9 ‘no-brainer’ steps for vitality at every age

What does it mean to age well?

In this day of airbrushed-thin models, flat bellies and straight, white teeth, men and women over 50 are being forced to think about this question. And that’s a good thing.

Does aging well mean being able to look and feel just as you did 10, 20, even 30 years ago? I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a full-time job to me, and one that will have disappointing results.

And research certainly doesn’t point to facelifts and implants as the secret to thriving in our later decades.

A long-term study by the MacArthur Foundation found that 70 percent of physical aging and approximately 50 percent of mental aging is determined by lifestyle choices we make every day.

With that in mind, I’d like to offer you a mini-handbook of simple choices you can make for aging well. Each will be a step toward thriving in the decades to come, not only physically but mentally, emotionally and socially as well.

What to eat, what to avoid

Getting older doesn’t have to mean giving up the occasional slice of chocolate cake. But staying in tune with your body and what it needs will pay off in terms of greater energy, less illness and better long-term health.

1. Avoid processed foods, especially meats. Hot dogs, bacon and sausages that have been salted or cured have a high sodium content. Rather than the saturated fat or cholesterol, it’s this high salt content that’s the problem.

A Harvard review found that just one serving a day of these cured, salted meats was associated with a 42 percent greater risk of heart disease and a 19 percent greater chance of developing diabetes.

In fact, processed meat’s disease links stretch from cancer to asthma!

2. Eat blueberries. Sweet, versatile and always available fresh or frozen, this is one food to eat daily for all-around health.

The nutrients in blueberries are known to strengthen heart, bones and brain. They slash cancer and diabetes risk and help control cholesterol and blood pressure. It’s hard to find another food that’s better for you.

3. Skip the packaged food. Food in boxes and plastic containers has nothing to recommend it. Get your nutrition from the basics: produce, lean meats, fish and whole grains. These are the basics of a Mediterranean-style diet, proven to protect against cancer and protect the prostate, colon, heart and brain.

Stimulate that brain!

4. Get creative. Pablo Picasso. Leonard Bernstein. Georgia O’Keefe. Perhaps you don’t aspire to the same artistic greatness, but science says taking on creative pursuits later in life can have measurable effects on health.

Neurological research shows that making art can produce new neural pathways in the brain, thus strengthening cognitive function.

Even viewing art causes the brain to re-mold itself and to increase cognitive reserve (the ability to maximize brain function by using the healthiest connections available).

Music is valuable for aging well. Listening to music activates brain areas responsible for movement, motor planning and attention.

5. Shake up your routine. Our brains crave novelty. By changing your daily routine even a little, you’re stimulating your brain to create new neural pathways.

Take a different route home from work, or on your morning walk. Stop at a different café for your morning coffee.

Get moving!

6. Move it or lose it. And speaking of walking, it’s surely no surprise that exercise will keep you feeling young. We now know that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the best type of workout for aging muscles, rather than long sessions of aerobics.

Research has proven that HIIT can age-proof our telomeres by preventing oxidative stress and reducing inflammation.

Physical well-being

7. Dental health. Gum disease is intimately linked with cancer, diabetes and kidney disease, often referred to as disease of aging.

In fact, some supplements that fight gum disease also fight aging. See the connection? So now is the time to stay on top of your brushing and flossing routine.

Stay away from mouthwash, though. Use natural alternatives to avoid chemicals that cause diabetes, cancer and more.

8. Don’t smoke. No need to elaborate here.

Be an optimist

9. Change your attitude if you’re a pessimist. In 2016 researchers at Harvard reported after studying 70,000 women over an eight year period that the most optimistic women had a:

• 39 percent lower risk of dying from stroke
• 38 percent lower risk of dying from respiratory disease
• 16 percent lower risk of dying from cancer
• 52 percent lower risk of dying from infection
• 38 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease

In fact, the top 25 percent of optimists had almost a 30 percent lower risk of dying from any of the diseases analyzed in the study when compared with the least optimistic women.

So, if you’re a naturally optimistic person, pat yourself on the back and tackle the other eight healthier choices, too.

Sources:

1. The Summit On Creativity And Aging In America — National Endowment for the Arts
2. What Does Wellness Really Mean as We Age? — American Seniors Housing Association
3. Meat Is Linked to Higher Cancer Risk, W.H.O. Report Finds — The New York Times
4. Recent and past musical activity predicts cognitive aging variability: direct comparison with general lifestyle activities — Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
5. Does Exercise Slow the Aging Process? — The New York Times