Professor Geher explained to Bored Panda that the human body "is a wear item" and that there's an increase in health issues associated with aging. "From a societal perspective, making sure to provide easy access to high-quality health care—especially among older folks—is essential. And as we all know, some nations seem to do this better than do others," he said.
"This said, lack of social connections is a known detrimental factor when it comes to health. And unfortunately, many elders tend to find themselves living alone for various reasons (e.g., death of a partner). And loneliness tends to be relatively prevalent in urbanized areas—which are, of course very common in the modern world."
As such, public policy and government experts ought to prioritize issues like ensuring that elders have access to high-quality medical care and have safety nets "to help cultivate social connections." From a large-scale health perspective, these are both critical issues.
Geher, who is currently 53 years old, shared with Bored Panda that he's training for his 12th marathon right now. "I am fully expecting my time to be much slower than my time when I ran my first marathon at 29," he revealed that, as a result, he himself has been thinking about the issue of embracing the aging process.
"Yes, aging is a beast. It comes with such adverse outcomes as physical decline, cognitive decline, and, often, stress and trauma associated with the increasing loss of loved ones," the professor said.
"To buffer oneself against these adverse outcomes, from the perspective of positive evolutionary psychology, folks who are getting up there in years would be wise to eat natural foods and exercise regularly, maintain an active lifestyle that includes necessary cognitive expenditure, and take steps to make sure to be socially connected to at least a small group of close others."
Geher pointed out that the adage of aging being better than the alternative is generally true. "Taking the steps mentioned here can go a long way toward helping make the aging process a relatively positive experience."
Professor Geher also has a Substack page and also writes a blog on Psychology Today. You can find the newest topics he covers there.
The online community has been going strong for nearly a full decade now—it will be celebrating its 10th birthday this September. At the time of writing, the group had just over 114k members.
It’s easy to see why the sub is as popular as it is. It’s taking a very relatable subject (aging, getting grumpy, wanting simplicity, realizing that the younger generations might lack taste) and putting a fun spin on it. It’s a corner of the internet where you can find the humor in getting woken up by your bladder at 3 am and having an ID card that shows you were born before the turn of the millennium.
It might sound cliche, but your age really is just a number. What matters far more is your lifestyle, how active a social life you have, and how you feel on a daily basis. If you’re healthy, active, surrounded by loved ones, and find gratitude in the smallest things, then it really doesn’t matter if you’re 70 or 17—you’re living life well.
However, a happy and healthy life isn’t something that happens automatically. It requires a lot of personal effort, a dash of discipline, and the willingness to set strong boundaries.
There is no definitive way to be happy because everyone's an individual with unique goals, but it’s vital that you get the basics right first. These include taking care of your physical health, staying mentally sharp, maintaining your social connections, and living in the present.
As far as your physical health is concerned, the habits that you want to develop as soon as possible are common sense ones. Like getting enough sleep every night. Drinking plenty of water. Spending time in nature. Moving lots. Reducing screentime. Eating slightly less than you normally would. Avoiding drinking alcohol and smoking. Wearing sunscreen. And choosing to eat veggies, healthy fats, and protein instead of processed foods and refined sugars.
Health and fitness coach Anna Armagno Toussaint previously explained to Bored Panda that we should all strive to focus only on the things that we can control in life instead of worrying about the things that we can’t.
"You can control what you put into your body. You can control your water intake and the foods you choose. You can choose to exercise or be sedentary. In most cases, there are good or bad decisions you can make. And the biggest one is that you can choose your mindset about things," she said.
The fitness coach explained that there will always be hereditary factors that you’ll have to work around. Some might be minor. Others might be as serious as autoimmune diseases. You can’t choose these things, so you have to work around them. Embracing a positive outlook can help you get through those tough times, as you come to terms with reality.
Meanwhile, fitness coach Anna told Bored Panda that what really doesn’t help is feeling jealous that someone else might have physical advantages that you don’t. Whether it’s seemingly limitless energy or the ability to recover quickly after exercise. You can’t let those feelings of resentment dominate you.
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If you find yourself struggling with your physical or mental health or having trouble with the very idea of getting older, it’s perfectly fine to ask for help. Reach out to your friends for advice. Talk to an expert about your goals. Seek out a therapist. Getting another person’s perspective on your struggles is invaluable!
Age UK, the country’s leading charity, previously told Bored Panda that staying active is paramount as we age. It helps to have a host of different hobbies and to try out new activities. Not only will they keep you moving, they’ll also stimulate your mind, and help you forge new friendships. The activities could be anything: from doing arts and crafts or taking photography or computer classes to doing gardening or joining a book club. Social isolation is horrible for our health, so it's essential that you regularly find ways to connect to other people.
