Ageing Well: 5 Tips to help you live your best life

Getting older is a part of life.  But what we do in later life can help us stay at the top of our game.

Here are five things to consider that can help you age well.  You may already be doing all of these, or just a some. Or maybe we can help inspire you to try something new.            

Eat well

Eating a balanced, healthy diet is one of the best things you can do to ensure you’re living your best life as you get older.  Avoid eating too many processed foods and foods high in fat and sugar.  Instead, focus on getting plenty of fresh food into your diet, including five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit every day.  Try new recipes and cook in batches so you can freeze some for later.

Stay active

Staying active isn’t just good for your body. Raising your heart rate through exercise is also good for your mental wellbeing.  Being regularly active is also a great way to socialise and can reduce your risk of chronic disease, such as diabetes and heart disease.  Aim for 30 minutes a day.  You can start with just 10 minutes of walking each day and build up gradually. 

Keep connected

Connection with family, friends and the community provides us happiness, security, support and a sense of purpose.  Being connected to others is important for our mental and physical wellbeing and can help protect against anxiety and depression. During lockdown, make an effort to stay in touch with loved ones.  It could be a phone or video call, a walk around the block with a friend or neighbour or a regular group catch-up online. 

Keep your mind active

An active mind is a healthy mind. Crosswords and Sudoku are a great start.  Also take the time to challenge your mind each day – you could try learning a new language, joining a discussion group or engaging in social activities that get your mind working. 

Be positive

This is true for every phase of life, but becomes more important as we get older. Staying optimistic will help you better adapt and actively seek solutions to the problems we face in day-to-day life. People with a positive mindset are also more like to engage in other behaviours that contribute to ageing well, like healthy eating and staying active.

We are healthier together

Connect Health & Community has been part of your community for more than 45 years, delivering quality health and wellbeing services for your entire family.

Visit our homepage or click these links to find our more about our health and nutrition services, exercise classes or social groups that can help you age well or call us on call (03) 9575 5333.