Staying Fit
Staying mentally and physically active can help keep you, well, young. What can you expect of the years ahead?
Everyone ages differently, and lifestyle plays a major role, but you'll experience both hard-to-notice and impossible-to-miss changes in your physical and mental health.
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Read on for the good, the bad and the what's-up-with-that? transformations you'll encounter — plus the latest advice on feeling happy, sexy and pain-free.
See also: 10 great cities for older singles.
Save Your Skin
The Good News: Your skin is drier, which can be welcome relief for the third of women who were plagued by oily skin and breakouts throughout their adulthood.
The Not-So-Good News: Wrinkles and lines are more plentiful, but so are the options for keeping skin looking bright. Gentle exfoliation and moisturizing are especially important. Pick skin products with antioxidants and glycolic acid, which promote skin thickening and increase collagen production. And apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 every day. Laser treatments can help with dilated superficial blood vessels (called telangiectasias), which tend to appear without warning on the cheeks, nose, chin and legs. (The laser destroys the blood vessels underneath the skin - with no scarring.) And those extra skin tags? Your doctor can remove them through freezing, snipping or cauterizing.
What's Up With That? Non-articular cartilage, the type that gives ears and noses their shape, continues to grow with age, making these appendages larger. But look on the bright side: Such cartilage growth may have evolved to enable people to track and funnel sounds and smells as they age, suggests James Stankiewicz, M.D., chair of the Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.
What's Ahead: As you age, the skin around your jawline tends to sag. If you're bothered by it, ask your doctor about skin-tightening radio-frequency treatments, which can tighten skin without damaging the epidermis.
Bone Up for Good Health
The Good News: You can maintain muscle strength through activity.
The Not-So-Good News: About one in three women ages 75 through 85 has osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease, which greatly increases the risk of fractures of the hip and spine. Studies show strength training can build muscle, which can take force off the joints. Plus, weight-bearing activities stimulate the bones to grow stronger and denser.
What's Up With That? Although worn joints may benefit from anti-inflammatory drugs and activity, surgery may become necessary as cartilage loss begins to accelerate. Regenerative techniques such as platelet-rich plasma and autologous (self) stem cell injections may also help, according to Nathan Wei, M.D., a rheumatologist in Frederick, Md.
What's Ahead: Joint-replacement surgeries are common; one study showed that patients 75-plus recover just as quickly as those 65 to 74.
Preserve Your Senses
The Good News: Lifestyle plays a major role in helping to maintain your senses as you age. So stay away from loud noises, eat a well-balanced diet (which can help ward off such age-related eye disorders as macular degeneration) and see a doctor immediately if you notice that your senses of smell or taste diminish significantly. (This may indicate a sinus infection or be a reaction to medication.)
The Not-So-Good News: You may have trouble seeing when first entering a very dark or bright area. That's because as you age, your eye muscles slow down, causing your eyes' pupils to react more slowly to changes in light. After age 70, the ability to see fine details diminishes as well, because there are fewer nerve cells to transmit visual signals to the brain. If you're plagued by dry eye, medications like Restasis can help create more tears. Finally, some 68 percent of 70-somethings experience some degree of hearing loss. What to do? Swallow your pride and get tested for hearing aids, which have been associated with less cognitive decline and dementia. Wearing the devices could pay off in the long run, experts say, by helping you stay engaged with others and your environment.
What's Up With That? Have you noticed that blues seem gray and reds appear more intense? Not to worry. It's just changes in the lenses in your eyes, which have started to yellow with age. If it gets too bad, you may need cataract surgery. About half of people ages 65 through 74 have cataracts; the number rises to more than 70 percent among those 75 or older.
What's Ahead: Your senses of smell and taste have likely declined, reducing the ability to enjoy subtle flavors. Taste buds decrease in number and sensitivity, and nerve endings in the nose may not work as well. The fix? Turn up the dial on seasonings. Ethnic cuisines like Indian and Thai contain spices and herbs that amplify the aromas and tastes of foods.
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