Aging can be a bad word these days. With so many products out there designed to make you “look younger”, it’s difficult to find support for aging gracefully. For many, it seems like as soon as you turn 50, the clock starts ticking and the Botox ads come swirling in.
While there are many ways out there that may help you try to look younger or may just try to convince you that you need to look younger than you are, this is to tell you that you should embrace your age, embrace your laugh lines, and embrace your gray hairs. Without further ado, here are a few tips for aging gracefully and for encouraging others to do the same.
Find your support network. It doesn’t matter what you call them, find the people around you that support you and love you unconditionally. If someone disagrees with you and puts you in a bad mood whenever you’re around them, don’t spend as much time with them. Instead, find friends and your family that will be there for you on birthdays and holidays, for the big moments as well as the small ones. This is your support network and keeping them involved in your life is good for you and them.
Tips for Aging Gracefully
Exercise
Find a workout routine and stick with it. Your routine may be small and simply walking around the block a couple of times a day with friends. You may want to pick up a new hobby like Tai Chi or yoga. Maybe you’ve had a lifelong dream of running a marathon or a triathlon. Whatever your exercise goals are, set a goal and work towards it. Exercise helps you physically and mentally and there is always that incredible feeling of pride that happens when you reach your exercise goal. It can also help with strength and balance to avoid the possibilities of slips and falls.
Take Care of Yourself.
Drink plenty of water, reduce your sodium intake, and keep junk food to a minimum by eating a balanced diet. You don’t have to eat a weird diet of strange foods, but eating three, healthy balanced meals makes a big difference in your overall mindset and health. And while many foods are touted as superfoods and may be good for you, your overall food intake isn’t going to dramatically alter your lifespan or even how you feel, so have a treat now and then and eat to enjoy.
Care Preventively For Yourself.
If you wake up with a new ache, don’t ignore it until it turns into something bigger. Take care of yourself, stay on your doctor’s schedules, and go to appointments as needed. Preventive care can also save money and help you find small issues before they become big ones.
Stay Positive
This isn’t a big change, but it can greatly impact your overall health and well-being. For some, this is easy as they’re a relatively optimistic personality, but for others, this is a struggle and something to strive towards. To help cultivate positivity, some people wake up and reflect on the things they’re grateful for. Other people meditate, and others may find simply writing thank you notes helps them stay positive. Surrounding yourself with optimistic people can also help, as pessimistic people can suck the joy out of your day. This is a personal issue and what works for some may not work for others, so find whatever makes you happy personally and stick with it.
Aging doesn’t have to be a dreaded stage of life. Following these steps are just a way of helping you age successfully, especially for those over 50.