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At Fountain Hills Medical Center, we spend a lot of time talking with our patients about healthy aging. The reason? No matter what your current age is, there are always things you can be doing today to help ensure a healthier tomorrow. September is Healthy Aging Month, so we wanted to highlight a few of our favorite tips that can help our patients of any age get the most out of their future ages and stages.

1. It starts with the right mindset.

   Being proactive about healthy aging doesn’t have to feel sacrificial. In fact, it helps to look at the good choices as investments rather than sacrifices. Every time you choose to walk instead of drive, to add vegetables to your diet, or to visit your Fountain Hills doctor at our medical center for a check-up, you’re investing in a healthier future.

2. How’s your stress level?

   Many people function daily with stress levels that are unhealthy, choosing to simply white-knuckle through their days. The results of this habit are often destructive for yourself and your loved ones. Whether by self-medicating with food, alcohol or other substances, inadvertently lashing out at loved ones, or feeling physical maladies such as headaches, nausea, or getting sick more often, mishandling stress can cause a lot of unhappiness. Discovering a healthy outlet and release for your stress can help you avoid unwanted consequences such as accelerated aging and DNA damage. Some of our favorite ideas for healthy stress management in Fountain Hills include yoga, therapy, exercise, and regular meditation or prayer.

3. Get active, and stay active!

   You might’ve guessed this would make the list, but the correlation between being active and aging well can’t be ignored. Like other positive steps, practicing daily physical activity becomes much easier when it’s an ingrained habit. The fuss over exercise and activity is justified: your heart health, sense of balance, mental health, muscle strength, concentration, self-confidence, bone strength, blood pressure, and disease management can all be improved by regular physical activity. And that’s just scratching the surface.

4. Be social.

   This is a tricky one for many people. If you’re introverted, being social can feel exhausting. If you experience anxiety, social situations can create miserable feelings of unease. But, get this – socializing releases oxytocin, and can actually help reduce anxiety. Also, being social can lower your risk for dementia. Just take care that the relationships you choose to foster are ones that are good for you. So regardless of factors that make you want to avoid socializing with others, we hold firm that developing and maintaining positive social relationships are very important aspects of healthy aging.

5. Stay in touch with your doctor

   Getting regular check-ups from our Fountain Hills medical practice is a very important way to age healthfully. Getting screened for health-related concerns, talking to your doctor about how you’re feeling, receiving needed vaccinations, and getting treated for what’s ailing you make a huge difference in aging well. Fountain Hills Medical Center makes it easy for you to stay on top of your health by allowing walk-ins or appointments, having a variety of medical staff available to you, and treating a wide variety of medical concerns.

Aging well means being proactive about forming positive, healthy habits at every age and stage of your life. It’s never too late, and never too early, to start living today the way you want to live tomorrow.

SOURCES

• Socialization: How does it benefit mental and physical health? (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Health Benefits of Social Interaction – Mercy Medical Center (mercycare.org)
• Stress management Stress basics – Mayo Clinic
• Why is physical activity so important for health and well-being? | American Heart Association