That face that looks back at you in the mirror isn’t the one you see in your mind each day. The body that gets tired more easily and puts on weight after the smallest meal isn’t the one that belonged to you. Guess what? You’re getting older! But Getting Older is Getting Better!
What are the 10 Aging Signs?
- Fine lines and wrinkles on your face as well as a loss of tautness of the skin. This actually starts around the age of 25. Your hair will also start to gradually get thinner.
- Loss of height due to compression of the bones and discs in your spine as well as your joints. By the time you’re 80 you can lose as much as 2 inches.
- Vision loss. Usually in your 40’s you will need reading glasses. Your night vision and sharpness of detail will also decline with age.
- High frequency sounds will be more difficult to hear; changes in tone and speech will not be as clear. After 55, these changes speed up. One note: for those with multiple sclerosis the opposite may be true, everything may seem incredibly loud and crystal clear for them to the point where they need to get away from others and from noisy places.
- Your sleep patterns will change. You will sleep less and also sleep less deeply than before, waking up during the night several times and getting up earlier in the morning.
- Your metabolism will slow down. Your body needs less energy as you age which is why as we get older, without increasing our physical activity, we put on excess weight. Our body fat increases and our muscle mass decreases.
- Your bones get weaker. Weight bearing exercise helps this, even walking. Take extra calcium and Vitamin D.
- Your nervous system and brain start to change. This starts in your thirties and though your brain adapts to changes, your memory is not what it once was. This can be helped by learning and doing new things.
- Your heart and lungs become less efficient. Once again, keeping physically active helps slow the decline.
- Your kidneys don’t work as well as they used to. Time to increase your intake of water, cut down on your alcohol intake and any unnecessary medicines.
These are the most obvious signs of advancing age and by the time you notice them, the changes will have already been in effect for quite some time. Step up your physical activity, drink more water and keep your meals small and nutritious. This will help you feel better, young or old! Remember “Getting Older is Getting Better!”
