By Barbara Pierce
Longevity has two components. The first is how long you live. The second and equally important is how well you live.
There is a difference between living and living well. There is fast death and slow death.
A lot of people think healthy aging is just in reference to the absence of disease, but it really encapsulates other things — your physical, mental and social health. Healthy aging is an ongoing process of maintaining and improving physical and mental health. This will help to ensure your independence as you age.
How we age matters.
We need to think about and plan for the later decades of our lives — our 70s, 80s and 90s.
For many, the last 10 years aren’t happy. They suffer from one or more chronic diseases, are weak and unable to do the things they enjoyed, things which brought joy. There is physical and mental decline. It is a period of diminishment and limitations.
Healthy aging is about prolonging the length of time you are aging without disability, the length of time you are able to do all the things you want to do and reducing the length of time you are dealing with physical or mental challenges.
While there are many factors that influence healthy aging, some of these — such as genetics — are not in our control. But so much is in our control.
We’ve asked physician Stanislav Arkadyev for tips on living well, living life to the fullest to the end, rather than gradually deteriorating as so many elderly people do. Arkadyev is a board-certified family practice physician with a specialty focus on geriatrics, practicing at Slocum-Dickson’s Burrstone campus in New Hartford.
“The goal of aging well is to preserve your strength, clarity, independence and joy for as long as possible,” said Arkadyev. Key areas to focus on:
Keep your body active
Walk regularly and stay generally active. Work on balance and flexibility to prevent falls. Incorporate some intermittent resistance training into your exercise routine to ensure that your muscles stray strong. These things will protect against frailty, falls and loss of independence.
Mobility is the key to physical well-being. “Exercise is the most potent drug in our arsenal,” says Peter Attia, a medical doctor and TV personality, in his book “Outlive: The Science and Art of longevity.”
“The data is clear: exercise not only delays actual death but also prevents both cognitive and physical decline better than any other intervention,” he said.
It’s a sad fact that the physical decline of our bodies happens gradually. Muscles decrease; hearts become less functional; we tire quickly. Bones become more fragile. Cartilage degenerates. Flexibility is reduced. Joint motion more restricted.
It’s a downward spiral. We gradually adapt. It happens so gradually that we don’t notice. We cope. Inertia is the enemy, experts say. More than 50% of the physical decline associated with old age may be due to lack of physical activity, according to the National Institutes of Health. That’s significant. The stakes are enormous. Maintaining our independent functioning is a high priority. Compelling evidence strongly suggests that increased physical activity fights against decline.
You can get off that slippery slope by keeping your body moving. ‘Use it or lose it’ was right. If we don’t keep our bodies moving, we’ll lose strength, stamina and endurance.
Use your brain!
“Use it or lose it! Read, learn, play games or try new skills,” suggested Arkadyev. “Stay curious and mentally engaged. Challenge yourself regularly. This will decrease your risk of dementia.”
Learning new things is the best way to keep your brain alive. Activities that challenge your brain keep your mind active and help slow cognitive decline as you age. Learn a new skill such knitting, dancing, hiking, pottery making, woodworking.
Eat healthy
Prioritize protein (to maintain muscle). Eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. Stay hydrated. A Mediterranean-style approach is strongly linked to longevity and better brain health, Arkadyev added.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes plant-based foods and healthy fats. In general, eat a lot of vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils and nuts, whole grains, like whole-wheat bread and brown rice, extra virgin olive oil as a source of healthy fat, fish, little or no red meat, little or no sweets, sugary drinks or butter.
Stay Socially Connected.
Isolation is as harmful as many diseases. Maintain friendships and family ties. Join groups, clubs, or volunteer. Have regular conversations and shared experiences. Strong social ties are linked to longer life and better mental health, Arkadyev said.
Stay connected with family, friends and community; appreciate the relationships in your life. We’re naturally social creatures. Social interaction is good for our minds, bodies and souls. When you have a satisfying relationship with a partner, family, friend, neighbor or co-worker, you’re happier, have fewer health problems and live longer.