat four to five servings of vegetables and two to three servings of fruit per day. Drink half your body’s weight in water to stay hydrated and flush out toxins. And be sure to eat protein at every meal and snack to keep your energy levels up and metabolism firing.
Eat healthy fats. Omega-6 (sunflower oil, corn oil, safflower oil) and Omega-3 (salmon, flax seeds, walnuts) fats are extremely beneficial in reducing cardiovascular disease, inflammation, diabetes, depression, ADHD and cancer. Specifically, Omega-3s are known to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and those pesky wrinkles we all get from aging!
Give your GI system a rest by going 12 hours without eating each night. Thus, if you finish dinner at 7 pm, don’t eat again until breakfast at 7 am. This gives your digestive system time to repair itself and will improve your sleep patterns.
Sleep is critical to optimal health. You need 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night for your body to repair itself both physically and mentally. Not getting enough sleep can greatly affect your health, mood, weight, immunity, brain function and sex life.
Stress can wreak havoc on your health so developing a spiritual practice can keep you centered and calm. For instance, daily meditation induces feelings of calm and clear-headedness. It can also reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, cancer, chronic pain, type-2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. You can easily download an app on your smart phone to practice a daily 10 minute meditation. Yoga has also been known to reduce stress, as well as daily breathing exercises.
Along those lines use your “no button.” Whether in your personal or professional life, taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress. Thus, don’t overbook and commit yourself, do something you love every day, and spend time with the individuals who enhance your life.