It’s thanks to so many medical advances over the years that our life expectancy keeps on rising. A couple of hundred years ago, you’d be considered an adult by your mid-teens and be lucky to make it to 50 years old. Thanks to science, along with better living conditions and standards, that figure has almost doubled. In 2022, the life expectancy for men now sits at 81.2 years and for women at 85.3 years. Of course, there are downsides to living that much longer; our bodies now need to carry us substantially longer, a great portion of which we will likely work full time. Science has also allowed us to discover and better understand a whole host of diseases and illnesses that we grow more susceptible to as we age. Never has there been a time quite like the present to think ahead and give yourself the best odds by future-proofing your body.
Sleep, sleep, and sleep some more
Yup, you know this, you’ve heard it a million times, but the science backs this bad boy up. Our bodies need plenty of sleep to be able to function at full capacity. It is also instrumental in our ability to promote healing and regeneration. Our brains play the biggest role in our body’s function; therefore, lack of sleep will seriously detriment its ability to regulate our internal systems. Ongoing sleep deprivation won’t only impact your focus, happiness, and energy levels, but it will also negatively impact the capacity of your organs and systems to function healthily. It’s often suggested (quite morbidly) that we start to die around the age of 26. The idea is that at this point, our cells start dying at a rate slightly faster than they are generating. It’s commonly believed that our bodies require adequate rest in order to promote the regeneration we rely so heavily on. So get your 8 hours a night, folks.
Keep your Diet Balanced
The key word here is balanced. This will vary from person to person. Different strokes for different folks. The ‘science’ behind what is optimal for our bodies seems to change every couple of years, but the one constant is the belief that in order to thrive, we need a balance of proteins, vegetables and carbohydrates. If you’re not looking to sit across from a dietitian in one of the fancy office chairs in Melbourne to get personalised information, you can generally work out what’s best for you through trial and error. Ensuring your body is getting the energy and nutrients it requires to function will promote your health. There are also a series of studies that suggest that our brain and mental health is heavily linked with our gut health – both very important when thinking of longevity of life – so including foods heavy in pro and prebiotics can go a long way to future-proof your body.
Get That Body Moving
Yup, you guessed it, exercise – the part of health that a great number of us struggle to maintain any consistency with. The experts often recommend a solid 30 minutes a day of physical activity for optimal health, but again we all have different bodies with vastly different needs. Intuitive exercise can be very effective in maintaining fitness and well-being. Let your body guide you with the levels and frequency of exertion; too much can be just as bad as too little. Don’t underestimate the power of the humble walk when it comes to maintaining fitness. A controversial topic amongst many across the internet is the concept that body weight doesn’t always correlate with health. Try to remember that a size small can be equally healthy for one person as it is a sign of malnutrition in another. Similarly, the same amount of exercise may not look the same on two different bodies. Don’t let words like fat or obese keep you from looking for options such as the right bariatric equipment that can help you to better take care of yourself. You can also look for the best aged care equipment suppliers to learn more about the products that can help you and your loved ones to stay healthy.
Take a Holistic Approach to your Health
These days healthcare doesn’t only include an annual physical with your GP (though this is definitely recommended, especially as you age) but can also include a variety of alternative or holistic approaches. More recent studies have shown that there are many health benefits from a holistic approach to health. That is to say, our bodies need more than the provision of medicine when we’re ill and thrive best with added preventative healthcare approaches. Examples of complementary alternative healthcare options can include acupuncture/Chinese medicine, chakra balancing, reiki, massage, homoeopathy, and chiropractors. Each of these will work with different aspects of your body with the intent to promote and improve health and can go a long way toward preserving the body and ensuring good health later in life.
Be Mindful of How You Treat Your Body
It’s a trap we fall into so often in our youth to believe that we will always be this young and that our bodies will bounce back easily. We get caught up in the FOMO or the responsibilities of life, and we put the well-being of our bodies on the back burner in favour of other priorities – work, our social lives, money/costs. In the modern society we live, money is a big driver of our choices; we will often try to make more or take the cheap option to save a little, and more often than not, our bodies take the hit. You’re shopping for home office chairs; the ergonomic one that takes care of your back is more expensive, so you make do with the cheap, poorly designed option. You’ve injured yourself and have been recommended to rest, but if you take a couple of pills, you can push through the pain, so you do. You’re in charge of the upgrades to the boardroom seating in your office; instead of opting for the purpose-designed boardroom chairs, you opt for the cheaper option. Fresh foods are more expensive and perish quicker, so we opt for processed versions that will last longer but have harmful ingredients and fewer nutrients. Every day you’ll be presented with circumstances where your health is an option, it may seem like a small sacrifice, but over those 80+ years you live, every little adds up. Where possible, try to prioritise your health and be mindful of the impacts your decisions have on your body.