Twenty Five Ideas to Help You Positively Age
Everyone would like to live a long and healthy life. But how can we possibly help ourselves to achieve this?
Filling our days with things that might help us positively age might help.
I just love this definition of positive aging as defined by the Australian Psychological Society;
“the process of maintaining a positive attitude, feeling good about yourself, keeping fit and healthy, and engaging fully in life as you age”.
What a great concept. Who doesn’t want to live a more healthy, fit and engaged life as we age?
So here is a list of 24 ideas of different things you can do to help you positively age. Even just tackling one or two of them could move you in a positive direction.
1. Exercise
The benefits of exercise to help you positively age are extensive.
Exercise can help prevent bone density loss, prevent chronic disease, boost immunity, increase mobility, decrease risk of falls and improve overall mood just for starters. And you don’t even have to exercise that much to get the benefits. If you’re in good general shape, the CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate intense exercise each week and two days a week of activities that strengthen you muscles.
2. Avoid highly processed foods
Processed foods are any food that has been altered in some way in their preparation. They often contain high levels of sugar, salt and fats. Some examples of highly processed foods include, chips, sugary drinks, fast foods, deli meats and frozen entrees.
Some recent research published by Ohio State University discovered that when rats consumed these highly processed foods it led o a strong inflammatory response in the brains and was accompanied by behavioral signs of memory loss.
So to be on the safe side, it’s probably best to stick with eating and cooking with whole foods where you know what they are and what is in them.
3. Get some good, quality sleep
Another area to focus on that will help us age well is sleep. Good quality sleep can help with improved cognitive functioning, improved memory, improved mental health, improved immune functioning, reduced risk of falls and reduced hospitalization. And if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, it can lead to increased risk of dementia, increased blood pressure, increase risk of diabetes and could even age your brain by 3 to 5 years.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours sleep for those up to the age of 64 and seven to eight hours sleep for those over 65.
So be sure to get your zzzz’s – they really can impact how well you age.
4. Brush and floss daily
You likely know already that brushing and flossing are necessary for maintaining our oral health but some research has added a new risk of not doing this – increased cognitive impairment and dementia. So now there are more reasons to keep and maintain that healthy smile.
5. Learn something new
When was the last time you learned something new? This is important to positive aging as continued learning can contribute to improved well being, confidence, life satisfaction and engagement – just to start.
It’s also suggested that when choosing something to learn, to select an activity that we will enjoy and also increases in difficulty as we go (for example a musical instrument or learning a new language). By doing this, it will help us to want to continue with the activity, continue to challenge our brain and ultimately improve our overall brain health.
6. Get an eye exam
If you haven’t had a recent eye exam, you should add this to your to-do list. As we age, we have increased risk of age-related eye diseases and conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, glaucoma and dry eye. Getting our vision checked regularly can help identify these issues early so that they can be treated if necessary.
7. Eat more fiber
If fiber your friend? It should be. Some research published by The Gerontological Society of America shared that dietary fibre intake is definitely associated with positive aging;
"Essentially, we found that those who had the highest intake of fiber or total fiber actually had an almost 80 percent greater likelihood of living a long and healthy life over a 10-year follow-up. That is, they were less likely to suffer from hypertension, diabetes, dementia, depression, and functional disability."
And if you think you're getting enough fiber, you're likely not. It's estimated that 90% of women and 97% of men don't get enough daily fiber. So be sure to up your intake - your body will thank you for it.
Looking for some high fiber foods to add to your diet? Then check out this list published by the Mayo Clinic.
8. Spend time with family and friends
If we learned one thing from the pandemic it was how important and meaningful it is to spend time with family and friends. It's also been shown that staying socially active is also associated with having better mental and physical health – especially as we age.
Maintaining positive relationships can help us reduce our stress levels, improve our mood, increase our cardiovascular health and encourage positive health behaviours. So we need to make a point of staying connected with others.
9. Prepare your home for aging
The majority of people are hoping to age in their own homes. But some changes or renovations to our homes may be necessary in order for us to actually be able to achieve this. It’s best to prepare in advance before it becomes a problem. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can get started check out our interview with aging in place expert, Scott Fulton here.
10. Stay optimistic
Would you consider yourself to be an optimistic person? If you are – that’s great news because some research has discovered;
“…more optimistic individuals are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases and die prematurely. Our results further suggest that optimism is specifically related to 11 to 15% longer life span, on average, and to greater odds of achieving “exceptional longevity,” that is, living to the age of 85 or beyond.”
11. Watch your weight
Are you carrying more weight that you should? If you’re not sure, you can check with this BMI assessment tool. The reason that this is important is that obesity can reduce life expectancy by 5.8 years for men and 7.1 years for women so there are some good reasons to drop those extra pounds.
12. Make Your Bed Everyday
When I was a kid, I used to think why bother making your bed – you're just going to get back into it again that night.
But I have since learned that making your bed everyday may actually have some positive mental health benefits. Whether it’s starting your day with a sense of accomplishment, to enhancing your feeling of organization to possibly even reducing your overall stress level, this simple act may help to start your day off right.
13. Watch less TV
Watching television is a major pastime for older people and probably increased even more given the pandemic. According to Neilsen, people aged 50 to 64 spend on average 5:43 watching television and this jumps to 7:14 over 65. Think about that. That means spending about 36 to 56 hours a week in front of the TV. That’s about the same amount of time as a full time job.
