Healthy Habits To Start Now If You Want To Slow Down the Ageing Process

Whether or If you’re still in the flush of youth, it’s never too soon to start looking after your health and wellbeing. Similarly, even if you’re approaching retirement age, it’s never too late to change your habits and adopt new ones if you want to slow down the ageing process.

As we get older, our bodies can lose bone density and muscle tone, making us more prone to aches and pains, as well as falls. You might also find it more difficult to shift any extra weight you might gain. This won’t only leave you feeling self-conscious, it can negatively impact your overall health.

The good news is that there’s plenty you can do to slow down the deterioration that comes with age. In some cases, healthy habits can even reverse age-related damage.

So, what healthy habits should you start now?

Strength Training

It is incredibly important to build strength training, often referred to as resistance training, into your exercise regime. That could be a variety of different exercises including, but not limited to, weightlifting.

The good news is that age alone is not a barrier to lifting weights. It isn’t just for big, bulky men who spend all day pumping iron in the gym; more and more older people including women are taking up strength training in various guises.

Forget everything you’ve been led to believe about weightlifting – it won’t make you turn into a hulk. What it will do is help you to build lean muscle, which will make you look trimmer.

Your body also requires more energy to maintain muscle tissue, so the more lean muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate. In other words, you’ll burn more fat.

Studies have shown that regular resistance training is highly beneficial for good health, especially for women as it helps to reduce the loss of bone density experienced after the menopause.

As well as resistance training, cardio exercise such as walking, running, skipping and various fitness classes are also essential to boost cardiovascular health and general fitness levels.

If you’re worried about your heart or it’s been a long time since you’ve done any exercise, it’s advisable to seek medical advice before starting a new fitness regime. Do speak to your GP of perhaps consider speaking to a cardiology expert such as Dr Georgios Karagiannis who can put your mind at rest with a specialist cardiology review.

Additionally, if you are working hard on your strength training, do ensure your diet includes good amounts of vitamin C, or take supplements, as research shows this will help you retain muscle mass in later life.

Increase Your Protein Intake

We all know the health benefits of eating lots of fruit and vegetables, but are you sure you’re getting enough protein?

Found in abundance in meats, pulses, eggs, seafood, nuts, soya, and other foods, protein is the building block of body tissues. It is essential for building healthy skin, hair, muscles, and organs.

Furthermore, protein is vital for building collagen, which gives your skin its elasticity and tends to break down as we age. A lack of collagen under the skin is associated with looking older, therefore you want to make sure you’re eating enough protein to make your skin look its best and slow down the ageing process.

And no need to panic if you are vegan or vegetarian. You can still ensure you have plenty of protein in your diet.

Find Ways To De-stress

It’s no secret that stress can have a major detrimental impact on your overall wellbeing. Not only is feeling stressed harmful to your mental wellbeing, it can actually lead to a number of physical health issues.

Chronic stress is associated with high blood pressure, as well as an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke. It’s therefore definitely in your best interests that you learn to manage your stress and learn to unwind.

You might want to try out some mindfulness techniques that help you to de-stress and think more positively. Mediation is one such method, which can help you to relax the mind and body and allow you to re-focus your energy in a more positive way.

Conclusion

When it comes to your wellbeing, it’s never too late to start afresh. Adopt these simple healthy habits now to enjoy a better quality of life and slow down the ageing process.