Positive Aging is a Choice!

To age positively is to age with confidence, style, and dignity. These three tips will help you do just that—from the inside out.

Maintain a positive attitude

Attitude —your state of mind, the way you look at things, the disposition you transmit to others—sets the stage for everything that will happen to you in your life. Whether you grow old zestfully, or just grow old, is largely dependent on your attitude. A positive attitude helps you navigate the realities and challenges of aging. It helps you to adapt and make the necessary adjustments—mentally, physically, emotionally, socially, and otherwise. It’s the foundation for all that you do.

Adopt healthy lifestyle habits

It’s never too early —or too late— to get into the habit of making healthier lifestyle choices. It is one of the simplest things we can do for ourselves to guarantee a positive aging experience.

There are many lifestyle habits that benefit our physical, health, emotional, psychological, and social well-being. However, diet and exercise is at the top of my list. It’s undisputed that our diet impacts our overall well-being. Over time, unhealthy food choices can lead to a number of issues: obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart issues, and strokes, to name a few.  

As itrelates to exercise,the body was made to move. Research has consistently shown that exercise is the best weapon against age-related diseases and disabilities. Even if you engage in an unhealthy diet, you can combat some of the damage with a well-balanced, consistent exercise regimen. Even the simplest exercise, done intermittently, (for example, walking three times a week) can reap benefits decades later.

Maintain positive social connections

Social connectedness refers to the size and quality of your social network: your contacts, interactions, and relationships with others (family, friends, colleagues, and people in general). The size and quality of the network varies. It can be a small or large network. Whether large or small, however, quality is a key factor. It’s a network that is supportive and nurturing.  It’s indisputable that when times get tough, social connections help us weather the storm, especially if we’ve spent time building and nurturing the kind of relationships that feed us—mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The importance of social connectedness has been studied extensively. The results suggest that older people who have close relationships and connections not only live longer, but cope better with life challenges and enjoy a better quality of life.

Positive or healthy aging is a choice! Whether you start at thirty, forty, fifty, or you’re just getting started (at age sixty or seventy), it’s never too late —or too early— to engage in behaviors, activities, and habits that will serve you for a lifetime