September is Healthy Aging Month and Dr. Glatz believes the easiest way to achieve healthy aging is by following a few practical tips at home.
Let your trusted McAllen sinus relief specialists at Glatz Group of Valley ENT provide you with a few tips for healthy aging.
How to Age Healthily
1. Eat Well
No matter your age, it is always important to eat well to keep your body healthy. By doing so, you will see a boost in your immune system, mood, and mental sharpness.
Dr. Glatz has implemented intermittent fasting into his lifestyle and has seen great results from it!
Here’s what you need to know about intermittent fasting:
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
During intermittent fasting, you only eat during specific times of the day. Instead of focusing so much on what you eat, it is more on when you eat. According to Hopkins, fasting for a certain number of hours each day or eating just one meal a couple of days a week, can help your body burn fat.
Does Intermittent Fasting Provide Anti-Aging Benefits?
Fasting is focused on limiting your calorie intake. Studies on overweight adults have shown an increase in energy production and a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
However, fasting can be challenging due to the calorie intake being decreased by 30-40% each day. By intermittent fasting, you are still receiving the benefits listed above, but aren’t as restricted in your calories.
If you’re wanting to give this a try, but don’t know where to start, here are a few examples of different intermittent fasting plans:
- Eat-Stop-Eat: When doing this plan, you fast for 24 hours once or twice every week.
- 16/8 Method: This method involves skipping breakfast, limiting your eating to an 8-hour window, and then fasting for the following 16 hours.
- 5:2 Diet: With this plan, you will take in 500 to 600 calories during 2 days of the week, just not back to back. For the other 5 days, you will resume your normal diet.
Every method is different to accommodate varying lifestyles. It is important for your overall body health that you find the plan that best fits your existing schedule.
2. Exercise
Regular exercise provides many benefits to your overall body health. Some of these benefits include:
- A boost in energy
- Improvement in posture and muscle tone
- Lowered risk of falls and injuries
- Improvement in heart health
- Reduced risk of developing chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis
One of the most beneficial exercises you can do is High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). By doing a HIIT workout, you will burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. These workouts consist of short and intense exercises followed by a period of rest. The benefits of HIIT workouts include:
- Increased endurance
- Improved heart health
- An acceleration of fat burn
3. Sleep Well
Getting a good night’s sleep is key to healthy aging as it allows your body and mind to recover from a full day’s work. Benefits of sleeping well include:
- A boost in mood
- Sharpens your mind and improves concentration during the day
- Reduced risk for diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.
- Your body’s ability to maintain your weight and support your metabolism
Many issues can arise that cause disruptions in your sleep. It is important to pinpoint these and find a solution so you can get the quality sleep your body needs. Some disruptions include:
- Too much caffeine: If you’re not carefully tracking your caffeine intake, you could be having more than you think. This can greatly affect your ability to fall asleep and get a deep rest.
- Screen time before bed: Laptops, smartphones, and televisions all emit blue light, which keeps you awake. If you are spending time on these devices before bed, it will make it difficult for you to fall and stay asleep.
- Sleep apnea: This is a sleeping disorder that happens when your breathing stops and starts repeatedly through the night. If you snore loudly or feel tired after a full night’s sleep, you may need to see your ENT to get the proper treatment.
Start Healthy Aging Month Right By Giving Dr. Glatz’s Tips A Try!
The thought of aging can be very overwhelming, but with Dr. Glatz’s 3 simple tips, you’ll be feeling healthier and happier in no time.