How to Control Your Health as You Age

Healthy aging involves a healthy lifestyle. Many products and remedies advertise to slow down or even reverse the natural aging process, but there is no magic pill when it comes to aging in a healthy way.

A myriad of factors — diet, exercise, and genetics — can influence the way we look and feel as we grow older. Some are in our control, while some are not.

Physical Health

“Exercise is the best defense and repair strategy that we have to counter different drivers of aging,” according to aging researcher Nathan LeBrasseur from Mayo Clinic. Physical activity is a key basis of healthy aging. People who exercise regularly not only live longer, but also may live a better-quality life. A higher level of fitness has been proven to correspond to a higher survival rate.

A healthy diet is equally as important. We all know that eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy is important, as is limiting added sugars, saturated fats, and foods with high sodium content. However, eating enough protein is also crucial in older adults, who often also eat too little of it, as it helps prevent the loss of lean muscle mass. Animal meats, poultry, fish, dairy, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds are great sources for protein.

The ability to absorb vitamin B12 can also decrease with age. Foods like meat, cheese, eggs, fish, and breakfast cereals are normally primary sources of this essential nutrient.

Drinking water is also good for us at any age, and because of its crucial benefits, it aids healthy aging. Niti Patel, MS, RD, a dietitian based in New York City, explains how drinking water improves the way we age: “If you maintain an active lifestyle, you’re eating a variety of foods and taking in a lot of water, you’re going to have optimal health.”

Because water is important for our body to carry out basic functions, it is imperative we drink more of it as we age. Dehydration is already very common for seniors. Tools like Somatix’s Safebeing™ measure water intake to ensure that we are hydrated as we age.

Along with drinking healthy beverages like water, smoking cessation can also improve the way we age. Quitting smoking at any age will:

• lower your risk of diseases and conditions like cancer, heart attack, stroke, poor reproductive health outcomes, and lung disease
• increase your ability to exercise
• improve your sense of taste and smell
• improves health status and enhances quality of life
• add as such as 10 years to life expectancy
• reduce financial burdens that smoking places on smokers, healthcare systems, and society, while also setting a better example for others

Technologies like Somatix’s work with smoking cessation programs to monitor users trying to quit.

Mental and Emotional Health

As people age, they may experience life changes that impact their mental health. Mental health is incredibly important at every stage of life, and recognizing signs is vital in seeking treatment from a healthcare professional.

Physical changes when we age can make it difficult to maintain social relationships, travel, and be independent, which can lead to isolation, loneliness, and depression. Studies have shown that social isolation and loneliness lead to adverse health effects and diseases like heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline.

Social activity can in turn improve psychological and physical health. Staying connected and being in tune with one’s mental health can help with healthy aging.

Brain Health

Many older adults worry about their memory and cognitive abilities. Mild forgetfulness is often a normal part of aging, and not serious memory problems. But when can it be time to talk to a provider, and how can we avoid serious decline?

Signs that it might be time to talk to a doctor include:

• Asking the same questions over and over again
• Getting lost in places a person knows well
• Having trouble following directions
• Becoming more disoriented about time, people, and places
• Not taking care of oneself: poor diet, poor hygiene, unsafe behaviors

Ways to maintain brain health as we age, according to Dr. Donn Dexter, M.D. of Mayo Clinic, include:

• Exercise regularly several times per week for 30–60 minutes
• Get plenty of sleep
• Eat a Mediterranean diet of plant-based foods, whole grains, fish and healthy fats
• Stay mentally active through puzzles, reading, and brain games
• Remain socially involved

Companies like Somatix and Roche are working to improve brain health in aging patients by partnering to provide AI-enabled remote patient monitoring solutions in the care of dementia patients in Portugal. In tandem with such technologies and steps, aging mentally and physically is easier now than ever before.