Introduction
Aging is an inevitable part of every creature’s life, and there is no escape from it. However, the quality of life is something people can influence. It may be evident that people who maintain an unhealthy lifestyle in their formative years should consider changing it as they age. There are certain aspects of life that a person can change to ensure the well-being and sustain health. Science gives numerous definitions of what can be changed in a people’s routine to improve their lives, and therefore, age well. Yet, the vital question remains, what does it really mean to age well? What aspects of life should be evaluated in order to gauge well-being? There are a couple of factors about it that are worthy of discussion.
Healthy Diet = Aging Well
Taking multiple areas into consideration, it becomes evident that some factors influence one’s lifespan greatly. What people eat is not an exception. Certain foods can cause overall health to decrease and even develop severe diseases in perspective. According to one of WHO’s latest reports, eating processed meat can increase cancer risk. The solution to the problem might be considering organic options when choosing a meal plan and catering towards fiber-rich foods and fresh fruit and vegetables. It is also advised to keep the body hydrated as dehydration may lead to other unpleasant conditions in the future, like dementia, for instance. Therefore, it is safe to say that people who are in control of what they eat have the resources to live a long healthy life and age well as a result.
Aging Well from Medical Standpoint
The main factors evaluated in people by health professionals as they age are mobility and mental capacity. Identifying whether a person is able to move around quickly can help assess how well they aged. As people age, it is essential to pay more attention to exercising and making it a routine, as physical activity keeps the body stable. Aging well implies the ability to operate the body well and avoid trouble related to physical conditions. Another vital aspect is mental capacity, which is the ability to remember things and contemplate the matter. With aging comes the development of cognitive issues in people that may not practice their thinking abilities well. Therefore, it is crucial to treat the brain the same way as the muscles in the body and train it with intellectual exercises, like crosswords, reading, calculating, etc.
Aging Well with Chronic Illness
As all the medical aspects can be easily evaluated in a healthy person, how can a chronically ill person ensure their well-aging? Firstly, dealing with any health condition can be challenging, especially for those discovering it at later stages in life.
However, the presence of a chronic illness may not always imply that the person is not aging well. It is the attitude towards the problem that counts. According to the research in senior welfare, people tend to focus more on subjective measures while mentioning the factors of well-aging. The personal factors refer to life satisfaction in general, financial security, social relationships, a sense of purpose, and more. Therefore, it is vital to adjust the lifestyle to the new circumstances when facing a chronic condition, rather than keep a negative attitude and suppose that aging well is never to be achieved.