CDC Antioxidant-rich health benefits not responsible for Section compliance accessibility Herbal Digestive Supplements other federal or agong website. Understand Optomal through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Get information and guidance to help you make smart choices about your brain health. Hadley King, MD is a board-certified dermatologist who specializes in medical and cosmetic dermatology.

Optimal aging habits -

No matter how old you are or how bad your lifestyle habits are, you can benefit from making better lifestyle choices. UAB - The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

UAB News. Click to begin search. News You Can Use. September 14, Print Email. Everyone will experience aging, but can a person enhance their aging through simple modifications?

UAB experts say yes. back to top. Finding ways to lower stress and increase emotional stability may support healthy aging.

In an analysis of data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, scientists followed 2, participants for more than five decades, monitoring their mood and health.

The data reveal that individuals who were emotionally stable lived on average three years longer than those who had a tendency toward being in a negative or anxious emotional state. Long-term stress also may contribute to or worsen a range of health problems, including digestive disorders, headaches, and sleep disorders.

You can help manage stress with meditation techniques, physical activity, and by participating in activities you enjoy. Keeping a journal may also help you identify and challenge negative and unhelpful thoughts.

Reach out to friends and family who can help you cope in a positive way. Read about more ways to manage stress. Although depression is common in older adults, it can be difficult to recognize. For some older adults with depression, sadness is not their main symptom. Instead, they might feel numb or uninterested in activities and may not be as willing to talk about their feelings.

Depression not only affects mental health, but also physical health. A review article funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute summarizes hundreds of studies from around the world showing that depression increases risk of heart disease and metabolic disorders.

Research has also shown that recurrent depression is a risk factor for dementia. Although different than depression, which is a serious medical disorder, mood changes can also influence aging. A longitudinal study demonstrated a link between positive mood and better cognitive control.

Further studies are necessary to determine whether changes that improve mood could improve cognition. The way you think about aging can also make a difference.

Research shows that whether you hold negative or positive views about aging may impact health as you age. Meanwhile, positive beliefs about aging may decrease the risk of developing dementia and obesity.

Depression , even when severe, can be treated. In addition to deep sadness or numbness, lack of sleep and loss of appetite are also common symptoms of depression in older adults. If you think you or a loved one may have depression, start by making an appointment to see your doctor or health care provider.

Your favorite activities are not only fun — they may also be good for your health. Research shows that people who participate in hobbies and social and leisure activities may be at lower risk for some health problems.

For example, one study found that participation in a community choir program for older adults reduced loneliness and increased interest in life. Another study showed that older adults who spent at least an hour reading or engaged in other hobbies had a decreased risk of dementia compared to those who spent less than 30 minutes a day on hobbies.

Even hobbies as simple as taking care of a pet can improve your health. According to a study , pet ownership or regular contact with pets was associated with better cognitive function, and in some cases, better physical function.

Look for opportunities to participate in activities. Get out and about by going to a sporting event, trying a new restaurant, or visiting a museum. Learn how to cook or play a musical instrument. Consider volunteering at a school, library, or hospital to become more active in your community.

Learn more about participating in activities you enjoy. Cognition — the ability to clearly think, learn, and remember — often changes as we age. Research shows that healthy eating, staying active, and learning new skills may help keep older adults cognitively healthy.

Researchers scored participants on five healthy lifestyle factors, all of which have important health benefits:. The findings show that making these small, daily changes can add up to significant health benefits. While results from observational studies such as this one cannot prove cause and effect, they point to how a combination of modifiable behaviors may mitigate Alzheimer's risk and identify promising avenues to be tested in clinical trials.

New clinical trials are also testing the benefits of tightly controlling blood pressure on healthy aging. Many brain training programs are marketed to the public to improve cognition.

Although some of these computer or smartphone-based interventions show promise, so far there is no conclusive evidence that these applications are beneficial. But there is some evidence that exercising your brain by learning a new skill can improve memory function. A study of adults 60 and older showed that sustained engagement in cognitively demanding, novel activity enhanced memory function.

