“Longevity” is the buzzword of the moment on social media. Everyone wants to live longer and healthier. And while some factors aren’t in your control, many habits will greatly impact your longevity and quality of life as you age.
“It really is a lifetime of health that makes you have healthy ageing and good longevity and good healthspan,” said Dr Elizabeth Eckstrom, a professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and geriatrics at Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine.
Even aspects of your early life, such as your childhood education, can affect how you age, according to Dr David Nace, a geriatrician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
That said, “no matter what age you are, you can start now and still have huge benefits from doing things – don’t let anyone think it’s too late to start with lifestyle changes,” Eckstrom noted.
Below, geriatric medicine experts share the habits they wish folks would commit to throughout their lives, whether they’re 22 or 92.
Physical activity is paramount for healthy ageing. Dr Nace said it’s specifically important to stay active through midlife, which he defined as ages 35 to 64, though you should prioritise it outside of this timeframe, too.
Getting exercise doesn’t have to mean going to the gym or a workout class (although those are great options). It can mean going for a walk or gardening, if that’s what you prefer, Dr Nace said.
Staying active helps you sleep better, feel better, manage your weight, and reduces the risk of arthritis. “It just has benefits all the way around,” Dr Nace added.
“When I talk about exercise, I talk mostly about tai chi,” Dr Eckstrom said.
Research shows that doing tai chi reduces the risk of falls in older adults by about 60%. “Falls [are] one of the major reasons that people have disability and death over age 65,” Dr Eckstrom noted.
“But some of our newer work shows that it also improves brain function, so if you do tai chi two to three hours per week on average, it will give you an additional three to six years of healthy brain life. That’s a lot,” she said.
Doing tai chi regularly also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol and reduces pain. “So, everybody should be doing tai chi … start young, do it your entire life,” Dr Eckstrom said.
According to Dr Kenneth Koncilja, a geriatric medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic, protecting your hearing from damage as you get older is crucial for healthy ageing.
“A lot of people wish they would have had some hearing protection when they were younger to reduce hearing loss when they’re older,” Dr Koncilja said.
Hearing loss also impacts socialisation as people age. “People with better hearing later in life socialise more,” Dr Koncilja added.
Source: Read the original article on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
