Tips for Healthy Aging

Implementing a healthy diet is an essential process for anyone seeking wellness. Many popular diet trends offer helpful advice, but simply focusing your meals on fresh produce, whole grains and modest amounts of meat can be beneficial. These foods provide your body with the essential nutrients that most fast and processed foods lack. And cooking your own food can make a big difference in your nutritional intake.

And if you want to take the hard work out of eating healthy, several kitchen tools can help speed up your process:

• Use a pressure cooker to speed up stews, soups, curries, grains and more.
• Set up a crock pot or slow cooker early in the day and have a meal done when you’re ready to eat.
• Use a blender to make vitamin and fiber-rich smoothies using fruits, veggies and protein powders.

Reimagine your fried dishes with an air fryer. Compared to ordinary pan or deep frying, an air fryer will help you crisp your meal with less oil.

Regular exercise has many physical and mental benefits. It can help with cardiovascular health, disease maintenance, weight loss, bone density and muscle strength. Daily activity can also alleviate stress, help regulate mood and have other positive mental effects.See Disclosure ¹

When choosing exercises, focus on things that challenge you but not to the point where you could injure yourself. It’s easy to overdo it if you’re trying to start a new routine, so it’s good to work with a specific exercise program or coach who can help you find and address the limitations of your own body.

To make exercising easy, having equipment at home can be helpful. Simple objects like a jump rope, yoga mat or resistance band can add valuable tools to your exercise routine. And larger equipment like a treadmill or stationary bike can help you keep up with your daily practice even when the weather outside is unwelcoming.

Physical exercises do contribute to mental health and agility, but you’ll also want to enjoy activities that challenge you intellectually. Puzzles and board games aren’t just for kids; even adults can sharpen their minds while having fun.

You could take an online course or join a local club that helps you learn new things and make social connections. Or practice learning a new language, join a book club, study an art form or do anything else that challenges you and brings you joy. All of these activities can help your brain make and maintain neural connections.See Disclosure ²

Medical technology is constantly advancing, so there are many ways to monitor your health. Wearables that track your heart rate, blood pressure and other vital statistics are readily available, and these devices can help you notice changes that you might otherwise overlook.

Additionally, make sure you invest in a supportive mattress for a good night’s sleep. And other tools such as an essential oil diffuser or a white noise machine can help you unwind before bed. If you snore, you may want to ask your doctor about getting tested for sleep apnea and whether a CPAP machine is right for you.

If you regularly wake up feeling drowsy, there are many apps for your smartphone that can help you monitor your sleep cycle. Connecting with your natural circadian rhythm can help you wake feeling more refreshed and ready to take on the day.

1. Ruegsegger, Gregory and Booth, Frank W. “Health Benefits of Exercise.” Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. July 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6027933/.

2. Sharma, Ashish, Vishal Madaan and Frederick D. Petty. “Exercise for Mental Health.” The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc. 2006. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/.