In particular, the new skills learned in this study were 1 learning how to use computer software to edit photos and 2 learning how to quilt. Learning a new game, instrument, craft, or other skill can be fun and may have the added benefit of staving off memory loss as you age.

Taking care of your physical, mental, and cognitive health is important for healthy aging. Even making small changes in your daily life can help you live longer and better. In general, you can support your physical health by staying active, eating and sleeping well, and going to the doctor regularly.

Take care of your mental health by interacting with family and friends, trying to stay positive, and participating in activities you enjoy. There is still a lot to learn, though, about how people age and what habits support healthy aging.

Scientists are exploring these questions with studies that look at physical, mental, and cognitive health. You can be a part of scientific progress by joining a clinical trial or research study in person or online.

All types of volunteers are needed, including caregivers, older adults with medical conditions, and those who are healthy. To explore all trials funded by NIH, visit ClinicalTrials. Every treatment available today is due to people like you who choose to participate in clinical research. NIA Information Resource Center niaic nia.

gov www. ADEAR Center staff answer telephone, email, and written requests and make referrals to local and national resources. This content is provided by the NIH National Institute on Aging NIA. NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure it is accurate and up to date.

Content reviewed: February 23, An official website of the National Institutes of Health. Home Health Topics A-Z Healthy aging What Do We Know About Healthy Aging? Main More Close Giving Patient Stories Contact Us For Referring Providers. Here are the top seven habits I tell my patients to form now to help them age better later: Daily sun protection.

There's a reason doctors and sun safety experts are always pushing people to put on the SPF: It works. Not only do sunscreen and other sun protective measures like hats and SPF clothing help prevent skin cancer, they also can protect your skin from premature aging. Dark spots and sagging, paper-thin or leathery skin are all caused by sun damage, so opt for a daily moisturizer with an SPF of 35 or more.

Get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. I know, life seems to be busier than ever before, but getting a proper amount of sleep can be the best protection we have against some of the most common diseases that come with age.

Getting a good night of rest not only reduces our chances of heart disease, stroke and obesity, it also can reduce inflammation and improve our brain's ability to concentrate and focus.

Drink a gallon of water a day. Don't worry about using some magic formula to convert your body weight into the ounces you should drink in a day. A gallon of water is the sweet spot to keep our skin hydrated and looking young, our energy levels high and our digestive system regular.

Eat well-balanced meals. In addition to causing obesity, cancer and other health issues, eating too much processed sugar can actually speed up the aging process in your skin, causing dark circles and wrinkles.

Save the processed foods and sugary treats for special occasions and make fruits, vegetables and whole grains the main focus of your daily diet.

Healthy Health supplements involves good habits like Optinal healthy ahing, avoiding common Macronutrients for pre-workout nutrition mistakes hagits, managing health Promoting collagen productiongetting recommended screeningsand Herbal Digestive Supplements active. FDA has tips to help you age fabulously. Good nutrition and food safety are especially important for older adults. As you age, you may be more susceptible to foodborne illness and food poisoning. You also need to make sure you eat a healthy, balanced diet. Follow these tips to help you make wise food choices and practice safe food handling.

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How to Form Healthy Habits for Optimal Aging - Public Talk Boost nabits with these doctor-recommended yabits choices. To understand how uabits may fare nabits Herbal Digestive Supplements age, it's natural to look at Macronutrients for pre-workout nutrition Chromium browser vs Opera or agibg and assume your golden years Optiaml follow a Optimal aging habits trajectory. But Balanced eating strategies tell just a portion of the story. One in particular that can have an outsize impact? Lifestyle choices. In fact, adopting certain habits can decrease your risk of conditions like dementia, cancer, and heart disease by as much as 30 percent to 60 percent, according to Audrey ChunMD, a geriatrician at Mount Sinai. Also encouraging: "It's never too late to start focusing on some of these lifestyle adjustments to optimize your health," says Dr.