By Aging with Gusto Facilitator Donna Comer…
Aging with Gusto strives to ignite more positive views of aging. Research shows that people with a more positive view of aging live an average of seven and a half years longer than those with less positive views. How do you develop and maintain a positive attitude as you age? We believe that there are eight contributors to aging with gusto and creating a more positive view of aging. We should strive to include activities in all eight areas, though we understand that some activities come easier than others.
The Key Contributors to Aging with Gusto:
- Doing things that you find satisfying or fulfilling.
- Striving to maximize physical health.
- Striving to maximize mental health.
- Striving to maximize emotional health.
- Continuing to learn new things and challenge yourself.
- Having choice and control over decisions that affect your life.
- Being connected with family, friends, and a broader community.
- Having a sense of purpose, doing meaningful things, and contributing to something greater than yourself.
Today we highlight striving to maximize physical health. For many, this is the best understood and sometimes the hardest to address. We know we should exercise and eat right but struggle to break habits we have developed over time. To maximize physical health, there are things you shouldn’t do, such as smoke. There are other things that you should limit, such as alcohol and sun exposure, and some things that you should do, like eat healthily and physical activity. In this article we will focus on both healthy eating and physical activity.
The University of Ottawa Heart Institute lists the following 10 tips for healthy eating. While it’s important to keep these tips in mind, it is also important to know yourself and what you are willing and able to make part of your routine. For me always eating at regular times is hard if I am also prioritizing sitting down and eating with my family.
- LISTEN TO YOUR BODY Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you feel satisfied.
- EAT AT REGULAR TIMES.
- HOW YOU EAT IS AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT YOU EAT Enjoy mealtimes and the food you eat! Sit down and enjoy a meal at the table.
- PLAN HEALTHY SNACKS.
- COOK AT HOME MORE OFTEN
- EAT A VARIETY OF VEGETABLES AND FRUIT AT EVERY MEAL. Enjoy brightly colored whole vegetables and fruit.
- INCLUDE LEGUMES NUTS AND SEEDS MORE OFTEN.
- DON’T BE AFRAID OF FAT You need fat for good health, and it adds flavor to your cooking. Use plant-based fats such as olive canola oil or avocado.
Physical Health
Physical health also includes physical activity. Physical activity moves your body and uses energy. Physical activity falls into three categories:
Aerobic
Aerobic activities make you breathe harder and make your heart and blood vessels healthier. These include Walking, Dancing, swimming running, aerobic exercise classes, bicycling tennis, pickleball etc.
Flexibility
Flexibility-enhancing activities ensure a good range of motion in the joints. Flexibility exercises include Stretching, Tai Chi, Yoga, and Pilates
Muscle-strengthening
Muscle-strengthening activities build up your strength. Muscle-strengthening activities include:
Lifting weights, Push-ups, Sit-ups, machine weights.
We are more likely to strive to maximize our physical health if we are doing things we enjoy and find fulfilling. There are also many opportunities to engage in an activity that combines several contributors such as hiking in nature, which contributes to our physical health but also to our emotional and mental health as well. Playing pickleball can combine physical health with connecting with others and doing things that you find satisfying and fulfilling. Learning how to play golf can promote physical health and learning something new.
For the next few months, we will highlight different contributors, give examples and develop ideas about how you can incorporate the contributor into your life.
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