September is “National Healthy Aging Month”
With the population growing older, more attention has been placed on healthy aging. In fact, September is National Healthy Aging Month. It is a nationally recognized time to focus on the positive aspects of growing older and to encourage people, particularly those 45 years old and older, to participate in a healthy lifestyle.
Here are some helpful ways to keep both your mind and body healthier through the lifespan:
- Maintain a positive attitude – The connection between the mind and body is strong, so an overall positive attitude can affect overall happiness, health, and well-being.
- Eat healthfully – Our food choices have an impact on overall health. Nutritious foods help maintain a healthy body and protect against various illnesses, disorders, and chronic diseases.
- Engage in regular physical activity – Physical activity strengthens bones and muscles, helps us to maintain range of motion and flexibility, reduces the risk of falling, and improves cardiovascular and mental health.
- Exercise your brain – Do this by staying connected with friends and family, playing word and number games, taking classes, exercising, eating a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep each night.
- Stay social – Being socially engaged improves social skills, helps us to maintain a positive attitude, enhances self-esteem, and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and depression.
- Manage your stress – While some stress can be healthy and useful ,chronic stress can leave you feeling nervous, on edge, and tense. It also puts you at greater risk for numerous health problems, including heart disease, sleep problems, digestive problems, depression, obesity, and memory impairment.
- Get enough sleep – Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Proper rest improves learning and memory, weight and metabolism, safety, mood, cardiovascular health, and our immune system.
Aging is a lifelong process, and healthy living throughout our lives greatly contributes to how well we age in later years.
All Blogs are written by Professionals in the fields of Nutrition, Human Development and Diabetes.