Staying Physically and Mentally Sharp as You Age
As people age, they have an increased chance of struggling with their physical and mental health.
Experts feel that approximately 20% of people over the age of 55 have dealt with a mental health issue of some kind.
Additionally, after reaching the age of 30, many people develop an age-related issue called sarcopenia. Sarcopenia causes noticeable muscle loss in both active and inactive people — sometimes as much as 3% to 5%!
Although aging is unavoidable, there are several things that you can do to maintain your physical and mental health. If you’d like to learn more about how you can keep your body and mind sharp as you age, be sure to continue reading.
Stay Active
As you get older, it can be challenging to fit your once regular gym sessions into your busy agenda. Your life revolves around work, family and the other things that you prioritize.
Even though it’s tough to find the time, staying active is invaluable for your physical and mental health. This is particularly true if you’re over the age of 50.
First of all, staying active can improve your quality of life. Getting regular exercise can help you:
- Reduce your risk of heart attacks
- Maintain your balance
- Improve your bone density
Staying active isn’t just good for your body; it’s also beneficial for your mind. By getting the suggested amount of daily exercise, you can improve your confidence levels and overall mood.
If you’re not a fan of lifting weights and running on the treadmill, that’s ok — staying active can be fun. There are lots of fun activities, like axe throwing, that seamlessly mix fun with physical exercise.
For those that haven’t been, axe throwing is a bar sport that’s similar to darts but with some minor tweaks. The game requires you to throw axes at an oversized throwing axe target. While you’re playing this competitive sport, you won’t notice that you’re getting a workout. But afterwards, your arms, shoulders and chest will feel like they spent the day at the gym.
After trying the sport, you may want to look for ways you can integrate it into your routine — if you can’t get enough, you can join your local axe throwing league or host an axe throwing birthday party for adults.
Read More Often
There’s nothing like spending a winter afternoon curled up on the couch, nose-deep in an addictive book.
Aside from being enjoyable, reading is mentally stimulating and can be extremely beneficial for people who want to combat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease — studies have shown that people who don’t read regularly have an increased mental decline rate, which is one of the leading causes for Alzheimer’s disease. In some cases, the decline rate is as high as 48%!
Aside from staying sharp, reading can also help you:
- Expand your vocabulary
- Become more empathetic
- Improve your spelling skills
- Deal with stress and anxiety
You can never be too informed, especially when it comes to your physical and mental health. If you’ve been looking for ways to work your body and mind, you should consider joining an axe throwing league and reading more often.
