Notes from the Parish Nurse - Healthy Aging Month

September is Healthy Aging Month. Carolyn Worthington, who was editor-in-chief of Healthy Aging Magazine, created September is Healthy Aging Month over two decades ago. It is “an annual health observance, designed to focus national attention on the positive aspects of growing older”, and it reminds us to improve social, mental, physical, and financial well-being as we age. It is never too late to try something new. The editors of Healthy Aging Magazine (www.healthyaging.net) suggest 10 tips for “reinventing yourself during September is Healthy Aging Month.” 

• Don’t act your chronological age. Act the age you were, during a really “good year”, whether that was at age 32, 45, 60, or 83. Positive thinking make you feel better about yourself. 

• Be positive in your actions, thoughts, and words every day. 

• Surround yourself with positive, happy people.

• Walk like a healthy, vibrant person. If you are walking slowly because of laziness or fear of falling, learn some exercises that can help you with balance. 

• Stand up straight, hold your stomach in, shoulders back, and chin up. Practice good posture every day until it is natural to you. 

• Remember to smile, practice good dental hygiene, 

• If you are lonely do something about it. Call a friend, write a letter, volunteer at a church or a school, or take a class. 

• Walk not only for your health but to be sociable and to meet people. 

• Remember to have an annual physical, medication check with your physician, and/or take part in health screenings. 

• Find your “inner artist” by taking music lessons, painting classes, wood working classes, or theater classes. 

A Mayo Clinic newsletter (www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com) suggests 10 tips for improving your health. Some tips overlap with the ones listed above, but some are new ideas. 

• Eat a variety of fruit daily, because they contain antioxidants which may help prevent cancer, heart and eye diseases, and Alzheimer’s. 

• Include high-fiber foods, such as whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables, in your daily diet. 

• Take a brisk daily walk to help your bones, cardiovascular system, and mood. 

• To enhance mobility and prevent falls, practice stretching and strength building. 

• Mindy-body practices like yoga and tai chi enhance one’s physical and mental well-being. 

• Look at life with a feeling of optimism. It may help you to live longer. 

• Practice gratitude every day, and be thankful for experiences that help you grow. “Some people describe gratitude as your moral memory—a combination of humility, grace, love and acceptance.” 

• Try volunteering, which can promote emotional and mental well-being. 

• Enjoy the company of a pet. 

• Improve your relationships. Forgive yourself and others as circumstances dictate. It could improve your mood, lower your stress, and lower your blood pressure. 

I hope you find these ideas interesting and helpful. Maybe you could add your own list of 10 tips for healthy aging.