What Are the Main Physical Effects of Aging?
Pretty much everyone knows that getting older has severe physical effects on your body, but not everyone knows the specifics of what aging really does.
The purpose of this article is to explore, that in a bit more depth.
Bone density is one of those things that really takes a hit as you get older.
One of the reasons why older people suffer from bone issues is because we age, our body slowly loses bone density.
Unlike a few other issues caused by aging, this can’t be reversed, it can only be slowed.
Regular exercise and a healthy diet can keep bones strong into old age, but they will never be as strong as the bones of a younger person.
Muscle Mass and Flexibility
Much like with bones, muscles also lose muscles mass at a much faster rate as we age.
This is a big part of the reason why you very rarely see older people with muscles.
Simply put, as you age, maintaining even a bit of muscle mass becomes a struggle.
Muscles also become more prone to snapping because they lose flexibility.
Again, many of you are no doubt familiar with the fact that many older people suffer from heart issues.
This is yet another unfortunate consequence of aging.
As people get older, their blood vessels start to loosen. This makes it harder for the heart to transport blood back and forth throughout the body.
The heart has to beat more often, which puts more strain on it, which then causes issues.
Older people are at a greater risk of developing heart-related issues and having heart attacks.
Brain degradation is one of the most unfortunate aspects of aging, as anyone who has ever had a relative with dementia can tell you.
We all have brain cells, and as we age, those brain cells start to die off.
As brain cells die or decay, the functions of the brain start to decay as well.
This is why older people can suffer from memory loss, experience trouble following things, etc.
Unlike a lot of other things mentioned in this article, brain degradation is a bit more varied. People who do activities that result in damage to the brain, like trauma-inducing activities or drinking often suffer worse brain degradation.
Likewise, those who stay away from those activities and who engage in brain-stimulating activities (puzzles, reading, etc.) can often remain quite mentally sharp, even well into their old age.
How to Take Care of Your Back As You Age
Back pain tends to be synonymous with aging.
But, it doesn’t have to be that way. With proper care, you could maintain a healthy back and body well into your 90s and perhaps even past 100.
While it’s true that your muscle mass will begin to decrease with age, proper stretching and exercising can keep you mobile and pain-free for many years to come.
The key is starting as young as possible. Here are some tips to help you.
Perhaps one of the best things you can do for your whole body’s health is simply eat a nutritious diet. Your diet should be rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.
This will help give your body the many nutrients it needs to thrive. In turn, your back will be pain-free and strong.
There are many muscles that help support your back to keep it healthy and mobile.
Supporting and maintaining muscle mass through regular exercise is essential.
Plus, being active will keep your whole body more loose.
In turn, you won’t have to suffer from the stiffness and immobility that inactive adults must face.
Support Your Core
Of all the muscles that help support your back, your core muscles are perhaps the most important.
This even includes your abs and the muscles you’d generally consider to be on the front of your body.
Keeping them strong is essential to keeping your back feeling loose and good for many years to come.
Have Good Posture
It’s something most people heard a lot growing up: stand up straight! Good posture is essential to strong back muscles and a properly aligned spine.
In fact, keeping good posture throughout your life is one of the best things you can do to support a healthy back for the long-term.
If you need to correct your posture, it’s never too late.
A posture correcting device can help retrain your posture at any age.
Most people have, unfortunately, suffered from poor posture, especially in recent years.
As our jobs grow more sedentary, more of us gravitate towards sitting positions that can make us slouch and hold our heads out and down.
This causes a lot of strain on our back and neck. Just correcting this in and of itself can do wonders for your wellbeing.
How to Take Care of Your Joints As You Age
As most people age, they find that their mobility gradually deteriorates. They may begin experiencing joint paint and stiffness that feeds into a detrimental cycle.
They need to get up and be more active, but being active hurts, so they choose to become more and more sedentary.
Unfortunately, that’s what happens to most older adults and it gets worse as they continue to age. But, it can be prevented.
Around the world, tens of thousands of people are living well into their 90s and 100s, and they can do so in a very active and fulfilling way.
But, the younger you begin your healthy lifestyle, the longer you will get to enjoy it.
When it comes to your joints specifically, keeping and staying active at every age is essential to growing old without losing your mobility or independence.
Choose The Right Activities
Regardless of your current state, there are definitely activities you can find that will help support your healthy joints and mobility.
The trick is picking the right ones so that they do not cause harm or hurt you.
