5 Proactive Approaches to Healthy Aging
While the phrase “healthy aging” might sound too good to be true, it really is possible, and it doesn’t have to include a lot of expensive gym memberships, supplements, or skin procedures. There are simple, easy actions you can take to make sure you’re aging in a healthy, graceful way, and many of them are actually fun (like getting together with your friends more often)!
Here are five ways you can tackle getting older with a positive outlook. Because adding another year on the calendar doesn’t mean your health or happiness has to slide!
Simple Methods For Healthy Aging
1. Keep in touch with your friends
Here’s an excuse to schedule a coffee date: maintaining strong relationships is one of the keys to healthy aging. When people have more social support, they have better mental and physical health and may even live longer, regardless of factors like drinking, smoking, and obesity. So go on and make plans with your best friend — it will do your health some good!
2. Establish a solid relationship with your doctor
Speaking of relationships, in addition to keeping close ties with your friends, you’ll also want to build a rapport with your doctor. Doing so can help you have the best possible outcome when it comes to addressing certain medical issues and concerns. When you feel like you know your healthcare provider, you’ll likely feel more comfortable talking about any health problems you’re experiencing and be more open about side effects of certain medications.
3. Make exercise a daily ritual
Yes, your life is busy, but in order to age in a healthy way, you’ll want to be sure and squeeze in exercise. Why? Research continues to show all the health benefits of staying active. For example, one recent study suggests that a healthy lifestyle (which includes physical activity) may be associated with a lower risk of dementia — and that’s independent of a genetic risk! Don’t have time to hit the gym? Take the stairs at work, or walk with your coworkers at lunchtime.
4. Don’t skimp on sleep
A good night’s sleep is essential for aging well — sleep impacts our overall health, hormones, and the way our immune system functions. If you’re finding that it’s hard to nod off, try to keep things consistent, and go to bed and wake up at around the same time each day. Doing so helps train your body to know when it’s time to conk out.
5. Take action on any health issues
It’s important to nip any health issues you’re dealing with in the bud, even the ones that don’t seem “that bad.” For example, if you think you may be dealing with dry mouth, instead of just trying to ignore it, consider talking to your doctor about solutions — because they exist! For dry mouth in particular, Biotene Dry Mouth Oral Rinse is designed to soothe and moisturize your mouth for up to four hours1. In fact, Biotene itself is the number one dry mouth brand recommended by dentists.
Being proactive about little aches and pains, as well as big lifestyle habits like daily exercise and social interaction, can pay big dividends when it comes to staying healthy well into our golden years. Cheers to aging gracefully!
1 As measured in a 28-day clinical study