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30th Nov -0001

Ageing Well

Older and Wiser

We’re all growing older by the minute, but some people grow older better than others. The way we age can be put down to genetics but we can all live better by making adjustments to the way we live and think about ourselves.  In other words, make changes to our lifestyles that will give us a fighting chance of staying healthy for as long as possible.  We all know that there are certain things in life that are not good for us, yet sometimes we still do them without thinking, until we get ill, particularly as we get older.  It’s got to be better to think about what we are doing to ourselves before we start to feel the consequences of our disregard to keeping healthy and the good news is, it’s never too late to start.

Food for Thought

One of the first things we can do is look at our diet.  We are constantly bombarded with messages that, this, that and the other is good/bad for us and it seems to change every single day.  We can worry about whether we are doing the right thing when it comes to our diets and many of us have tried different things in order to help ourselves.  Some try vegetarianism or veganism, and some try pescetarianism but can find these diets too limiting.  Every day we read that some diets lack certain vitamins and minerals and other diets can cause various ailments. Sometimes though you just have to listen to your inner common sense and many people realise that a varied diet consisting of fresh natural ingredients, lots of vegetables, small amounts of meat (not too much red meat) all cooked from scratch is by far preferable to trying faddy diets or serving up ultra processed food every day.  A balanced diet, low in salt and saturated fat will provide us with energy and the nutrients we need to help our bodies grow and repair and maintain a healthy weight.

Walk this Way

Another way to help ourselves is to incorporate exercise into our lives. Exercise can delay the onset of some diseases and help to increase quality of life which in turn reduces dependency and can help you to live better.  Again, it’s never too late to start and to begin with, if you’re not used to doing much exercise, you could start off by taking a short walk, even if it’s only around the block.  It will get you moving, increase your blood flow and warm you up if nothing else.  Some people benefit by joining a gym, where they can do strength exercises (weight training) and cardio (walking on a treadmill etc.).  If this isn’t your thing there are lots of exercise ideas and programmes online, as well as dvds that can be played at home for you to follow.  However, some people may be limited to the exercise they can do due to illness or disability but any kind of movement you can manage is good.  You can exercise sitting in a chair and just move your arms (we have touched on this in one of our previous articles called “Exercises for the Elderly”.)  The key is to move, get the blood flowing and to do whatever exercise you are able to, regularly and consistently.  You will definitely feel the benefit.  Of course it’s always best to check with your GP before embarking on an exercise programme.

Good Night

Yes you’ve guessed it…a good night’s sleep is so beneficial for anyone and can do us a world of good.  Without getting into the science of it, good quality sleep can help to maintain heart health, regulate metabolism and your immune system, reduce stress and prevent inflammation. Seven or eight hours is considered sufficient for our bodies to produce the hormones required while we are asleep to repair damage, to keep our brains functioning properly which helps with our ability to think, to process memories and to concentrate.  Of course sometimes it isn’t always easy to gain a good night’s sleep especially as we get older and can often find ourselves having a crafty nap during the day.  To enable us to get a good 7-8 hours of sleep per night, it is always worth trying to establish the kind of lifestyle that will encourage a good sleep habit. It’s not only children that need a bedtime routine, us “oldies” need one too.  For example, try to keep a realistic bedtime and stick to it each night, even on weekends and get up at the same time each morning. Instead of watching TV, using your tablet or smartphone, try reading a book or having a bath before going to bed. Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol in the evening and don’t eat too late.  Make your bedroom as comfortable as possible, try to keep it dark and cool and do your best not to sleep during the day.  If you do need a nap try to take it at the same time each day and make it short if you can.

Hello

Yes, the importance of having friends and companions that we can meet up with or chat to on the phone cannot be underestimated. It keeps us interested in the world around us, it helps us to keep in touch with people and prevents us from feeling lonely.  Loneliness can be very stressful and can affect us as we age for obvious reasons, it can increase our chances of becoming ill and of having depression.  If you find yourself feeling lonely and are having difficulty meeting people, Age UK and their partner charity The Silver Line can offer free telephone friendship services, whereby you can chat to someone over the phone from the comfort of your own home. You can find details of this on their website. If you have reasonable health and can get out and about, it is always worth thinking about volunteering, perhaps in a charity shop or maybe even as a telephone friendship volunteer.  You will get to meet and chat with different people and benefit from the social aspect of this.  You could also join a club or find a new hobby or interest which can get you out and about meeting new people. Staying in touch has such a beneficial way of helping us maintain our emotional and mental well being.

In summary, the more we look after our health and well being, the more we are able to enjoy the benefits of being on this wonderful earth of ours. It can sometimes be a bit depressing when we listen to the news and see the many changes that are going on in society but by and large life really is what we make of it and to help us to have a positive “spin” on life, we need to keep ourselves in the best shape we can both physically and mentally. If you need help, reach out, there are always plenty of people who are kindhearted and willing to help you. Don’t be “proud”, be glad to be alive and think positive and be proactive. Don’t worry about how “old” you are, age is just a number and we are capable of doing anything we put our minds to. We may be older but we are also wiser, remember that when you’re next trekking up Mount Everest or going to the allotment - whatever floats your boat.