With time, you’ll find that being active in itself will help you loosen up your joints and restore flexibility and mobility.
But, you should still find activities that support your overall health.
This might mean trading in the runs you took in your youth for a short and peaceful walk.
Or, it could mean taking water aerobics over downhill skiing.
Whatever the case may be, focus on finding activities that you can comfortably and regularly integrate into your lifestyle.
Fueling your active lifestyle is essential to keeping your joints healthy. Certain foods will directly promote joint health, especially fruits and vegetables.
But, the important thing is to look at your diet as a whole and thing about the nutrients you are getting and, most likely, lacking.
Work to supplement your diet with vitamins where needed.
Make Your Lifestyle Active Overall
Adding a workout to your routine is a great way to get moving more.
But, you should look to make your entire lifestyle more active in order to support both your joint health and overall wellbeing.
For instance, you might start walking down the road each morning to take your dog out. Or, you might choose to park a bit further from the store next time you go shopping.
Whatever it may be, finding little ways to be more active throughout each and every day will really pay off in the long run. With time, you’ll be able to feel the difference for sure.
How to Take Care of Your Heart As You Age
Taking care of your heart is one of the smartest moves you can make.
After all, your heart is your most vital organ and muscle at the same time.
Care for it and it can last you well over 100 years.
While you will make the biggest impact by starting young, you can boost your heart health at any age by following some timeless advice.
Perhaps above everything, one of the best things you can do for your heart is to stay active.
That’s because physical activity, especially LISS (Low-Impact Steady State) cardio will help boost your heart’s health.
It will do so by strengthening your heart and, therefore, making it work less to pump the same amount of blood.
In turn, you’ll find your resting heart rate will lower and your circulation will improve.
In addition, you also need to focus on the other major aspect of living healthily: the food you eat.
Everyone knows they should avoid “bad” cholesterol because it can cause clogged arteries and other things that complicate circulation and make your heart work harder.
But, you also need to look at your diet overall. Think about the foods you eat as a whole.
Are they mostly healthy and fresh?
They should be. Avoiding processed foods and added sugars will do wonders for your heart health and physical health overall.
In addition, you need to control any conditions you may have or be susceptible to.
Getting annual screenings and knowing your family’s health history can go a long way in keeping you healthy through preventative and early reaction measures.
Things like diabetes and high blood pressure are definitely things to monitor and control the best you can.
Again, diet and exercise will play into these two things.
Finally, you need to remember the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. Packing on extra pounds will make your entire body work harder.
It will directly impact the function of every one of your internal organs and make you less healthy overall.
It also makes you more susceptible to heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions.
So, always do your best to maintain a healthy weight.
As you’ll see, these things might sound difficult but they all go hand-in-hand to living a healthy and long life.
As you work on your diet, you’ll have more energy to exercise and, suddenly, you’ll notice your weight begin to balance as well.
With simple actions each day, your heart will see huge improvements.
How to Take Care of Your Mental Health As You Age
Your mental health has a direct impact on your quality of life.
So, maintaining a healthy mental state should be paramount when it comes to your lifestyle choices.
But, how can you support mental health as you age?
With many seniors suffering from things like dementia and depression, is it even possible to remain mentally healthy as you grow older?
The fact is: yes!
You can remain completely mentally healthy at any age, as long as you follow some basic advice.
Support Your Physical Wellbeing
Perhaps one of the most direct ways to boost your mental wellbeing is to support your physical wellbeing.
Eating right and exercising are two huge factors in having the energy and mood to get out and live life each day.
So, it’s easy to see how physical and mental wellbeing go hand-in-hand with each other.
Support one and it will trickle over into the other.
Have a Mental Outlet
It helps to have someone to vent to when things don’t go our way.
But, we don’t all have an outlet like that. If you are lacking one, you can try to find one by discovering common ground with someone close to you.
Alternatively, you can seek a local group or club that may help you make a connection with someone.
Even if you don’t feel comfortable opening up to someone, having a social outlet is a huge part of supporting a healthy lifestyle.
Find Things You Love
When most people retire, they think of it as a whole new start to life.
You might not have a lot of money, but you still have the time and ability to have more fun than you ever thought possible.
If you want to travel, you can find bargain deals to fly to some far away place or you can save money by staying local with a day trip or even a train ride somewhere.
Getting creative and finding new things that you enjoy doing will directly feed into your mental health.