What are Positive Age Markers?
Do you ever feel bombarded on how to age? Gracefully? Disgracefully?
This question has been on my mind for a little while, what is the best way to age, surely it should be healthily? But what does that look like? If, like me your Instagram is telling you all sorts of myths and quick fixes, I have often thought what should I be doing that is sustainable and realistic. I was at an event last week where one of the speakers mentioned “positive health markers” and it got me thinking, midlife should be where these starts (if not earlier). So, what does healthy or positive ageing really look like?
“Positive age markers refer to physical, cognitive, emotional, or social signs that indicate healthy or successful aging. Unlike signs of decline, these are beneficial changes or maintained abilities that often come with age. They reflect resilience, experience, and overall well-being.”
Or as I like to call it, future proofing your body and mind.
Looking at the different areas of positive ageing, there are so many ways we can work on, from keeping our brains sharp through to building ourselves to be more resilient. Here are some of the key markers and the small changes we can make to impact how we age.
Cognitive Markers
I often worry about my memory and how it feels like it is fading somehow. At the age of 51 I have a lot stored, I can remember random information but can I remember why I went upstairs? Keeping our brain active and engaged is at the heart of this. In other words:
- Crystallised intelligence: Increasing knowledge through training, hobbies, adult lifelong learning and keeping up to date with current affairs, changes in tech, awareness of the challenges of today. We can improve our vocabulary and wisdom through challenging ourselves and building on our experience to date whether it be through continual learning or through new challenges or experiences.
- How can we keep ahead of how we regulate our emotions? If we take the time to look at how we respond, we can improve our ability to manage and respond to emotions calmly and effectively.
- Perspective-taking: Take the wider view, ensure we continue to have an enhanced ability to listen and understand others’ viewpoints. Through this we can often improve interpersonal relationships through empathy and giving others our time.
How
- Challenging your brain through memory games, reading and learning
- Keeping an open mind, not settling for the status quo, driving yourself to keep learning
- Adult education, evening classes, getting out of your comfort zone
- Ongoing realistic working patterns, whether it be agile working, working part time or continuing full time, whatever works for you. Allowing yourself time to evolve your brain and capacity.
Physical/Health Markers
Keep moving, whether it’s 10,000 (or now the recommended 7,000) steps, running, swimming or taking part in team sports, keeping active is at the heart of wellbeing in so many ways. Making time for small bursts of exercise can help clear the mind and calm any stresses.
- Stable or improved physical activity: Maintaining regular and achievable exercise or movement despite aging. Adapting your routines to include Yoga or Pilates to build strength.
- Good cardiovascular health: Strong heart health due to consistent and practical lifestyle choices.
- Healthy weight and metabolic markers: Stable blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels – get them checked regularly and learn from your body.
How
- Walking with friends
- Swimming – open water if you dare!
- Weight lifting – it isn’t as daunting as you think
- Pilates and yoga
- Circuits? If you feel able enough! Start slowly and make steady improvements.
Social and Emotional Markers
Loneliness can be detrimental to our overall wellbeing. Being able to create and sustain friendships can support your all-round success in ageing. Whether it be through hobbies, supporting your local football club or through connections with groups in your community, this is a key part of making the most of life as you age.
- Strong social networks: Maintaining friendships and family bonds can build contentment and is often linked to longevity. Being content is often overlooked, we have spent our lives striving for the next thing, maybe now is the time to look at what you are happy with in your life.
- Purpose and meaning: Finding joy through continued engagement in meaningful activities like volunteering or hobbies. There really is huge value of volunteering, it doesn’t just mean working in a charity shop, there are so many ways to support your community. Just check out the link below to Volunteer Cambs for ideas.
- Life satisfaction: How do you rate your satisfaction with your life? People have reported higher levels of reported happiness or fulfilment as they age compared to younger years.
How
- Be open to meeting new people and building new relationships
- Hobbies – what do you do away from work, is now the time to explore new ideas?
- VolunteeringVolunteer Cambs | VolunteerCambs!
- Finding contentment in your life, whether it be any of the headings above or elsewhere.
Psychological Markers
By the time we get to midlife we have overcome all sorts of challenges. Whether it be empty nest, redundancy, bereavement or illness, these experiences make us who we are. Being able to build resilience, recognise gratitude and build from within can be a huge benefit to our ageing.
- Resilience: This allows for greater ability to bounce back from life’s challenges, this can be harder as we age as we may feel more is thrown at us. Building your resilience and recognising when you have overcome something and you are still moving forward.
- Gratitude and contentment: Increased appreciation for life, small joys and little wins, and recognising that relationships evolve with time. We all love a little win, recognising it and celebrating it can give us the dopamine hit we need.
- Many older adults often report fewer experiences of anger or sadness as they have recognised where those emotions should be felt. It doesn’t make you a robot, it is part of protecting our minds and wellbeing. Enjoy the knowledge that what you have been through has made you stronger!
How
- Journalling or diary writing (see online for topics and guides to get you started)
- Practice gratitude every day
- Recognise what has a positive effect on how you feel and explore this further. Maybe look at the negative effects on your mindset and try to remove these influences.
- Write down the hurdles you have overcome and how you feel about those things now. You will be surprised by how uplifting this can feel.
Functional and Lifestyle Markers
When was the last time you checked your pension? Do you know when you plan to retire? Have you got a plan for your retirement? All these questions feel like they belong to someone else right? While we know we are heading in that direction, it is easy to put it off. Is now the time to start to explore you next financial stage of life?
- Independence: When we have the ability to live independently and manage daily activities it has been shown to have a huge effect on our physical and mental health.
- Financial literacy: How do you manage your finances, what is your relationship like with money? What research do you need to do to ensure you have a comfortable life? Many people have a difficult relationship with money while they are working, once we head towards retirement, it is important to get financial advice.
- Balanced lifestyle: We have spent a lot of year working, now is the time for us to prioritise our health, how we rest, what relationships are important to us and how we spend our down time.
How
- Speak to a financial advisor and get your pension in order
- Financial review – what are you spending and where – analyse what are you spending on things that make you happy or what you need.
- Put yourself first (before the children, grandchildren, “put your breathing mask on first”)
- Find your time to do what you want to do – schedule it in!
Next steps
While this may feel quite overwhelming, just starting one of the topics will start you on the path to your positive ageing journey. This is just the start, there are 10 steps to positive ageing
Here are some further resources on how you can make the most of the upcoming years in a positive both mentally and physically.
Action for Happiness https://actionforhappiness.org/
Rest Less https://restless.co.uk/
As with anything we have to start somewhere. Small and achievable changes, a long term view, a balanced approached and a positive mindset. Don’t give up!
Resource – The 10 steps to positive ageing by Guy Robertson (the book is available on Amazon and via Audible)