Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to achieve healthy ageing. We all hope to live a long and healthy life, especially if we have experienced the suffering and untimely passing of family members who were not able to achieve that. 

In particular, I’m thinking about my mother, who passed away at the age of 69 from the complications of diabetes. As I find myself approaching the 60 mark (only just over two years away!), my level of concern is rising. 

So what does healthy ageing mean, anyway? The World Health Organization defines it in the following manner:

WHO defines Healthy Ageing “as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age”. 

Functional ability, according to the WHO, means you can walk, talk, think and remember, take care of yourself, learn and grow, and function in society.

These seem to be pretty basic things to me – after all, we don’t just want to sit in a chair when we are older. We want to be able to enjoy the outdoors, move our bodies without pain, spend active time with our grandchildren, and dance at their weddings.

So what can we do? There are quite a few things, but here are a few of the most important.

• Reduce inflammation. Science is determining more and more that the chronic diseases of ageing, which cause so much pain and disability, are a direct result of our inflammatory lifestyle. In particular, that visceral fat I keep talking about is a serious source of inflammation in our bodies. Cut back on sugar in your life, and you will be doing your body a big favour.

• Sleep. Our bodies create growth hormone and repair the damage of the day while we sleep. One problem many older people encounter is disturbed sleep, because our hormones are not what they once were. Don’t just take it lying down – talk to a nutritionist about improving your sleep. You’d be amazed how much better you can sleep just by changing how and when you eat.

• Drink water. Most people in Western societies are living in a state of chronic mild dehydration. Of all the things we can do to support our health as we age, this is one of the easiest to fix. Get a water bottle and carry it around with you, and refill it regularly. We are incredibly fortunate to live in a time and place where clean and safe water comes out of the tap. If you want extra hydration points, add some pink Himalayan salt to your water.

• Move your body every day. Go for a walk around the block, or if you live in frigid climes, go to the gym or walk on the treadmill or in the mall. Make sure you get at least 30 minutes a day of moderate movement. If you can lift a few heavy things now and then, even better.

• Surround yourself with positivity. It is so easy for older people to get negative and depressed. Try to find things to look forward to every new day. Otherwise, why are you trying to live a longer life?

If you found this helpful, please drop me a note and tell me so! I am constantly trying to find ways to improve your life. What else would you like me to write about?