A growing body of scientific evidence serves as inspiration to show that you’re never too old to adopt new healthy habits and reap the benefits.
Anti-aging research such as the study in which WHN/A4M co-founders Dr. Robert Goldman and Dr. Ronald Klatz recently participated, published in the HSOA Journal of Alternative, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine shows that it’s never too late to take steps to improve both physical and mental health by making healthy lifestyle changes.
Have you ever thought about making some lifestyle changes but gave up on the idea thinking it wouldn’t help or it was too late? But you shouldn’t let such thoughts stop you, says Argye Hillis, MD, director of the cerebrovascular division at Johns Hopkins Medicine says there isn’t much difference between an 18-year-old brain and a 100-year-old brain. year. Adopting healthy habits can have many rewards, like keeping you healthy and slowing the aging process inside and out.
In a Multi-ethnic study led by Johns Hopkins of atherosclerosis following more than 6,000 people aged 44-84 for 7+ years, results showed that those who made healthy lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, following a Mediterranean-style diet and exercising regularly, reduced their risk of death over the period by 80%.
Research shows that healthy lifestyle changes such as the following are fundamentally necessary and viable preventative strategies for improving mental health, physical stamina, vitality, and overall well-being.
Get up and be active more often
Maintaining a sedentary lifestyle has been shown to be deleterious to health and well-being, increasing all causes of death and doubling the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and increasing the risk of certain cancers, high blood pressure, lipid disorders, anxiety, depression and osteoporosis. Meanwhile, being physically active and exercising has been shown to have many positive effects such as reducing the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, it even reduces the risk of dementia and other cognitive changes as well as some cancers. The powerful effects of exercise can lead to morbidity compression, which essentially means you stay healthier longer in your later years, compared to someone who has to spend their later years with a lower quality of life in combat various chronic diseases.
Make better food choices
Anyone who has ever tried to lose a few pounds knows that there are many plans that say they can do wonders, but in reality they are ineffective or unsustainable in the long run. Also, most of these plans are only about weight. Improving your diet with a science-backed diet, such as a heart-friendly Mediterranean-style diet, can not only help you lose weight, but it can also help your cells work better while helping you avoid depression, heart disease, dementia, inflammation, and overall mortality. To increase your lifespan and health, this type of diet is high in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, and whole grains while being low in meat, sugars, and processed foods.
Don’t underestimate the importance of quality sleep
Sleep is arguably the most overlooked factor in health and well-being, lack of sleep can impact a variety of things such as memory, emotions, weight, behavior and appearance. As you age, it can become more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep, but sleep is still important and you still need the same number of hours. The National Sleep Foundation suggests that most sleep problems are the result of underlying medical conditions, medication side effects, snoring, and poor choices. Your primary care provider may be able to help you with these issues, and you may also benefit from better quality sleep by creating a quiet space, practicing mindfulness and relaxation techniques, and making sure you devote enough time to getting enough sleep.
Give up bad habits such as smoking
It is a well known fact that smoking causes damage to the body which can lead to long term health problems. Quitting this bad habit has health benefits at any age, no matter how long or how much you’ve smoked, According to the CDC. There is a decreased risk of having a heart attack in as little as 24 hours after quitting, and the longer-term benefits show that quitting the habit cuts the risk of death by almost half premature in middle-aged smokers. Quitting smoking reduces the risk of death and cardiovascular disease, reduces markers of inflammation and hypercoagulability, lowers the risk of certain cancers, leads to rapid improvement in HDL-C levels and, after just 24 hours, your ability to smell and taste improves as your nerve endings damaged by smoking begin to grow back.
Exercise your brain
The brain likes to be challenged and tackle new tasks, whether it’s taking a new route to work, learning a new language or skill, painting or doing a crossword. It’s just a brain exercise. Keeping your brain active can increase its vitality according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Just doing things in new ways can help your brain retain cells and connections, it can even help produce new cells. Basically, trying new things and challenging your brain helps it stay healthy. You can add mental exercises to your day by reading, trying something new, playing games, starting a new hobby, and trying out trivia, among others. You can even find a variety of mental dexterity exercises to try. Maintaining mental fitness is important for the health of your brain and body.
It should be noted that while the above is a good start, these are not the only healthy lifestyle changes that can provide many benefits, there are others such as stress management, maintenance relationships and maintaining a positive attitude, among others. The bottom line is that by making lifestyle changes, you can improve your quality of life, your happiness, your health, and your longevity, and you’ll be worth it.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice. please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. This article is not intended to provide medical diagnosis, advice, treatment, or endorsement.
