Staying Fit as You Age Isn’t Just About Exercise. Experts Say to Prioritize These 4 Habits
Four takeaways:
One’s quality of life as they get older should be viewed through a holistic lens– happiness, health, and emotional wholeness. This article provides four habits that help us retain those qualities into our later years. These habits are:
- Exercise for the body and brain: physical activity has been shown to help stave off the shrinking of the hippocampus that is natural with aging. Strength training also combats age-related muscle loss.
- Strive for mental fitness: From “find my friends” to reading books to practicing a hobby to meditation, even 10 minutes of mental exercise a day can help rewire the brain to be stronger and more agile.
- Stay social: social connection has been tied by study after study to enhance emotional/mental health and reduce the risk of premature death. The U.S. surgeon general issued an advisory this year warning of the nation’s loneliness epidemic.
- Develop good sleep hygiene: sleep becomes more difficult with age, and many seniors find themselves going to bed later and rising earlier. A strong sleep routine can not only help maintain alertness and cognition but to avoid the long-term risks of poor sleep: depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer.
From Kristine Gill for Fortune
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