Congratulations, Americans, we’re living longer! On average, life expectancy for U.S. residents is 30 years longer than it was for Americans who lived a century ago.
The reasons we are all living longer is a combination of our healthier lifestyle choices and behaviors combined with advances in public health, such as vaccines, and improved medical treatments, such as earlier cancer diagnoses and treatments.
Since we are all adding more years to our lives, here are some ways to ensure we get the most life out of our years.
Recommendations for Healthy Aging:
Eat healthy
Build your daily diet using whole ingredients, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsalted nuts, lean meat, and low-fat dairy products.
Avoid processed meats, such as bacon, sausage, salami, and braunschweiger, because they contain excess salt, which raises blood pressure.
Drink healthy
The healthiest beverage to drink is water. Red wine has been shown to have beneficial effects for some people, but alcohol can counteract some prescription medications, so see your doctor regarding how much, if any, red wine you should drink each day.
Move your body
Your daily exercise doesn’t need to look like the activities performed by the athletes on TV as long as you are moving. Visit your local YMCA, community hospital, or community college, either in person or online, to see what group exercise classes they offer.
Exercises that are easy on the joints include water aerobics and chair yoga. Try something new, like hula-hooping or Tai Chi. Take a walk around your block.
Strive for moderate physical activity for 20-30 minutes each day and muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week.
See your doctors
Visit your general practitioner every year and get regularly screened for cancers, including skin cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer.
Depending on any other health needs, your doctor may recommend you see specialists, such as a podiatrist for bunions and other foot problems, a dietician for weight challenges, a psychologist or social worker for mental health wellness, an optometrist for eye check-ups or any number of other medical specialists.
Try new things
Learning new tasks keep the brain sharp and flexible, so do a different type of word or number puzzle every day. Try your hand at new hobbies and pastimes.
Learn to knit or crochet. Assemble a jigsaw puzzle. Create a paint-by-number masterpiece. Learn to fold origami. Sketch the scene that’s outside your window and then use colored pencils to shade it in. Video instructions, craft templates, and DIY kits are available for purchase online.
Pay attention to mental wellness
If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it’s that social isolation is detrimental to our mental health. Do whatever you can to stay in touch with family and friends, including making more friends.
Check your local public library for monthly book clubs and other meet-up groups that get together for any number of reasons.
You might even suggest to the library manager to start a meet-up puzzle night or craft group, where you can share your new origami or knitting skills.
Don’t use tobacco
People are living longer, so don’t say, “There’s no point in quitting now.” There absolutely is a point to quitting smoking now.
Besides, many more aids are available to help smokers quit than ever before, including phone apps and toll-free helplines that are available in English, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) and see your doctor for more help to quit all types of tobacco use.
Living a healthy lifestyle is the best way to make the most of the many extra decades all of us are living.
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Robert W. Bache (aka “Medicare Bob”) is the founder and Chief of Sales for Senior Healthcare Direct, an AmeriLife company. As an independent insurance broker, Bache and his team provide unbiased assistance to current and soon-to-be Medicare beneficiaries — helping them navigate, compare and find the right Medicare plan options. Bache’s agency, Senior Healthcare Direct, works with 30-plus companies and has served tens of thousands of clients in more than 40 states.
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