7 habits that can help you age well – From Precision Nutrition – Habit 7
Over the next several weeks I will be sharing with you “7 habits that can help you age well” as outlined by Dr. John Berardi and Jennifer Broxterman:
Habit 7: Connect with others.
When people are surveyed about the most meaningful aspects of their lives, they list good marriages, close family relationships, rich friendships, and lively work relationships.
Often, it’s the presence of other people, to love and be loved by, that enhances our reason to live.
Elderly who live in isolation are also most at risk for physical and psychological problems. Living alone may mean that there is no one to help if you fall, no one to talk to about joys or sorrows, and no one to help prepare food. As a result, elderly living alone may be more prone to injury, loneliness, and malnourishment.
All of these factors reduce lifespan, and more importantly, quality of life.
Meaningful human interaction:
- gives a sense of purpose;
- decreases subjective age;
- improves mental health; and
- makes life more fun and joyful.
Prioritize and enable regular connection with family, friends, and community members.
Common challenges seniors face with social connection
As age increases, individuals are more likely to experience loss: You lose a chance to connect when you lose friends, family members, beloved pets, or a spouse (which is especially correlated with a sharp increase in mortality).
Living in a long-term care facility can be isolating: This can be especially difficult if social connections are not nurtured and enabled.
Eating in isolation is a red flag: When people eat alone, meals tend to be more repetitive, simple, and less nutritious.
Action steps that can help
- Stay as independent as possible, but still highly connected. This enables both autonomy and support, which means experiencing plenty of meaning, richness, and joy in the later stages of life. Even if an individual has lost a loved one (or many), quality social connections are available and can be developed.
- Prioritize social activities. Options include family potlucks, group fitness classes, bird watching meet-ups, live theater field trips with friends, or taking a course in a creative or intellectual endeavor with other like-minded peers.
- Mix generations. Although the elderly may appreciate spending time with people of their own generation, younger generations can provide energy and newness to an elderly person’s life, and an elderly person can provide wisdom and perspective to a younger person’s life.
Workout for Monday October 1, 2018
Strength Focus
Complete 5 sets of
A) Farmer Carry 4 lengths – progressively increase load each working set
B) Heel Drops 10 each leg
Conditioning Workout
Every minute on the minute for 15 minutes, rotate stations each minute
A) 8 KE swings
B) 10 Air squats
C) 12 step-ups
ProjectStrong 