You Don’t Have to Get Old: How to Avoid the Negative Effects of Aging
img: Moodboard Photography, on flickr. Used under cc by 2.0
Think getting older means resigning yourself to stretchy waistbands and playing checkers? Think again. Here are 5 ways you can stay young as you age.
1. Just say no to weight gain.
As we age, we can lose valuable muscle. Muscle burns lots of calories, and when that muscle goes away, we lose all that calorie-burning power.
Fortunately, we don’t have to. Training our muscles with regular exercise, including resistance exercises like swimming, lifting weights, and whole body vibration, helps us keep the muscle we have and build more.
More muscle means we burn more calories just going through our day, and that means less weight gain over the course of our lives.
Want to stay slim and healthy as you age? You have to work out!
Read more about how whole body vibration helps you lose weight.
2. High blood pressure is not for you.
img: Moodboard Photography
The heart may not get wrinkles like your skin, but it does age. With time, your heart may get bigger and start beating more slowly. Your veins and arteries can get stiff, making it hard for your heart to push all your blood around.
This all can lead to high blood pressure, but it isn’t an inevitable fate. With healthy eating and regular, cardiovascular exercise—think anything that gets your heart pumping, like walking, dancing, or riding a bike—you can keep your blood vessels supple and your heart strong.
3. Keep standing tall.
Your bones feel the effects of aging, too, becoming less dense and more prone to fracture. You may even lose some height as your bones shrink and your spine compresses.
Keep your bones feeling young with—you guessed it—regular exercise! Weight-bearing exercise does more than strengthen muscle; it strengthens bones, too, keeping you standing strong for years to come.
You’re at risk! Read our infographic on how to keep your bones fracture-free.
4. Don’t get backed up.
Aging can be hard on your digestive system, too. A poor diet, some medical conditions, and certain medications can aggravate the problem and leave you feeling sluggish, fatigued, and irritable.
Some tips to stay regular:
- Eat a diet rich in fiber, with plenty of green, leafy vegetables.
- Avoid genetically modified foods
- Drink plenty of water to keep things moving.
- Get moving. Even 30 minutes of daily walking can help keep your digestion in check.
5. Remember who you are.
Memory can fade as you age. If you find yourself grasping for just the right word in conversation, or frequently forgetting where you put things, consider boosting your memory with these tips:
- Eat well. Getting all the nutrients you need is important to brain health.
- Get exercise. It’s good for more than just your physical well being. It helps you mentally, too.
- Work your brain. Add mental puzzles like crosswords or Sudoku into your daily routine.
- Get with friends. Socializing is another activity that challenges your mental capacity and can help you keep a sunny outlook on life.
img: Engage, Inc. Used under cc by-sa 2.0
Keep your youthful glow.
You may have noticed a few new wrinkles, and maybe you feel a little less radiant than you used to. Aging can affect your skin’s elasticity, causing wrinkling and sagging. And since you produce fewer natural oils now than you did when you were younger, your skin may be dull and dry.
Consider your skin as another beneficiary of regular exercise. Working out improves circulation, which helps reduce the appearance of cellulite and improve skin color, thanks to increased blood flow.
Preventive measures here are important, too. Use mild cleansers and moisturizers to keep skin soft and smooth. If you smoke, and the health benefits haven’t been enough to convince you to quit, consider vanity reasons. Smoking is incredibly damaging to the appearance of skin, hair, nails, and teeth.
Getting older doesn’t have to mean getting old. You have the power to take steps to make sure you age with grace, health, and joy.
Read up on what to look for in a vibration machine, and let us know what you think in the comments!
Resource:
- http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aging/HA00040
