Healthy living and aging well means different things to each of us. It depends on our background, goals, and belief system. Living a healthy lifestyle will look different individually, but it typically has distinct similarities. The pathway to healthy living will always include aspects of physical, mental, and emotional health as well as community and any financial implications.
For your physical health, it’s important to keep moving as mobility is vital to independence. The path for independent mobility differs. For example, it may be through ambulation or use of an assistive device such as a cane, walker or wheelchair. It’s important to maintain the ability to be independently mobile regardless of utilizing a mobility or assistive device. Aspects of maintaining mobility may include adequate balance, strength, and endurance.
There are many paths to maintaining your mental health. This includes proper nutrition and exercise as well as addressing the many emotional and psychological factors that affect mental health. It’s also important to remain engaged and mentally sharp through constant and varied mental stimulation and maintaining adequate hearing to help you stay engaged with others.
Research also clearly notes that those who are more loving and caring tend to live longer and healthier. For your emotional health, be generous with the knowledge and wisdom that you have acquired throughout the years. Those who are more active and engaged in their community (whether that is civically or religiously) live longer, happier, and more fulfilled lives.
It’s important to financially plan for a long life span. Life spans will likely continue to increase if epidemics, such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome, are properly addressed. Be preemptive in how you plan to manage your finances. When planning, assume that you will live well into your 90s. The fear for many will be running out of money during their elder years. The only way to avoid this issue is to be proactive and thoughtful in your planning. Seek competent financial advice. Be realistic about the math as you project into the future.
The most important key to better health is to be intentional. It’s easy to live passively and unengaged in the world around us. Now more than ever, it’s imperative that you make choices on how you want to live. How active do you want to be? What type of friendships or relationships do you want to have?
The choices you make will determine the outcome not just for you, but also will affect your loved ones. Let us all strive to be the change we want to be in this world, toward others, and most importantly, to ourselves. Now is the time to be intentional about how we choose to age and the legacy we will leave.
Written by: Ben Shatto
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Ben Shatto, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS. Ben is a physical therapist and Administrator for Signature Healthcare – home of House Calls, Home Health, Palliative and Hospice Care as well as the founder and editor of the website www.thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. His website is dedicated to help proactive adults of all ages to understand how to safely self-treat and manage common musculoskeletal, neurological, and mobility related conditions in a timely manner so they can reach their optimal health.