No one wants to get older. Most of us are terrified of hitting our thirties, never mind even thinking about our forties, fifties and beyond. But even if we can’t stop the aging process, we can try to age gracefully. Some of what happens to our bodies and minds as we grow older will be genetic, unavoidable things that are already programmed into our DNA. But there’s a lot that we can take control of, including what we eat and drink, how active we remain and keeping our minds sharp. If you want to look and feel younger for longer, and perhaps even live longer too, it makes sense to start working on your health and body as soon as you can. You might not be able to preserve your 20-something body, but you can do your best to manage it as it grows. Start working on your body and mind now to improve your happiness in the future. Here’s how you can age with grace using these incredible techniques.

Focus on Exercise

Everyone knows that exercise is essential to our health, but many of us don’t get enough. You don’t need to do a lot each week to reach the minimum amount recommended by most doctors (about 20 to 30 minutes a day). But some of us struggle to fit even that into our busy schedules. But the truth is that if you’re more physically active when you’re younger, it will be easier to maintain an active lifestyle when you reach your twilight years. And who doesn’t want to be one of those 80-year-olds who goes swimming every day, runs marathons and climbs mountains?

The thing that a lot of people might feel unsure about is what’s the right type of exercise, and what’s the right amount? In truth, the workout that you do probably doesn’t matter all that much, as long as you’re pushing your body to stay healthy. Cardio will keep your heart and cardiovascular system in good shape, but even more static exercises like weight training will still get your blood flowing. But if you want to make the most of your workout, an exercise plan tailored to your body and lifestyle could help. There are lots of ways to have someone help you design one, such as using a personal trainer. Many people use an age management system like the one provided by Cenegenics, which provides you with a tailored exercise plan that you can adjust as you need to. Programmes like this are excellent because they can look at other aspects of your aging process too.

Get the Right Diet

What you put into your body is just as important as what you do with it, so assessing your diet is essential. The thing about your diet is that, just like exercise, healthy eating is a habit you need to get into and stick with. It’s no use eating whatever you want for most of the year, except for a couple of weeks or months when you go on a diet and eat barely anything. The key to a proper diet that will help you live longer is to eat healthy.

You’ll find lots of differing opinions on which foods you should be eating to be at your optimum health, so it can be hard to know if you’re eating the “right” things. Like working out, it’s best to look at your diet as an individual, with some basic rules as a starting point.

Know the Changes Your Body Could Face

When you’re thinking about how to age with grace and stay healthier for longer, it’s important to think about the things to come. There are many age-related conditions that people are at risk of, and that women especially could face. Knowing what could happen in the future is an excellent first step to avoiding certain undesirable things. For example, it helps to be aware of what happens when you reach the menopause (even if that may seem a long way off) so you can minimize your symptoms and the chance of complications. As you get older, the hormones in your body change, which can cause havoc to both your physical and mental health. Women can also face a greater risk of things like low bone density. If you know what’s to come, you can make a plan to manage it.

Change Your Mindset

If you want to be happy and healthy in your later years, you need to change how you think about getting older. It may seem terrifying now, but as the years go by you’ll start to accept the inevitability of aging. You should look at getting older as a ride that you have to go on; you’re not allowed to get off, but you can decide which direction you go in. If you try to look at managing the aging process as putting on the brakes and attempting to avoid the inevitable, you’ll only be disappointed. It’s much better to be healthier through positive thinking, diet, and exercise than to do so with surgery and hanging out with people young enough to be your children.

Look Out for Your Mental Health

Your mind is just as important as your body is. You won’t feel happy just by looking after your body, although it will help. You should pay attention to your mental health too and make sure to exercise your brain. There are lots of ways you can keep your mind active, from maintaining a social life to completing puzzles and intellectual challenges. But pay attention to your emotions and moods, as well as your memory, so your twilight years are happy and stress-free.

You might not be able to stop yourself aging, but you can try to do it on your own terms. But if you want to stay happy and healthy for longer, you need to change your lifestyle and your mindset forever.

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