The 4th National Gerontology and Geriatrics Congress took place in late May. More than 4K people registered to participate.
Aging experts discussed such extremely relevant topics as joint disorders in the elderly, the impact of arterial hypertension on active longevity and nuances of vaccination for people over 60.
Most people would like to know how to prolong youth and not to turn into forgetful old men and women for whom even walking up the stairs is a challenge, in retirement (and even earlier).
Olga Tkachyova, Director of the Russian Gerontology Research and Clinical Center and Chief Off-Staff Geriatrics Expert of the Russian Healthcare Ministry, offered five rules that will not only help to live longer but to improve the quality of older life and stay energized and strong at an older age.
- Give up unhealthy habits (especially smoking).
- Move more. Old age is not about the number of years but about losing muscle mass. Physical activity will maintain muscle mass at a higher level. Muscles do not only make you stronger but also carry a huge number of biologically active substances that can help rejuvenate your body.
- Do not overeat and avoid weight fluctuations. Gaining weight after weight loss and then going on a diet again is not healthy. Our body favors stability – stable weight, blood pressure and blood sugar levels all make for prolonging youth.
- Enhance your self-education efforts. The more you learn, the longer you live. Mental activity is the best anti-aging medication.
- Communicate. Communication is both a pleasure and a power tool for prolonging youth. Even upon retirement, keep yourself involved in social interaction. Keep communicating with your friends, relatives, former work colleagues, and people who share the same interests as you – collectors, cooks, athletes, florists. A wider social network makes for reducing your biological age.
Interestingly, according to gerontologists, biological age may greatly vary from the actual age: at the age of 60 one may feel as if they’re 75 or 45.
There are special methods and tests to determine your biological age. Want to quickly calculate it? Try stand on one leg with their eyes closed. If you last half a minute without swaying, your age is about 20; if you can manage only about five seconds, you’re likely to be over 60.