148. Healthy Aging |健康慢老
– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 3.7.2023
During the pandemic lockdown, I had more opportunities to read, listen to podcasts, and attend webinars. One of my focus areas was the improvement of physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual well-being as we age. I was delighted to find numerous research and references on the subject of “healthy aging.” Here is what I learned about the key ingredients.
Eat and sleep well. We all know that we need to have a well-balanced diet that provides us with the 6 essential nutrients. Very few crash diets work in the long run, and some may even do harm to our health. It is better to follow the government’s dietary guidelines or the Mediterranean diet. A complete blood test may tell you the balance or deficiency of nutrients in your body.
Exercise. Most of us have favorite exercises. We may walk and jog, or do aerobics and yoga. But we should be careful not to fall into a rut and miss the types of exercise we need as we age. During the week, try to rotate between all 4 types of exercise to improve your endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility.
Engage in cognitive activities. The brain needs exercise and stimulation, just like the other muscle groups. There is increasingly more evidence that mental exercises, like reading a good book and doing brain games such as word puzzles or chess games, will improve the cognitive capability of our brains.
Stay socially connected. Human beings are a social species that relies on cooperation to survive and thrive. The recent pandemic and social isolation have caused some mental health issues for seniors. We need connection and interaction with friends and family to have a sense of belonging and camaraderie.
Have purpose in life. As we retire and leave the workplace, we need some other purpose in life to keep us motivated, engaged, and valued. This could be some community or charity work, or the fulfillment of our bucket list of vacations and hobbies. For me, being able to mentor youth and help new small businesses energizes me
Find something to look forward to. These may be small things, but they give us the “twinkle in your eye” as we look forward to a Zoom call from grandkids, the next episode of our favorite TV drama, a dinner party with old friends, or a round of golf with old buddies. Go find your own happy days.
I am sure you are doing many of the above to enjoy healthy aging and happy long lives. Cheers!
健康慢老 (2023/03/07)
-作者 許俊宸博士
-中譯 薛乃綺
在疫情封鎖期間，我有更多的時間閱讀、聽播客和參加線上研討會。其中一個我關注的重點，就是隨著年齡增長，如何改善體能、智力、情感和精神方面的健康。我很開心找到了許多有關“健康慢老”的研究和參考資料，以下就是我對這個議題的重要研读心得。
健康飲食和良好睡眠。我們都知道要均衡飲食，提供身體所需的6種必要營養素。快速減肥很少能長時期發揮作用，有些甚至可能對身體健康造成傷害。最好參考政府的飲食指南或地中海飲食法。一份完整的血液測試，也可以告訴你現在體內的營養素是平衡還是缺少。
運動。大多數的人都會做一些喜愛的運動。我們可以散步、慢跑，或做有氧運動和瑜伽。不過，隨著年齡增長，我們需要調整自己的運動方式。可以試著每週輪流做這4種不同的運動類型，來提高我們的肌耐力、力量、平衡和靈活性。
參與認知型活動。大腦就像其他肌肉群一樣需要運動和刺激。越來越多的證據顯示，像閱讀好書、做字謎或下棋這樣的腦力運動，可以提高大腦的認知能力。
保持社交聯繫。人類是一種需要仰賴互助才能生存、繁盛的社交動物。近年來疫情和社交孤立已經對高齡者造成了一些心理問題。我們需要朋友和家人保持聯繫和互動，來獲得歸屬感和同伴關係。
人生要有價值和目標。當我們退休離開工職場後，需要其他目標來保持動力，參與和感受自己的價值。這可以是一些社區或慈善工作，也可以是度假或愛好清單的實現。對我來說，能夠指導年輕人，幫助新興小企業，就能讓我感到充滿活力。
找些令人期待的事情。它們可能很小，但當我們期待與孫子孫女的視訊通話、期待看最喜愛的電視劇的下一集、期待與老朋友的晚餐派對或是和老朋友一起打一場高爾夫球時，它們會讓我們眼中閃爍著光芒。去尋找你自己的期待和幸福時光吧。
我相信你正在實踐以上方法，享受健康長壽的美好人生。為你祝福！
