Age Gracefully: 8 Things You Should Try NOW!

Do you have any tips on how to be healthier and happier as you age?

It seems like these days, everyone talks about aging and how to do that without facing all the side effects, such as feeling ill, tired, or unhappy. While dreading some saggy skin or wrinkles is not that big of a deal, there’s actually a lot more when it comes to aging well.

Basically, everyone who’s over their mid-40s thinks about how to age gracefully, enjoy, and live their best life. Beautifully aging isn’t about making huge lifestyle changes, copying younger people’s habits, or trying to look and act like a 20-something. It’s about doing things that make you happy and having the physical and mental strength to fully appreciate it.

It may sound like a cliché, but you can actually improve yourself with age if you properly take care of yourself. Keep reading along with us to find out what the best 8 things you can do to age gracefully are!

1. Take care of your diet 

We hate to admit it, but if you want to age beautifully, the first thing you should pay attention to is your diet. According to The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you should consume lean proteins, such as beans and fish, a lot of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole-grain cereals, rice, a bit of pasta, yogurt, cheese, and milk.

Food can affect the way your skin looks and also the way you feel, so it’s important to take good care of what you put inside of it. Trust us, we love eating chocolate, cake, ice cream, chips, and junk food in general, but it’s best to try and consume them once a week tops.

Another thing you should do is to keep your salt intake to a minimum in order for your blood pressure to be down and at a normal level. It might be hard at first, but after a short while, your taste buds will change, and you won’t feel the need to add any extra salt to your food.

2. Say goodbye to stress

There’s never a good time to welcome stress into our lives, but if you want to age gracefully, you should learn (if you don’t know that by now) how to stay calm in every situation. Stress is messing with your body in different ways, from premature aging and lots of wrinkles to a higher risk of getting heart disease.

We know it’s easier said than done, and it feels like everyone’s middle name is stress nowadays, but there are a few techniques you can try to keep this annoying feeling at bay: having an exercise routine, doing yoga, meditating, trying breathing exercises, getting enough sleep through the night, and talking to someone.

3. Be active 

If you’ve never had a workout routine when you were younger, don’t worry, it’s not too late to start one now! There are many benefits of physical exercise, such as sleeping better, having more energy, being happier and more relaxed, keeping stress at bay, improved blood flow, and so many other things.

If you want to age gracefully, you should take care of your body from the inside out, which means that you have to put in the work! Moving your body will help your skin look better, more toned, and firmer, so you shouldn’t neglect to prioritize it!

You can take long walks, jog, try yoga, find hiking or a biking trail and spend time outside, or try some strength training exercises, such as squats, lunges, and pushups! If you want to run after your grandkids, you’ll need a lot of strength and resistance to keep up with them!

4. Find a new hobby

…If you need an extra push on why you should pick up a new hobby, here it is! 

Gracefully aging means happiness, comfort, and confidence, and a new hobby might give you all of these! Finding a new hobby you absolutely enjoy will help you maintain a purpose in your life, and it will keep you engaged and entertained.

Several studies have discovered that senior people who are engaged in different hobbies, leisure, or social activities are more confident and joyful, can live longer, and have fewer depression symptoms.

5. Go to your doctor 

It’s always better to prevent something rather than treat it, so your health should always be your first priority! Going to the doctor for a regular check-up will help them find issues early or before they even start developing.

Your age, background, lifestyle, existing health issues, and family history are things that can influence the frequency with which you should enter the specialist’s office. Ask your doctor how often you should go in for usual tests, and don’t be afraid to go there anytime you notice any concerning symptoms!

6. Give up smoking and limit alcohol intake 

We know that some celebrities make smoking and drinking seem like something fancy and glamorous, but the reality is nothing like that! A lot of studies have discovered that cigarettes and alcohol are one of the main factors that cause premature aging. And moreover, they can increase the risk of diseases.

We know it’s hard to quit smoking, but it’s not impossible at all! And if you have a hard time knowing how much you should drink on a daily basis, we are here to help you out. Experts say that a drink per day is enough for a woman, while men shouldn’t consume more than 2 drinks daily.

7. Get your Zzz’s in 

People who make it a priority to age gracefully make sure that they get at least 8 hours of sleep per night. That’s because when you’re sleeping, your body has the chance to relax, wind down, and repair itself.

And if you need more reasons why you should neglect your resting period, here they are: getting enough Zzz’s in will help reduce depression, stress, and inflammation, improve concentration and focus, lower the risk of obesity, and makes your heart stronger.

…Moral of the story? Get enough sleep!

8. Don’t neglect your oral care

Neglecting your teeth not only ages your look and your smile but also puts you at risk for several health issues, including gum disease. Even though this might not seem like such a big deal, the truth is that if you don’t treat it, gum disease can lead to bacterial pneumonia, heart disease, and even stroke.

You should brush your teeth daily, both in the morning and before sleep, and use dental floss and mouthwash every night. A trick we’ve learned at the dentist is that you should wait at least 30 minutes after eating to brush your teeth.

That’s because the digestive process starts immediately after you’ve had a bite, and if you brush your teeth during that time, it might affect your enamel. In addition to that, you should go to your dentist every 6 months for a regular check-up. That will help them spot if there are any infections, nutritional deficiencies, and other types of issues.

…When was the last time you went to the dentist?

CONCLUSION 

Remember that in order to age gracefully, you have to take care of your body from the inside out, which means going to the doctor for a regular check-up, eating healthy and nourishing foods, drinking plenty of water, having an active life, quitting unhealthy habits, such as smoking and drinking, and sleeping enough every night.

There’s no quick fix for aging, but making small changes every day will help you make sure that you’ll reach your best version of yourself!

…If you want to learn more about how you can improve your life and become healthier, make sure to check this article out: 9 Secret Messages Your Teeth Are Trying to Send You!