Health

Positive ageing is partly about the choices we can make. It’s also about accepting the aspects of our lives that we have not chosen.

Growing older usually brings new challenges to our physical and emotional health. These challenges are individual, so we need to work out, at a personal level, how we can adapt to the things we can’t control while making positive choices about the things we can control.

People who grow older more successfully find ways to exercise, irrespective of their physical health. There is now overwhelming evidence that exercise improves and sustains our minds as well as our bodies.

Accentuate the positive

Accentuate the positive   By thinking positively, you are not only improving your outlook on life, but also your physical health. Research has shown that your mental and emotional health improves with age through a bigger focus on positivity. Psychologist Laura Carstensen calls this ‘socioemotional selectivity theory’. People growing older

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A Sense of purpose

A Sense of purpose On the Japanese island of Okinawa, the community’s mantra is ‘ikigai’ meaning a sense of purpose. They believe ‘ikigai’ is key to extending your lifespan as well as living a better life. There is also great research into this. An eleven year study followed healthy people

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Work in progress

Work in progress Is it better to retire or continue working? Research tells us that both can be beneficial. One study showed that those who worked in ‘mentally-demanding jobs had better cognitive functioning prior to retirement and a slower decline in cognitive ability post-retirement’. By remaining in work whilst still

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The green and the blue

The green and the blue Daily contact with nature improves the wellbeing of older people. Research conducted by the University of Minnesota found that ‘green and blue spaces are especially beneficial for healthy ageing in seniors’. These outdoor spaces promoted feelings of ‘renewal, restoration and spiritual connectedness’. Jessica Finaly researched

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Giving and receiving

Giving and receiving Maintaining relationships is important at every age but, as people grow older, they may find it harder to access a social life and engage with others. Research tells us that older people generally have smaller social networks and their interactions may be mainly with family members. Older

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Say Yes to Yoga

Say Yes to Yoga Yoga is a wonderful activity to keep our muscles working and stretching but it also helps to relieve stress and calm our minds. Research has shown that yoga can have positive outcomes across an amazing array of measures. Physically, yoga can improve our balance, our mobility

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Staying creative

Staying creative Bruce Miller, MD, a behavioural neurologist at University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, tells us: ‘While brains inevitably age, creative abilities do not necessarily deteriorate. Actually, the ageing brain responds well to art by allowing the brain’s two hemispheres to work more in tandem. This ability to

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