French poet Victor Hugo described the gracefulness of aging beautifully when he wrote, “When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable. There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age”. Aging is a natural process, but what does it mean to “age gracefully”? The trick to age gracefully is to enjoy it. As you grow older, you have the added benefit of wisdom, experience and perspective. People who age gracefully stay physically and mentally active and the key to achieving that is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here are some tips to extend and improve quality of your life.
- Keep Brain Cells Healthy: A healthy social life and regular exercise can maintain brain health. Memory loss is a common problem in old age. There are certain things that you could do to prevent or even reverse memory loss. Engage in mentally stimulating activities – read, do crossword puzzles and play brain games to challenge your brain to do better. Engage in hobbies that keep the brain active. Yoga and meditation can help you relax and cut stress. Keep your blood sugar and blood pressure under control to avoid strokes and mini-strokes that result in brain cell impairment.
- Eat right: Eating right can help avoid many diseases. Include enough folate in your diet, because lack of folic acid can cause digestive disorders, headache, depression and dementia. It’s important to keep magnesium and potassium levels up. Avoid sugar as it causes premature cell aging and affects all of the body’s systems.
- Control your weight: Avoid obesity by exercising regularly. Take a brisk walk or swim every day to keep your arteries healthy. A Mediterranean diet that has lots of fruits and vegetables is a good choice. Food cooked with olive oil instead of butter is healthy and help avoid cholesterol-related disease.
- Skin care: Deflation, descent and deterioration are common culprits of skin damage. Drinking plenty of water, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, exfoliation, and using a good moisturizer can help postpone skin aging.
- Maintain a positive attitude: A positive outlook is crucial to healthy aging. Cultivate ways to deal with stress and learn to see the silver lining in every situation. Recognize all aspects of an issue by seeking out different viewpoints
Remember that there is beauty in age. So your goal should be to stay physically and mentally healthy always – this will help you age gracefully.
