VitaMedica

A look at things you can do to feel a little younger

August 18, 2022

You feel it on the dog walk, on the dance floor, or on the golf course. That knee is a little stiff, that back is a little achey, you’re feeling a bit low energy… the list goes on. What can those of us of a certain age (advanced) do to combat against the feeling that we’re turning into an old car in dire need of a trip to the auto mechanic’s? Save with SPP took a look around to get some answers.

The Huffington Post basically advises us oldsters to snap out of it, and not give in to aging. Develop, we are told, a positive mental attitude about aging, and look forward to life ahead at 75, 85 and beyond. “Don’t act your age,” the Post advises. “The key to psychological health is how you feel inside, not your chronological age or your physical appearance,” the article notes.

“Feeling old is a self-fulfilling prophecy. For example, if a person genuinely feels too old to do a physical activity, such as hiking a mountain, she is apt to cut back on the activity. Once she does, her muscles will start to shrink from lack of use, and her bones may get smaller, and she may cut back her activities even more,” the article warns.

“Avoid this rut by continually doing things like exercise as you age. You are as young as you feel,” the Post tells us.  The Post also thinks we should keep active, even continuing to work after retirement age. “Work, actual or volunteer, is in part what keeps people living to advanced ages. If your full-time career is too taxing, consider working part-time, switching to a less stressful job, or volunteering,” the Post reports.

A final key point was “seeing aging as an opportunity,” the article states.

“Those who believed aging was no big deal were able to climb stairs, do housework, work full-time, go out socially, and do other activities associated with younger people. And they lived 7.5 years longer than those with less positive ideas about aging,” the article notes.

At the Stay Young Healthy blog there are 10 ideas for youthfulness on offer.

The blog advises us to exercise every day.

“For staying young, you have to leave your comfortable life and get into the habit of working out daily… just go for a morning walk for 30 minutes, do jogging in an open area or run for 20-30 minutes daily,” the blog advises.

Other ideas include a balanced diet, making sure you are a healthy weight, and reducing stress, the blog adds.

The VitaMedica blog offers up 20 tips on how to look and feel younger, including staying out of the sun, drinking plenty of water, avoiding tobacco, alcohol and caffeine, and having a planned “de-stressing” time.

“Staying young means stressing less. Set aside a small chunk of time every day, about 10-20 minutes, to relax, meditate, or just breathe deeply, while letting worries melt away and helping yourself look younger naturally,” the blog advises.

So, what we’ve learned here is that a lot of the downside of aging is having a negative attitude about it. Rather than regretting the passage of time and wishing we were young again, better to enjoy how we are and work on keeping our bodies and minds active and out of the sun. Less is more when it comes to smokes, booze and java.

There’s no stress worse than work-related stress. We found yoga was a great way to give your mind and body a mid-week vacation from meetings, deadlines, project plans, and “deliverables.” The advice of having 30 minutes set aside daily for exercise is also very astute.

Stress about money is probably on the top 5 list of worries as well. You can ease your future mind by putting away some money today for your retirement tomorrow. The Saskatchewan Pension Plan has been busily building retirement nest eggs since 1986. They’ll invest your contributions professionally, at a low cost, and will help turn your savings into future retirement income. Check them out today!

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Written by Martin Biefer

Martin Biefer is Senior Pension Writer at Avery & Kerr Communications in Nepean, Ontario. A veteran reporter, editor and pension communicator, he’s now a freelancer. Interests include golf, line dancing and classic rock, and playing guitar. Got a story idea? Let Martin know via LinkedIn.