Growing older can have both a positive and negative impact on a person’s life. While you might be smarter, wiser and happier, you may eventually notice your skin, bones, and brain are starting to age, which could catch you by surprise.

If you want to ensure you don’t experience the downsides of growing older, you must care for your health each day. Read the five steps to healthy and happy aging.

Step One: Visit a Doctor

Top of your to-do list must be to schedule a check-up with a doctor to identify if you are in good health. During an appointment, a doctor will perform tests to identify your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and heart rate, and could diagnose any healthcare concerns.

Step Two: Change Your Diet

Many people often indulge in foods filled with saturated fats and refined sugars as they get older, which can cause their waistline to expand and their health to decline. If you want to banish obesity, heart disease, or type 2 diabetes, then one way to achieve this is through making changes to your diet.

A medically supervised weight loss program could be ideal for your lifestyle, as it will help you to lose weight without the need to diet. You’ll simply need to eat foods that do not cause an insulin spike in your body, which can consequently reduce hunger pangs and help your body to burn calories.

Step Three: Stay Socially Active

The secret to healthy aging could be to enjoy a great social life. According to Harvard Medical School, dozens of studies have found that people who have fantastic relationships with their family, friends, and community are not only happier, but they experience fewer health issues and live longer. So, stop spending time alone inside your home and actively connect with loved ones and your community to live a healthy and happy life.

Step Four: Exercise

Getting older does not give you an excuse to put your feet up. Unless you’re living with a debilitating medical condition, you must keep exercising to improve your physical and mental health.

Regular physical activity is also believed to reduce common aging ailments, such as dementia, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Plus, strong, flexible muscles can reduce your likelihood of experiencing a fall or fracture.

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Step Five: Develop a Bedtime Routine

It’s common for people to sleep less as they get older. In fact, it’s believed almost half of all men and women over 65 years old will experience one sleep problem, such as insomnia.

Sleep deprivation can, unfortunately, affect almost every aspect of a person’s health, such as their diet, energy levels, and attention span. If you want to improve your sleep pattern, you must stick to a steady bedtime routine. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day to help you drift off to sleep each night. You also should avoid napping too much in the day or drinking alcohol before bedtime.

 

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Maggie Hammond is a retired nurse and freelance writer, exploring and writing in the U.S. in retirement. An advocate for public health and nursing qualifications, she feels passionate about raising awareness of the current strain on public health organisations.