Women face many challenges in old age, from menopause and everything that comes with it to diseases like osteoporosis. There is an increased risk of severe illnesses like breast cancer, heart disease, and incontinence.
There is also a renewed health awareness that has become prevalent recently. People are becoming aware of other health goals besides weight loss, such as better gut health, increased flexibility, and increased strength. As an offshoot of this health awareness, there is an increased interest in healthy aging. This involves the deeper aspects of wellness that come with aging, such as complete physical health, mental health, and quality of life.
Healthy aging is the process of optimizing and maintaining your quality of life, body, mental wellness, and independence to carry out simple tasks as you have always done as you grow older.
This article will share five tips to help you age well.
Eating healthily
You need to get the daily recommended serving of vegetables and fruits in your diet. Also, limit your intake of overly processed foods and zero calories as in alcohol. Take four to five servings of fruit and vegetables each every single day. Not many people do that, but you should if you want to age healthily.
Exercise regularly
Engage your body in some kind of movement that feels good to you and that you enjoy. You don’t have to sign up at a gym if you don’t want to. You can start with brisk walks and scale your way up from there. The most important thing is to get some movement in and keep your body healthy and strong.
Use sunscreen daily
Sun damage shows up in different ways on your skin ranging from deeper lines on your face, more wrinkling, dull-looking skiing, sunburn, and hyperpigmentation. In the worst-case scenario, you could develop diseases as serious as cataract and skin cancer. The best way to limit and potentially avoid sun damage is to use sunscreen every day. Sunscreen of SPF30 and above has ingredients that protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. When your skin is protected this way, you can reap the benefits now and as you get older.
Get screened regularly
You want to see a doctor for a full body screening at least once or twice a year. This is important so that you can be made aware if you are at risk of any disease and what you can do to prevent them from developing. It is also a good way to discover if you have any latent illnesses that you may not know about and get reliable information on how to halt their development and get rid of them. Be particular about screening your breasts and your cervix every year, even from the age of 25.
Take available vaccines
Vaccines are a way of preventing disease development in your body before you even encounter the disease. For women, vaccines such as the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine are very important. The HPV vaccine helps to prevent cervical cancer. Your healthcare provider can advise you on which other ones are necessary for you to take.
Everyone aspires to live a happy, fuller life. This dream will not be possible if you are in poor health as you age. Please use these tips and others from your healthcare provider to prepare yourself to live and age well.
