You are never too young ortoo old to be healthier. Becominghealthier is often about simplechoices. It’s easy to find time fora short walk, to put a few morevegetables and fruits on your plate,and to decide to drink sugary
Age is more than a matter
of years
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beverages and alcohol in moderation.
Your health will also benefit greatlyfrom making (and keeping) friendsand from broadening your horizonsthrough reading, travelling andinteresting hobbies.
Looking after your health is
something I encourage people to
do at every age, but it’s especially
important as you age. How you live
in the first decades of your life sets
the tone for how you’ll live in the
later decades. Being active in your
younger years means you’re more
likely to be active in your later years.
In this special reprint edition of
Apple, we look at healthy aging. Thestories in this special issue apply topeople of all ages, because we’re allaging. How we age is more than amatter of our years. It can also be amatter of how we prepare for thoseyears: setting goals, planning ourfinances and making arrangementsfor how we would like to be cared for(see Conversations About Aging onpage 21).
Our relationships also affect howwe age. Having a network of closefriends can extend our lives and aclose, intimate relationship can takeon a new lustre with time (see SexAfter 60 on page 14).
As we age, we often come to therealization that we can’t controleverything in our lives, but I believethat when we make simple, positivechoices, we can make our liveshealthier, happier and longer.
— Dr. James Silvius
James Silvius is the provincial medicaldirector of Seniors Health for AlbertaHealth Services.
