When you’re young and full of energy, it’s difficult to imagine being any other way. But age does creep up, and along with it can come all kinds of issues with our health- so it’s important to take steps in the here and now so that we can enjoy our older years as much as possible. It really doesn’t need to be complicated and you don’t need to live a ‘perfect’ life, there’s actually plenty of easy things you can incorporate into your routine that your future self will thank you for. Here are some ideas!

Learn to Cook

Food is fuel for the body, it’s essentially a medicine in the fact that the right foods provide us with the nutrition we need to thrive. But it’s so much more than that, food has a huge social element around it in the fact that we tend to celebrate with food, it’s fun and enjoyable too. For this reason, it’s so worth embracing food and the skill of cooking. Being able to prepare and cook healthy and delicious foods every day can benefit everyone, you’re far less likely to resort to unhealthy convenience options when you can make dishes cheaper, healthier and tastier yourself. When you cook your own meals from scratch you’re in control of what goes into them, and can ensure you’re meeting all of your nutritional needs. Vitamins and minerals are important both in the here and now and for your future body- take calcium for example. This is stored up in the bones, it’s important to get enough now to prevent conditions like osteoporosis later on. There are effective supplements you can take too like S-4, but these should always compliment a healthy diet rather than replace it. 

Attend Your Screenings

Attending your screenings is a proactive way you can maintain your health. Screenings look for changes in otherwise healthy people to ensure they’re not showing signs of diseases that could possibly affect them. Things like cancer screenings are usually done based on age and gender, for example for women, cervical screenings start when you’re in your twenties and then breast screenings when you’re in your fifties. These screenings save many lives since any abnormalities are likely to be in the earliest stage before symptoms develop. As long as you’re registered with a GP you will be sent out appointments for relevant screenings to you, all you need to do is show up on the day. 

Be part of a community

Humans are a social species, and to live a happy and fulfilled life we need to feel a part of something. Building a community around yourself can help ensure your cognitive and mental health is protected- this could be family or a community of friends and neighbours. By the time those of us in our twenties and thirties begin retiring the world will likely look a lot different, but one thing is certain and that’s that we all need our loved ones and companionship. Build a community around you now, staying in touch is important for both now and in the future