But how much television is too much television?
A study of older people and TV consumption found that 3.5 hours a day seems to be the maximum amount recommended. Any more than was discovered could cause cognitive decline.
So if you’re watching a lot of TV, you might want to pick a few items from this list to do instead.
14. Consider getting a pet
Having a pet is a big responsibility but there are also some great benefits when it comes to aging. In a survey of pet owners between the ages of 50 to 80 conducted by the University of Michigan discovered that pet owners felt their pets;
“…help them enjoy life (88%), make them feel loved (86%), reduce stress (79%), provide a sense of purpose (73%), and help them stick to a routine (62%). Respondents also reported that their pets connect them with other people (65%), help them be physically active (64% overall and 78% among dog owners), and help them cope with physical and emotional symptoms (60%), including taking their mind off pain (34%)."
15. Listen to music
As this article from John Hopkins shares, listening to music stimulates our brains and provides many benefits such as reducing anxiety, blood pressure and pain along with improving our sleep quality, mood and alertness. It’s been referred to as being a total brain workout and also helps contribute to our overall brain health as we age.
But don’t just limit yourself to music that you already know. By listening to music our kids or grandkids listen to can give our brains an extra workout and maybe gives us something new to talk about with them too.
16. Have a purpose
What gets you out of bed in the morning? What gets you excited about the prospect of a new day?
Having a purpose in life can lead to longer longevity, increased wellness, improved sleep and also better physical functioning. If you’re not sure how to find yours, we share some ways to discover this in this article.
17. Get a medical check up
The CDC reports that approximately 85% of older adults have at least one chronic health condition, and 60% have at least two chronic conditions. Many of these conditions can be managed well if identified early. By doing an annual medical check up, tests can be done to screen for conditions that can then be treated before they become a major problem.
18. Go for a fast walk
Walking is a great form of exercise but if you’re heading out for a walk, you may want to pick up the pace. Regular walking can decrease health risks. A study found that people who were 60 or older and walked at an average pace saw their risk of death from heart disease decrease by 46 percent but it increased to 53 percent for those people that walked fast..
19. Laugh daily
Did you know that when you laugh you release a whole host of healthy benefits? A good laugh can help to relax you, increase your circulation, improve your immune system, provide pain relief and just improve your mood.
20. Wear your hearing aids
According to the National Institute on Aging, approximately one in three people between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss, and nearly half of those older than 75 has difficulty hearing. And not taking action to improve our hearing can result in some negative outcomes. Hearing loss has been linked to increased falls, social isolation, declining cognitive functioning, heart health, diabetes and kidney issues.
The good news is that hearing aids can help and they have technologically advanced substantially over the last number of years.
Unfortunately, wearing hearing aids has a negative perception and often not used by people as they see it as a physical sign that they are aging.
Let’s change this ageist perspective and start to view hearing aids in the same way as we see glasses. They are made to help us and can offer some significant benefits.
21. Do a medication checkup
Drugs are helpful and very often necessary to maintain our health as we age. But sometimes multiple drugs can negatively interact with each other and cause problems. Researchers estimate that 25 percent of people ages 65 to 69 take at least five prescription drugs to treat chronic conditions, and this increases to nearly 46 percent for those between 70 and 79.
But if not monitored and managed properly, people over 65 are five times more likely to be hospitalized than those under 65 due to medication effects.
So if you are taking medications, it may be wise to have a review with your doctor and/or pharmacist to make sure that you are taking your prescriptions correctly and don’t have the potential for negative interaction(s).
22. Volunteer
Volunteering not only possibly helps support a cause but can also provide you with some great benefits as well. Not only does it help make you feel like you’re contributing, research has found that volunteering later in life can provide the added benefit of protecting your brain against cognitive decline and dementia. Not that both giving and getting!
23. Read a Book
When was the last time you picked up a book and read? I’m not talking about an article on the internet but a real book with pages that made you concentrate longer then just a two minute read.
As reported by World Health, there is some interesting research from Yale University that discovered in a study of 3,635 men and women over the age of 50;
“Those who read books for up to 3.5 hours weekly were 17% less likely to die over the 12 year follow-up, compared to those who did not read books. Those who read for over 3.5 hours per week were 23% less likely to die. Over the course of the 12 years, the adults who read books survived almost 2 years longer than the adults who did not read.”
24. Watch Your Alcohol Intake
There has been no shortage of media coverage about how much alcohol is or isn't safe to drink. But one thing that is starting to emerge is that when you're older, it's probably best to make sure you cut right back or even possible abstain.
The reasons are many. We don't metabolize alcohol the same way when we're older, it can mess with our medications, it can possibly increase mobility issues, it can even potentially contribute to other health issues such as osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, ulcers, memory loss, and mood disorders
24. Practice gratitude
There are certainly lots of things to get down about happening around us and it’s easy to become both overwhelmed and distressed. But there is one simple thing that you can do to combat this.
Practice gratitude.
By practicing gratitude, you may discover you will have more positive emotions, improved health, increased ability to deal with adversity and also build stronger relationships.
And it’s a pretty easy thing to do too. You can write gratitude letters (and you don’t even have to send them to get the benefit), you can start a gratitude journal and document the things you are grateful for or just express gratitude to the people you are grateful for. Just start and see where it takes you. This costs so little but has the opportunity for a major payback.
