We have all heard of “aging gracefully,” but how do we actually do that? Aging gracefully involves taking an active approach to the aging process. Rather than waiting for aging to take its effect on us, we can make lifestyle choices that postpone or eliminate some of those effects. By taking a proactive role in our own well-being we can age as gracefully as possible.

Keeping our brains healthy is critical to healthy aging. According to Cleveland Clinic, normal cognitive decline starts around age 60, and the most common change is a decrease in the speed of processing information. The Clinic contends that keeping your body healthy is essential to keeping your brain healthy, and it recommends following a Mediterranean-style diet, getting regular exercise and keeping cholesterol and blood pressure at healthy levels.

Maintaining heart health is also essential to healthy aging. Aging naturally causes our heart rate to slow and blood vessels and arteries to stiffen, which can lead to high blood pressure and other problems. To help prevent this, Mayo Clinic recommends getting daily exercise, eating a healthy diet, refraining from smoking and keeping stress levels to a minimum.

Bones and muscles also change during aging. Bones tend to shrink and lose density, and muscles decrease in strength and flexibility. According to Mayo Clinic, maintaining bone and muscle health involves getting adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, doing daily weight-bearing exercises, eliminating smoking and having no more than two alcoholic drinks per day.

Loss of bone density and natural stiffening of ligaments and tendons can lead to arthritis, which is another common concern among adults. Maintaining joint health can help delay or reduce the effects of arthritis. To keep joints limber, Cleveland Clinic recommends maintaining a healthy weight, and getting regular exercise.

Good vision and hearing health can also help reduce the effects of aging. Over time, it becomes harder for eyes to focus, detect contrast and withstand glare. According to Cleveland Clinic, not smoking, keeping a healthy body weight and eating fruits and vegetables helps maintain good eye health.

Aging also causes hearing levels to decrease, making it more difficult to hear high frequencies or to hear clearly in crowded rooms. Mayo Clinic recommends wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat to protect eyes, and using earplugs around loud noises to protect reduce hearing loss.

The reason that most of these recommendations mention maintaining a healthy body weight is because maintaining a healthy body weight becomes harder as we age. Muscle mass naturally decreases and is replaced by body fat, which burns fewer calories than muscle and leads to weight gain. To counteract this, Mayo Clinic recommends regular exercise to maintain muscle, eating a healthy diet and watching portion sizes.

With some extra effort and advance planning, we can take control of the aging process and minimize its natural effects. The key to aging gracefully is a healthy lifestyle. Our bodies are very resilient and it is never too late to take control.

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Older couples and single people living on their own often have trouble making nutritious meals for themselves. Understanding nutritional needs and appropriate calorie intake can be confusing. Fresh ingredients are frequently sold in packages that are too large to finish before they go bad. Eating healthfully can also cost more, and the time required to cook sometimes doesn’t seem worth the effort. Following are some tips to help you eat in a healthy way without a lot of effort.

In 2011, the USDA updated the Food Pyramid of healthy eating guidelines and created a new initiative called Healthy Plate. The guidelines are based on the USDA publication “2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans” (DGA), and have been revised to make it easier to make better food choices. The guidelines suggest how to balance calories; add more healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, to your diet; and decrease the amount of unhealthy foods, such as those with high-sugar and high-sodium ingredients.

Appendix 6 in the DGA outlines the number of calories per day that one needs based on age, gender and level of activity. Appendix 7 describes the five basic food groups, and the number of servings from each group a person needs for his or her target calorie intake. By following these guidelines, you will automatically take in the appropriate amount and variety of nutrients your body needs.

One easy way to eat the recommended servings of fresh vegetables, and finish them before they go bad, is to cut several servings of various vegetables into bite-size pieces and store them in plastic containers. You can then quickly add them to soups, salads and other dishes. You can also steam vegetables and add them to baked potatoes, rice and pasta; or eat them as a side dish.

Some leftover fruits and vegetables can be frozen and preserved for later use. Muffins and breads also freeze well. Frozen fruits and vegetables are often just as healthy as fresh, because nutrients are preserved when they are frozen.

Healthy options sometimes cost a little more than convenience foods, but they are better for you, and may therefore decrease your healthcare and medication costs in the long run. You feel better and function better when your body has the vitamins and nutrients that it needs, which helps you stay physically stronger and able to fight off illness and disease.

Because appetite tends to decrease as we age, you may wonder why it’s important to make the extra effort to eat well. Government research emphasizes the importance of keeping ourselves healthy throughout our lifetimes. To find inspiration and make cooking and eating fun, consider trying new recipes, setting the table with your good china, or inviting company over for a meal.

You can receive a copy of the DGA by calling the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion at 703-305-7600 (leave your name, address and phone number on the USDA’s voicemail). For a free pamphlet of recipes, call The Loving Hands Group at 216-408-5578 or visit www.lovinghandsgroup.com/Cooking.html. Remember to consult with your doctor before beginning any new nutrition program.

Click here to read the full article in the Heights Observer.