2 How well are you?
Our bodies start changing before we’re even born. They keep changing all the way through our lives. That happens in different ways and at different speeds for all of us.
At first, most of those changes are very positive. We grow up and become healthy adults. But as we get older, we all start to feel things heading in the other direction. Exactly how that works out for each of us depends in part on our metabolism and in part on how we choose to live our lives. [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
Life expectancy has improved and we all want to be healthy for as much of our time as possible. Midlife is a great opportunity to take a step back and reflect on whether there are any changes you can make to your lifestyle to make sure that as many years as possible are spent in good health.
Making good lifestyle choices can help us boost our physical and mental health and wellbeing, and head off some of the less positive changes that getting older can bring.
The Five Pillars of Ageing Well can help you think through those lifestyle choices. They cover:
- Nutrition – how well you eat.
- Hydration – drinking enough water.
- Physical activity – getting the right amount of exercise.
- Cognitive stimulation – keeping your brain active.
- Social stimulation – connecting with others.
We’ve based this part of the course around these five pillars. We’re going to show you why they matter and how they can boost your health and wellbeing. But before we do that, let’s start with a quick general health check:
Activity 1: How healthy are you?
Click on the link below to take you to the ‘How healthy are you?’ interactive quiz.
It will give you a general overview of your health and wellbeing by:
- Asking 10 questions about you and your lifestyle.
- Providing feedback and guidance based on how you answer each question.
Remember to open this link in a new tab or window so you can return to the course when you have finished.