What are the benefits of a proper lifestyle when you are over 55 years old?

Why should I think about a proper lifestyle?

Like many who are in their mid 50s, you may feel happy and satisfied with your life. You may be more confident than your younger self, and you expect to enjoy a good quality of life in the future. Surely, you may notice some changes to your body, such as more lines in your face or changing sleeping patterns. The good news is, you can grow older with your body and mind as healthy as they can possibly be.

Changes in your body over time

During the course of life our body changes naturally. Knowing what physical and mental changes normally occur with the years, can be the first step towards taking care of a proper lifestyle. Here are some of the more common changes seen in your body, which may affect:

• The functioning of your immune system
• Your bone health
• Your muscle mass and muscle strength
• Your metabolism which can result in higher needs for nutrients, such as protein or some micronutrients (including calcium and vitamin D,) and reduced calory needs at the same time
• Your skin
• Your biorhythm, noticeable by changing sleeping patterns
• The functioning of your brain
• Your cardiovascular health.

While many of these bodily changes are a natural part of aging, they don’t have to slow you down. They can still be influenced by a proper lifestyle to keep your body as healthy as possible.

Corner stones of a proper lifestyle

To continue a good quality of life, taking a proactive role in maintaining your health is more important than ever. Leading a proper or healthy lifestyle is an important key to your good physical and mental wellbeing in the coming years.

The corner stones of a proper lifestyle can be summarised as:

• Perform regular physical activity
• Enjoy a varied and balanced diet
• Take care of your biorhythm.

Taking care of yourself by leading a healthy lifestyle also includes participating in activities you enjoy, staying socially active, paying attention to your weight and shape, getting regular health screenings, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol consumption.

Physical activity and its benefits!

Regular physical activity can make your daily life better and has big health benefits, too. To give you some examples, physical activity can help:

• Keep and improve your strength so you can stay independent
• Have more energy to do the things you want to do and reduce fatigue, such as travelling or shifting your career
• Improve your mood
• Improve your sleep
• Reduce levels of stress and anxiety
• Reach or maintain a healthy weight
• Manage and prevent many health problems, such as those related to your cardiovascular, metabolic and bone health.

Physical activity refers to all kinds of movements and can roughly be grouped in aerobic or cardio exercises that get your heart beating faster, and muscle-strengthening activities that make your muscles work harder than usual. Physical activities are recommended as follows:

• At least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activities, such as walking, swimming, cycling, or wheeling
• Plus at least on 2 days of the week of muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups of your body, such as weightlifting exercises, body-weight exercises, or some yoga postures
• Mix in stretches to keep your flexibility, as well as activities to improve your balance.

Keep in mind, some physical activity is better than none, and can be done at any level of skill.

Varied, balanced diet and its benefits!

Eating a varied and balanced diet helps everyone stay well. When getting older it becomes even more important, as a varied and balanced diet can help:

• Provide you with all the nutrients, your body needs to work properly, including adequate amounts of protein and certain micronutrients
• Stay active as you get older, giving you more time to spend with your loved ones and do the activities you enjoy
• Strengthen your cardiovascular, bone, metabolic, and neurocognitive health
• Reach and maintain a healthy weight.

Such a varied and balanced diet is characterised by:

• Higher intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, lean meat and poultry, seafood, nuts, and unsaturated vegetable oils
• Low consumption of red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and drinks, and refined grains.

Benefits of taking care of your biorhythm

Living in harmony with your biorhythm is important for your physical and mental wellbeing, as it can optimally adjust many of your important body functions to the natural day-night cycle. Those body functions can include:

• Sleep-wake cycle
• Body temperature
• Hormone production
• Eating habits, hunger, digestion, and other metabolic functions
• Nervous system activity, including mood, alertness, and cognitive ability
• Skin, hair, and nail function
• Immune function
• Muscle and bone functions
• Cardiovascular function, such as blood pressure.

Our biorhythm works at its best when we follow a healthy lifestyle with regular wake and bed times, a varied and balanced nutrition, and regular physical activities.

Can a dietary supplement help?

Getting older is a natural part of our life. By adopting a proper healthy lifestyle, you can enjoy the benefits of being older and still maintain a great quality of life. The corner stones of such a healthy lifestyle involve:

• Regular physical activity
• A varied and balanced diet
• Taking care of your biorhythm.

If needed, you may consider giving yourself support with dietary supplements containing nutrients helpful to:

• take care of your physical and mental wellbeing
• Support your muscles and contribute to your cardiovascular health