It’s the New Year and with it comes promise of changes, fresh starts and, of course, resolutions. Losing weight is one of the most popular resolutions people make every year but health, especially as we age, is about so much more than maintaining a number on the scale. Whether you’re 30, 50 or 90 years old, it’s about taking care of your mind, body and spirit to age healthfully.
Over the next couple months, I’d like to walk you through the concept of mind, body and spirit but first, it’s important to understand healthy aging and what it means. Healthy aging is about how we make lifestyle changes now that cause us to have the best quality of life later. There are three basic things that we all can do now to ensure a healthy lifestyle for the future:
• Couple regular physical exercise with a healthy diet
• Develop good, regular sleeping habits
• Take time to do things you love
This is advice you’ve probably heard a thousand times over but it’s amazing how those three little things can make such a difference, and how they’re all connected. It might be enjoying a book and a brisk walk. Cooking your favorite meal or spending time with the grandkids. Taking time out of your schedule to sit, relax and reflect. Whatever it is that inspires you to get up and go, taking care of your mind, body and spirit is key to healthy aging. Check back next month and we’ll discuss the first link in the chain: Mind.
~ Jandel Allen-Davis, M.D., is vice president of government, external relations and research for Kaiser Permanente Colorado