(NC)-Aging brings a variety of new physical, emotional and mental challenges, as well as experiences. For example, the unavoidable realities of wrinkles, grey hair and bifocals test our character and our sense of self. But by making small changes now, Canadians can prolong their quality of life.
In a BMO Retirement Your Way podcast, Dr. Michael Baker, Physician-in-chief of the University Health Network in Toronto and a member of BMO Financial Group's Advisory Council on Retirement provides the following tips to help you get the most out of your golden years:
1. Quit Smoking: The number one thing is not to smoke and if you are smoking - quit. It's the most profound lifestyle issue there is.
2. Watch your weight: Rapidly moving up into the No. 2 lifestyle issue is weight control. Various studies show that lowering your volume of caloric intake can help increase longevity. While keeping your weight down is not always simple, it's important to remember that staying at a healthy weight delivers significant lifestyle benefits. Additionally, the incidence of heart disease, stroke and diabetes in North Americans who are overweight is immensely higher than those who are not.
3. Keep mentally active: While the causal relationship is not documented, we know that people who keep busy with activities such as playing bridge, belonging to a book club and doing crossword puzzles have a lower incidence of depression. Depression becomes more common as we age and can be a contributor to dementia.
4. Don't forget your regular check-up: Not only is it common sense that we want to keep things like heart disease, diabetes and electrolyte levels under control, but doing so will also often improve your brain's mental activity without impacting the neurological tissue itself.
5. Enjoy all that life has to offer: It is important to remember that aging itself is not a disease. "From sustaining quality of life to managing the demands of aging parents, we hear from our boomer clients that they are looking for some guidance and advice as they navigate this new phase of their life," said Kris Vikmanis, head of retirement market at BMO Financial Group. "That's why we've created the Retirement Your Way podcasts, a series that looks at a variety of issues boomers face as they approach retirement."
For more information on this topic, listen to the Retirement Your Way podcast series found at www.bmo.com/retirementyourway, or speak to an investment professional at your local bank branch.
Credit: www.newscanada.com
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