How to Age Gracefully

How Can I Age Gracefully?

Healthy ageing is something that I often get asked about and now that I am 61 I think about it more often too. Most of us, including myself, think about how our skin and hair looks. I looked in the mirror one day with my reading glasses on and I nearly had a heart attack when I saw more clearly all the pores and wrinkles and blemishes. Don't look in the mirror with your reading glasses on! Wrinkles and fine lines are the external signs that things are changing. Aching joints, tiredness, changes in gut health, or sluggish memory are also reminders to us that we are ageing. 

So, is there anything that we can do to slow the ageing process or at least have a healthier journey.

When I talk to somebody that looks amazing, has brilliant cognitive function, joint mobility and flexibility I ask them what do they put this down to. A common answer is Cod Liver Oil, three straight meals a day, good sleep and to take it easy. Some just shrug their shoulders and smile. I think the main thing is to do things guilt free that way there is less stress, and stress is a big contributor to inflammation and ageing.   The common theme amongst the people I talk to is a healthy diet, good quality sleep, relaxation, getting some fresh air and gentle movement. It seems, guilt free pleasures may have something to do with it too!

Reduce stress and slow ageing

My dad used to say that when your number is up, your number it's up, and  that there was nothing you could do about it. That there was a date on when we would leave this earth and he was ok about that. I agree, but I think that how we get to our final number is important, so what we do our our journey can indicate how well we age.

I believe that keeping stress to a minimal is crucial to healthy ageing. Stress can increase inflammation. Inflammation affects all aspects of our health and how we age. It contributes to pain, heart problems, and cognitive decline.

The second important thing to me is good quality sleep, lack of sleep will also contribute to how well we age. As inflammation can rise too if we don't get enough.

And after that a healthy balanced diet that suits you,

What should I eat to help me age gracefully

A healthy balance diet that includes a wide variety of different foods will provide the basic essential nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fibre. This can include a variety of different grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, especially green leafy ones, fruit as many different colours as you can eat,  and oily fish. Don't overeat dairy or red meat.  Fermented foods like kimchi and saurkraut are great for digestion.

Herbal teas are a great way to support health for example, teas that contain turmeric can help reduce inflammation, hawthorn tea helps heart health, and green tea is a source of natural antioxidants. Beetroot Juice,  Cranberry Juice, or Pomegranate Juice are great to include you could rotate them in your diet. Many people take Apple cider vinegar with The Mother for digestive support, heart health, joint support, and metabolism. 

Turmeric and ginger are ideal foods to include to help keep inflammation at bay and garlic is brilliant too, it has antibacterial properties and can help support heart health. 

Acai Berries, Moringa, and Blueberries,  Spirulina,  and medicinal mushrooms like Lion's Mane and Shitake are all available in powder form and are considered super foods. These are easily added to smoothies, juices, or yoghurts and are a great way to top up on nutrients to support healthy ageing.

Supplements to support healthy ageing

We know that there may not be all the nutrients in our food like there used to be. Supplements can be a good way to top up on nutrition. Top supplements to consider would be B vitamins, Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids, Magnesium, and Vitamin D3, K2. This combination may help maintain healthy bone health, cognitive function, cardiovascular health and digestion. A healthy diet and lifestyle alongside some supplements may also help to reduce the risk of age-related diseases.

B vitamins especially B12, B6, and folic acid are important for your nervous system, and cognitive function. Vitamin B12 is a vitamin that many are low in, Biocare Nutrisorb Methyl B12 liquid drops are an easy way to top up on your B12. B12, in particular, is crucial for red blood cell creation, DNA synthesis, and nerve function, deficiencies of these can lead to cognitive decline. For your bones you could consider NHP OsteoSupport as this contains calcium, magnesium, boron, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2, all essential for building and maintaining strong bones. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, maintain bone density, and prevent osteoporosis; deficiency of Vitamin D can increase the risk of falls in older adults. Omega-3 Fatty Acids can benefit our eyes, our heart, our joints, and cognitive function.  

These small changes could make a difference, here’s hoping that we all age naturally and gracefully!