Besides having fun, what else can you do to prepare for the aging experience? It is going to happen to all of us and the more prepared we are, the more likely we will age gracefully. A number of doctors and experts were asked to come up with a mantra – a short slogan that encapsulates a core truth about physical and mental health. In part one, we heard:
Aging is a good thing.
The way to health is through the gut.
Sleep is important but not important enough to lose sleep over. Here are a few more mantras.
Movement is life.
If you want to maintain your physical and mental health, you have to be physically active. It keeps your brain, heart, lungs, bones and joints healthy; in fact, every cell in your body benefits from pumping blood throughout. It lowers your risk of depression, dementia, cancer, stroke, heart attack – all the things that are likely to shorten your life.
Food is medicine. Food is love. Enjoy it as both.
What you eat connects you to your culture and people you care about. So, eat your favorite foods when you’re celebrating. The rest of the time, choose foods that nourish your body.
Life is finite. Live with it.
Once you acknowledge the limitations of being human, you can plunge your energy into what matters to you. Procrastination, distraction, impatience, addiction and all the rest happen from trying to avoid reality.
************
For more advice for living a long happy life https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/06/can-you-lengthen-your-life
This article is submitted by Dementia Friendly Community Initiative, a program of Whitewater Seniors in the Park to help educate the community about dementia and to support patients and their care partners. New committee members are very welcome! Call Jennifer to volunteer 262 473 0535 jjackson@whitewater-wi.gov
