Healthy practices for old age are essential to maintain a good quality of life. Aging is a natural process that entails a series of physical, mental and social changes, however it is possible to age in a healthy way.

Below, we outline some habits that can help older people stay healthy and active;

• Perform regular physical activity: With age, muscles lose some of their cells, becoming weakened, so trying to do regular training is essential to maintain muscle mass and thus delay the feeling of fragility and dependency.
• Eat a balanced diet: Health depends largely on diet. Good nutrition is essential for healthy aging, so reducing fat and increasing the consumption of fruit, vegetables and fiber is something that should be applied to the diet of older people.
• Carry out periodic medical check-ups: The body is a machine and as such it needs to undergo periodic check-ups, making regular visits to your family doctor periodically will help control the state of your general health.
• Train the mind: Not only do you have to keep your body active, it is also important to do so with your mind. Practicing simple exercises or games such as crossword puzzles, participating in strategy or memory games such as chess, dominoes, and even memorizing the shopping list will help exercise the brain and keep it in shape for longer.
• Stop bad habits: Tobacco or alcohol contribute to and increase the risk of suffering from diseases that deteriorate physical and mental health. Ending these habits as soon as possible will allow the body to recover as quickly as possible from the negative effects of these habits.

Aging is an innate, natural phenomenon that is present throughout the life of a human being. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of life as people age, it is necessary to adopt active measures that enhance mental, physical and social well-being. according to your needs and capabilities.

Currently, people often reach old age in a good state of health, which allows us to enjoy many activities or realize dreams or youth projects that were put on hold during the development of our lives, finish our studies, learn to paint, write a book…, and even learn that trade that we liked so much when we were young. All of these activities help maintain an agile mind and a fit body as they require us to stay active, moving, attentive and focused.

Keeping the mind and body busy from certain ages onwards helps prevent the appearance of mental illnesses, such as cognitive impairment, and helps maintain a positive and proactive state of mind, avoiding anxiety, apathy and depression.

Although in some cases, the characteristics of the different health states from certain ages onwards may be conditioned by the subject’s own genetics, the factors that have the most impact have to do with social and personal aspects, which is why maintaining healthy habits throughout. throughout life, such as a balanced diet, physical exercise, moderation in alcohol consumption, tobacco, will in many cases contribute to the health of elderly people.

At the same time, it is important to highlight that interpersonal relationships favor integration in the community, participation in both physical and intellectual activities, favoring personal development, group activities that are easy to carry out, such as resuming studies, hobbies and even new professional tasks, will contribute to develop an active old age, since it causes an active state in people.

Social isolation can have a negative impact on physical health, which is why it is important to have an active social group that encourages group activities, as well as a serene and structured family environment, in which older people can have their space, their protagonism, in short, having a social environment that allows them to continue feeling valued, loved, useful and necessary.