Promoting Healthy Lifestyles

Proper nutrition as part of an active, healthy lifestyle is a key to successful aging. An active lifestyle includes some kind of regular physical activity. We feel that when providing information about physical activity or nutrition, it is important to mention both eating better and exercising regularly. Remember that how well you eat and how much or little you exercise now affects not only your present state of health but also later life.

Many factors contribute to a lack of nutritional health in older people. Eating too much or too little, eating alone, taking medications, suffering from chronic diseases or conditions, financial difficulties, and needing assistance with care are just a few examples of what can affect your eating habits. Whether you are a caregiver or an older American it is important to eat foods rich in nutrients and reduce your intake of empty calories.
For more information on eating healthy as well as our nutrition programs, visit the Nutrition section of our website.

Inactivity often increases with age. Surveys show that by age 75, one-in-three men and one-in-two women are not physically active. Physical activity can help older adults prolong their independence and improve their quality of life. It can also improve mood and relieve depression, too. Staying physically active on a regular, permanent basis can help prevent or delay certain diseases (such as some types of cancer, heart disease, or diabetes) and disabilities as people grow older. Regular exercise can even improve management of some diseases and disabilities in older people who already have them.

Check with local churches or synagogues, senior and civic centers, parks, recreation associations, or even local shopping malls for exercise, wellness, or walking programs to help you find an exercise program. You can also call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., EST, or visit http://www.eldercare.gov/ to find aging services in your community.

To find out about the benefits of nutrition, physical activity, how to increase your physical activity, or for specific types of exercises, use the resource links below.

You Can! Steps to Healthier Aging

One way that we demonstrate this commitment to nutrition and physical activity is our support of the President’s HealthierUS initiative http://healthierus.gov/. and http://healthierus.gov/steps/ As a part of these initiatives, AoA is supporting the Steps to Healthy Aging initiative. Eating better and moving more, the two steps in Steps to Healthier Aging, are designed to improve nutrition and physical activity in older adults. For more information on about the You Can! campaign go to:http://www.aoa.gov/youcan/

General Resource Links:

• American Dietetic Association – Providing nutrition education and information.(Off Site)
  
  
• American Senior Fitness Association – Fitness information, education, and training programs. (Off Site)
  
  
• Be Active for Life – AARP – A campaign to get Americans age 50 and older physically active. (Off Site)
  
  
• Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition – FDA – Consumer advice, programs, news, and more. (Off Site)
  
  
• Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion – USDA – Includes healthy eating index, dietary guidelines, tips for healthy meals, and more. (Off Site)
  
  
• Exercise: Feeling Fit for Life – National Institute on Aging – Information, tips, and resources for keeping active. (Off Site)
  
  
• Exercise for Older Adults - NIH Senior Health – Exercise benefits, safety tips, and more. (Off Site)
  
  
• Exercise Video – NIA – A program that includes stretching, balance, and strength-training exercises. (Off Site)
  
  
• National Blueprint: Increasing Physical Activity Among Adults Age 50 and Over - Active Aging Partnership – A guide written to support organizations and agencies’ work related to increasing physical activity among older Americans. (Off Site)
  
  
• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine – NIH – Health information, research, training, clinical trials, and more. (Off Site)
  
  
• National Policy and Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging – Providing information for nutrition, the aging network, and long-term care professionals. (Off Site)
  
  
• Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity – CDC – Provides science-based activities for children and adults that address the role of nutrition and physical activity in health promotion and the prevention and control of chronic diseases. (Off Site)
  
  
• Pep Up Your Life – President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports – Nutrition and exercise recommendations. (Off Site)
  
  
• Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health (Off Site)

Disclaimer: References from this web page or from any of the information services sponsored by AoA to any non-governmental entity, product, service or information does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Administration on Aging or any of its employees. AoA is not responsible for the contents of any "off-site" web pages referenced from this server. Although our page includes links to sites including or referencing good collections of information, AoA does not endorse ANY specific products or services provided by public or private organizations. By using this site, the user takes full responsibility for any use of these links.