TIPS FOR HEALTHY AGING

The following points should be borne in mind:

• Ensure a balanced diet, including five helpings of fruits and vegetables a day.
• Exercise regularly. However, check with your doctor before starting an exercise programme.
• Go in for regular health check-ups.
• Don't ever smoke. If you have picked up the habit, it's never too late to stop.
• Practice safety habits at home to prevent falls and fractures. Always wear your seatbelt while driving a vehicle.
• Stay in touch with family and friends. Remain active through work and play and interact regularly with other members of the community.
• If you drink alcohol, moderation is the keyword. Let someone else drive the vehicle after each of your drinking bouts!
• Adopt and maintain a positive attitude towards life. Do things that make you happy.

Since it's extremely difficult to change the habits of a lifetime overnight, it would be highly beneficial to develop good habits right from childhood. Such habits are likely to pay you rich dividends in the future, so that you can be playing golf while your contemporaries are ailing in hospital beds!
Fortunately, aging doesn't have to be a downhill slides and gaining adequate knowledge about changing body patterns over time can help you age the healthy way. Older people have the reputation of being more mature, experienced and thoughtful. Whether or not you become wiser as you grow older, you are likely to become farsighted for sure ! Farsightedness ( presbyopia ) is a change in vision that's a normal part of aging. Presbyopia is caused by a gradual hardening of the eye's lens, which impairs your ability to see up close. Your optometrist may recommend a pair of non-prescription reading glasses or prescribe bifocals for you. Staying active is a terrific way to stave off the negative effects of aging because it helps your body maintain, improve and even repair itself. Physical activity increases flexibility, lowers blood pressure, strengthens bones, slows down the process of osteoporosis, and promotes weight loss. The remarkable aspect about getting fit is that it's never too late to start. Fifteen to 30 minutes of exercise, with a warm-up and a cool-down, three or four times a week, would be ideal. Remember to start out slowly, exercising for about five to ten minutes twice a week, and gradually build up to a higher level of activity. choose an activity that you'll enjoy, and try to get a friend to accompany you. Brisk walking, swimming and yoga are just a few of the options. Before starting your regular exercise regimen, please check with your doctor about possible complications or risks.