Keep a Personal Medical Journal that includes a record of past illnesses, injuries, treatments, tests and screenings, hospitalizations, current medications, and family history.
Based on family history, identify the categories of age-related disease for which you are most at risk, such as cardiovascular disease (also, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease) and know the preventive healthy aging lifestyle strategies to help keep these at bay.
Make sure you're up to date on all recommended immunizations. The Centers for Disease Control provides adult immunization information. While the number of immunizations now being used in infants and children - and the need for some of them (like those for chickenpox) - may be questionable, the benefits far outweigh the risks. In addition to receiving boosters for the immunizations given in early life, those sixty-five and older should also get pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine and an annual influenza shot for healthy aging.
Get a complete physical examination that includes measurement of blood pressure, urinalysis, and complete blood work, as well as an electrocardiogram (EKG) to promote healthy living. A physical will screen for such common conditions as hypertension, diabetes, elevated serum cholesterol, anemia, and liver or kidney problems. Keep the results in your personal medical record. Annual examinations are not typically necessary if you are in good health and have no unusual symptoms. Discuss how often to have physicals with your health care provider.
Start eating a healthy diet. Click here to see suggestions for improving your nutrition on a daily basis. Some studies such as in SCIENCE journal in 1987 showed that diet and exercise can slow, halt and/or reverse seemingly normal changes of aging.
Those of us 65+ need two and a half hours a week of moderate aerobic physical activity, which will return substantial health benefits, according to the new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which were released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The report says “Older adults should follow the guidelines for other adults when it is within their physical capacity. If a chronic condition prohibits their ability to follow those guidelines, they should be as physically active as their abilities and conditions allow.”
It also notes that if older people are at risk of falling, they should also do exercises that maintain or improve balance.
Aerobic activity recommended for those of us 65+, such as walking briskly, water aerobics, ballroom dancing, and jogging, should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes. The guidelines are designed so people can easily fit physical activity into their daily plan and incorporate activities they enjoy.
We should also do muscle-strengthening activities, such as weight training, push-ups, sit-ups, carrying heavy loads and heavy gardening, at least two days a week.
Exercise can improve thinking ability in older adults and the ability to engage in activities needed for daily living, the report says. Regular physical activity reduces the risk in adults of early death; coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancer, and depression.
All older adults should avoid inactivity. Some physical activity is better than none, and older adults who participate in any amount of physical activity gain some health benefits.
For substantial health benefits, older adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Aerobic activity, preferably, should be spread throughout the week.
For additional and more extensive health benefits, older adults should increase their aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate intensity, or 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity. Additional health benefits are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond this amount.
Older adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities that are moderate or high intensity and involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits.
The following guidelines are just for older adults:
When older adults cannot do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week because of chronic conditions, they should be as physically active as their abilities and conditions allow.
Older adults should do exercises that maintain or improve balance if they are at risk of falling.
Older adults should determine their level of effort for physical activity relative to their level of fitness.
Older adults with chronic conditions should understand whether and how their conditions affect their ability to do regular physical activity safely.
Older adults can meet the Guidelines by doing relatively moderate-intensity activity, relatively vigorous–intensity activity, or a combination of both.
Time spent in light activity (such as light housework) and sedentary activities (such as watching TV) do not count.
The relative intensity of aerobic activity is related to a person's level of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Moderate-intensity activity requires a medium level of effort. On a scale of 0 to 10, where sitting is 0 and the greatest effort possible is 10, moderate-intensity activity is a 5 or 6 and produces noticeable increases in breathing rate and heart rate.
Vigorous-intensity activity is a 7 or 8 on this scale and produces large increases in a person's breathing and heart rate.
A general rule of thumb is that 2 minutes of moderate–intensity activity count the same as 1 minute of vigorous-intensity activity.
For example, 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week is roughly the same as 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity.
