Body
aging affects every aspect of your body, from your organs and bones to your muscles and joints. But that doesn't mean your physical health has to nosedive as you get older. Taking proactive steps to boost your well-being can bring dramatic payoffs well into the future.Start with exercise. An active lifestyle can help you maintain strength, flexibility, endurance and balance and let you age gracefully. Strength training is especially important for women, whose bone density peaks in their early thirties and declines sharply after menopause.
Not only will exercise help make your bones stronger, it will also increase muscle mass, which in turn boosts metabolism so you burn more calories at rest. That's good news for avoiding the age-related weight creep that plagues many women. While younger females gain weight on their thighs and hips, older women are more likely to bulge around the mid-section. The effects of this extra abdominal weight show up not only in the mirror but also in the form of increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure, and many other illnesses.
What you put in your mouth matters, too. Filling up on so-called "empty calories" like refined carbohydrates taxes your body's systems and saps your energy reserves. Eating plenty of whole grains, lean proteins, and fresh fruits and vegetables will help shore up your overall health.
And don't forget to safeguard your health by getting an annual health exam. Your check-up should include a full blood workup to measure total cholesterol, levels of good and bad cholesterol, and triglycerides. Depending on your age, a pap smear, mammogram, bone-density exam or thyroid test may also be warranted.
Mind
The brain is the most complex organ in the human body, producing our thoughts, memories, feelings and experiences of the world. As we grow older, each of these processes can be affected, but how that happens isn't completely understood.
For example, many perimenopausal women say they have difficulty concentrating, yet scientists aren't completely sure whether or not the growing forgetfulness is a sign of aging, an effect of reduced estrogen, the result of stress, or a bit of each.
Some of the ways we age are determined by genetics, but researchers now know that lifestyle choices--what you eat, how you exercise, whether you're able to relax--can help minimize these effects on the brain.
Keeping your mind active, whether by waltzing or working on crossword puzzles, can help you stay sharp. It also helps to get a good night's sleep (often easier said than done if you're experiencing menopause-related night sweats, for example), as fatigue is known to make concentration more difficult. Mind-body techniques such as yoga and t'ai chi can help you feel less frazzled.
And while a poor diet can have deleterious effects on memory, a healthful one can bring benefits to the brain. Finally, exercise, particularly the kind that gets your heart rate up, may also be beneficial for keeping your brain at its best.
Skin
It's inevitable: skin ages, collagen production slows, and elastin, the substance that enable the skin to snap back into place, has a bit less spring. While you can't turn back the hands of time, there's plenty you can do right now to keep your skin looking and feeling radiant.
Although creams, serums and supplements promise to erase wrinkles, lighten age spots, and sooth age-related dryness, experts say the simplest (and least expensive) way to keep your skin healthy and younger looking is to stay out of the sun. If you must be outdoors, use adequate sunscreen, even if you've been less than sun-smart in the past, to prevent further damage.
What you eat also has an impact on how well your skin regenerates itself. Antioxidant-rich foods, such as colorful vegetables and berries, have been shown to help protect against sun damage at the cellular level and may slow aging of cells.
It will also help to stop smoking. Research shows that people who smoke tend to have more wrinkles than non-smokers of the same age, complexion and history of sun exposure. This may be because the chemicals in cigarettes play a role in damaging elastin.
If you're bothered by visible signs of aging, such as age spots and fine lines, modern treatments can help resurface, peel and restore skin to give it a smoother and refreshed appearance. A consultation with a dermatologist can help you sort through the numerous options, as well as monitor any suspicious-looking spots.
