When you turned forty or fifty, did your family or coworkers throw an “Over the Hill” party for you? These parties seem to happen less often than in the past as more people are remaining “younger” into their sixties, seventies, and beyond. These generations are changing the outlook on healthy aging in America.
For example, the popular television show The Golden Girls, which aired for seven seasons in the 1980s, featured four older women who were supposed to represent women in their mid-fifties to early sixties with one character in her eighties. Yet, you may be hard-pressed to find a fifty-five-year-old woman who is ready to move into a retirement village today.
Men and women consider their fifties and sixties to be another chapter in their life. This is a life they can make vibrant and energetic by taking care of their physical and mental health. This perspective follows them as they reach their seventies, eighties, and beyond.
Healthy aging in America
As many as 1 in 5,000 Americans live to see their 100th birthday, and many more live well into their nineties. Our goal is longevity and reducing the risk factors that can decrease quality of life. We want to live healthy and active lives.
The following are suggestions you can implement easily into your life.
Maintain movement.
Aside from healthy eating habits, maintaining an active lifestyle will keep your muscles strong, bones dense, and joints flexible. Also, when you stay active, your heart and lungs stay stronger and work closer to full capacity. We know that as we age, our organs may not function as well as they used to, but we can delay the aging process by moving more.
A brisk walk around the neighborhood may be all you need to keep your cardiorespiratory system strong and reduce inflammation and joint pain. If you are capable of flexibility and balance training, consult with a personal trainer about how to incorporate exercises into your day to prevent falls.
(NOTE: Before starting a new exercise regimen, consult with your physician about the type of movement that is best for you and your health.)
Keep annual appointments and screenings.
The best medicine is preventive. If you can catch conditions in the early stages, you have a better chance of delaying or beating the condition. For example, people who are diagnosed as pre-diabetic for Type II diabetes may be able to course correct with lifestyle changes and medication to delay the development of diabetes.
Schedule all annual appointments and screenings for around the same time to make it easier to remember. If it helps, choose your birthday month or anniversary month to schedule these appointments.
Socialize.
Even introverts need to feel a social connection. Socializing does not mean you need to be the life of the party (unless you want to). Socializing means making connections and forming friendships. Whether you attend events with friends, invite someone out to lunch, or grab a coffee with a friend before a Bible study, you need to feel that you connect with another person.
The best way to form friendships is to make others feel important. Invite them over and ask questions about their life and interests. Listen to them as they tell you what is important to them. Offer to help them with small things if you notice a need.
Sort out your wishes.
You may not be ready to think about the future after you are gone, but your loved ones need you to spend at least a few minutes sorting out end care and final arrangements. Grief is hard and you want to make things easier for your family and friends by acknowledging what you want to happen if you can no longer make decisions.
Consider consulting with an advisor in elder law to prepare a will and other documents regarding end-of-life care and arrangements. Ensure that all beneficiaries are listed and that you have written down how you want your final arrangements. For example, instead of a funeral, perhaps you would rather have a Celebration of Life and ask that your children and grandchildren gather once a year to remember and reconnect with each other.
If you are a Christian, you may want your family to remember that you wait for them in Heaven and that you are celebrating with Jesus. This perspective can also help your loved ones through grief.
Seek help.
Your mindset and how you view mortality play key roles in healthy aging in America. If you resign yourself to getting old and assuming the role of “Granny or Grampy” portrayed on popular television shows and movies, you will find that your body and mind follow.
Stop this downward spiral with counseling that focuses on the well-being of your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Contact us today at Keller Christian Counseling in Texas to discuss how healthy aging in America is possible and what obstacles you might face.
“Enjoying the View”, Courtesy of Christian Bowen, Unsplash.com, CC0 License; “Mother and Daughter”, Courtesy of Dario Valenzuela, Unsplash.com, CC0 License; “Laughing Woman”, Courtesy of Ainara Oto, Unsplash.com, CC0 License
Melissa Plantz: AuthorMelissa Plantz is a Christian author and freelance writer. She spent twenty years in the pharmacy industry and has specialized in faith, fitness, nutrition, geriatrics, and mental health since 2015. She writes from the beautiful Lake Marion area in S...
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