5 Tips for Aging Well

It’s a fact: you are going to age. While no one can stop the clock, you can choose how time impacts how you look and feel—even in the midst of stressful times—like, say, living through a pandemic? Here is your go-to guide for living healthy and well at every age.

It’s easier said than done, but a positive attitude can go a long way toward healthy aging. Research has shown that older adults who perceive aging as the growth of wisdom are 40 percent more likely to recover from a disability than those that perceive aging as path to uselessness and helplessness. Your mindset is a significant factor in physical and emotional resilience as you age.

Your GI tract is home to 70 percent of your immune system and 90 percent of the serotonin produced by the body, meaning it has a significant impact on your physical and emotional health. That makes your dietary choices vital to living long and living well. Enjoying a variety of nutrients sourced from rich, whole foods is key to healthier living. Of course, it is impossible for everyone to get all the nutrients they need from diet alone. This makes high-quality nutritional supplements essential to a healthy gut.

It’s also important to understand your personal gut health. Do you know what foods may cause you GI distress or mood swings? Research has uncovered evidence that some of the most nutritious foods may trigger an autoimmune response in some people. For example, eggplants and bell peppers, known as night shades, can aggravate the delicate balance of gut bacteria in many people. For this reason, it’s important to assess your gut health with a medical professional.

It is no secret that maintaining a level of physical movement across your lifetime contributes to healthy aging. However, many people don’t realize that resistance exercise needs to be part of your daily routine. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, a woman can lose as much as 23 percent of her muscle mass between the ages of 30 and 70. Resistance training also helps women maintain calcium stores, helping to prevent osteoporosis.

Other research has found that staying fit reduces age-related memory loss. Regular exercise has been shown to strengthen the part of the brain associated with working memory and learning.

It is well-known that seven to nine hours of sleep each night is the secret to health and beauty. When you get plenty of sleep each night (or at least most nights), your body releases a growth hormone that promotes collagen and elastin production—key proteins for healthy, younger looking skin. And, for those that don’t get enough sleep, beauty isn’t the only lost benefit. Too little sleep puts you at risk for obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and more. Yet, despite best efforts, most adults don’t get enough sleep.

Many times, those restless nights are linked to factors that seem beyond your control—no matter how hard you try you can’t fall asleep or stay asleep. Many times, poor sleep is related to a hormone imbalance that impairs the healthy function of your sleep-wake cycle. Restoring hormonal balance can lead to a better night’s sleep most nights—a big step toward aging well.

Setting aside stress and living fully in each moment is another important factor for aging well. Yoga and meditation have been proven beneficial to helping many adults find focus in everyday life. If you don’t have time for a full yoga class, even taking seven minutes alone in a quiet space to clear your mind and enjoy complete silence each day can be transformative.

For some individuals, focus can be challenging, especially as you age. This is because hormonal imbalances can make it difficult to think clearly or stay focused. Poor gut health has also been linked to lack of focus and anxiety that prohibits mindfulness.

At EVEXIAS Medical Center, the team strives to help men and women experience a longer, happier, healthier life. Through functional medicine and wellness therapies that get to the root cause of the issue, you can achieve true healing and discover what it means to age well.