Ageing
Ageing is a natural process. Everybody goes through it. It’s bound that any human being grows from their childhood to a certain age, and then at a certain age, the growth quality begins to diminish. This process is nothing but Ageing. Aging can be referred to as impairment and physical disability throughout the period, increasing the dependency and journey towards the biological end. Even though Ageing is out of human control, few factors affect this process.
Every human being’s age and life characteristics are different. So even their aging process time and the pace are different. There are some common grounds in the biological factors, and this can help in understanding and improving the aging process. Mostly the aging process starts in the late 40s, and the most common noticeable effects are the hair turning ‘grey,’ wrinkles development on the skin, disease symptoms, etc.
Our basic senses, like Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch, are majorly attacked. No doubt, all those senses are controlled by the brain, and Ageing does have its impact on neurology. Aging also attacks the immune system badly, and that’s where diseases are more added into this aging process to faster the journey towards damaging health and death.
How to Stay Fit and Healthy in Old Age
Aging cannot be avoided. But that doesn’t mean all the effects or diseases will inevitable with it. Even though it’s not possible to control the Ageing, it’s sure that it can be delayed, and its effects can be reduced. The aging process starts at a certain age. Either to prevent aging from starting early or to slow down aging its pace, the measures need to be started from a young age itself. It’s even alright if one has not followed fitness at an early age, but it needs to be addressed at least when one starts experiencing Ageing symptoms.
Various measures can be taken, and habits that can be focused to stay happy and healthy as one age.
Here are key ways to choose healthy Ageing:
i) Well- balanced diet: It’s more than true that a person becomes what he/she eats. Diet plays an important role in developing a healthy body not only in old age but also at a young age. Aging comes with diseases like diabetes, heart stroke, kidney failure, etc. All these have a huge connection with what a person eats. Diabetes and blood pressure are mostly caused because of certain foods and sugar and no wonders that diabetes pave the path to many other diseases. It’s recommended not to eat starchy foods or consume a low-calorie diet as one starts aging towards the ’50s.
Choosing foods like leafy vegetables, fruits, and low sugar foods are recommended to stay fit and away from fats. Diet also has a relation to cognitive function, and the brain is one of the main parts of the body and has that level of impact while aging too. So the food that is chosen and eaten should be considered wisely.
ii) Exercise: Another very important factor is staying fit through physical exercise. Exercising is a mandatory activity one should do irrespective of their age as it is a good habit and helps to keep the body healthy and fit. Exercise also increases metabolism and flexibility, which is required at old age.
Exercise also helps in lowering down blood pressure, which can be helpful not to increase diabetic risk at an elderly age. The yoga or exercise practice has its benefits from reducing stress to releasing endorphins in the body, which makes any person happy, and happiness also contributes to a healthy life.
iii) Choose a healthy lifestyle: Choosing the right habits are not only good for health but also a lifestyle. Making a healthy routine and following it plays an important role in everyday fitness. Along with choosing the correct diet and sticking to regular exercise, it’s also important to keep stress away, getting a sound sleep, and avoiding toxic habits.
Stress affects the hormonal balance in the body and can cause various heart risks, whereas fewer sleep patterns can lead to sleep apnea in the later stages of life. Alcohol and smoking are harmful to health and can develop various threats to the liver and heart and complicate the old age to a very dangerous extend. Weight management should also be considered as obesity can increase heart risks too. Our body weight has a lot to do with the body mechanism and can also destroy the fitness. So checking up your every activity against the healthy checkbox lifestyle and monitoring weight alongside can help to develop a healthy routine.
So it’s very important to teach healthy habits right from the adult age till death as it has a huge impact on staying fit and healthy.
iv) Stay socially active and discover your passion: Nothing gives more pleasure than doing what makes you happy. Staying close to your social group or spending time with your loved ones can increase your happiness and would not let the tension, depression even roaming around you. Sharing and chatting with your friends and family can be a sign of a happy life and can help to stay positive mentally. Otherwise, the loneliness and toxic thoughts can take over your mind and spread negativity along with bad habits.
Staying fit means not only physically but also mentally. So, its always recommended doing what you like and exploring passion, helps in keeping the mind fresh and worry-free because once your brain becomes rusty or idle, it starts directing you in negative directions leading to depression, obesity, or an unhealthy lifestyle.
v) Follow the Doctor’s recommendations strictly: It’s natural to have few diseases or complications in the old age. So often, many seniors have problems like diabetes, blood pressure, surgeries, or extensive injuries. So it’s mandatory to follow the Doctor’s recommendations and medications regularly. There are high risks if you do the opposite of whats advised to you by the Doctor. Similarly, avoiding things that can increase the complications, and even more, injuries can prove beneficial in staying away from chronic diseases. So a strict check is must on the medication routine and following rules specified by the Doctor.
vi) Take time to relax: The most important part of the old age is that the body naturally becomes weak and can’t take up a lot of pressure. So, take the time to relax even in the daylight. Don’t go too hard on yourself in your aging process. It’s alright to not exercise for a day or two. It’s fine to consume anything you may prefer and not follow a diet for a day or two. Life has its limitations, and aging is just one. So don’t stress over and think much about dying. Inculcate meditation, reading, or swimming in your lifestyle to relax your thoughts and body too.
Remember, staying fit is not always about the body but also about the mind. If you are healthy and if you don’t get even 1 hour for yourself to sit back, relax and leave worries, then the long life or slow aging is of no use. So start putting habits that prioritize your self.
Conclusion
Aging is an inevitable event of life but has its side effects too that can make your living complicated. So choosing the right lifestyle that can keep your body and mind healthy is the only way to make it less complicated. Aging can not be avoided, but it can be delayed if one decides to make it fit.