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ESTATE NEWS
HEALTH

MAINTAINING YOUR MENTAL

ALERTNESS OVER THE YEARS

A healthy mind contributes to a healthy body.

BY DR ILSE RUANE

ue to medical and technological advancements, we The mind, like the body, benefits from low blood pressure, low
tend to look forward to longer life expectancies than cholesterol, nourishing food, a healthy weight, and physical
past generations. We strive to age with good health exercise. There are many healthy lifestyle choices we can make
Dand have fun while we are doing it. We attempt to to keep our bodies healthy. There are also good choices to be
achieve this by eating nutritiously, limiting our alcohol intake, made with regard to maintaining healthy minds.
keeping physically active, staying connected with our friends
and family, and seeking medical treatment when necessary. WHAT CHANGES IN MENTAL ABILITIES CAN WE
With good health, we can enjoy life, pursue new dreams and EXPECT AS WE AGE?
adventures as we age, and focus our attention on things that As we age, we can expect certain changes in our bodies and
we enjoy and that create happiness. minds. We may not see and hear as well as we did when we
were younger. We may not be able to remember events or
Good health includes both physical and mental well-being. details as well or as quickly as we did in the past. As we age, our
We need to actively work on both of these areas and not just brain’s weight and the network of nerves begin to decrease. At
focus on one at the expense of the other. For example, it is this stage, our brain starts to struggle to adapt, and attempts to
not enough to merely keep your body at a level of fi tness that compensate.
maintains physical health; the mind also needs to be kept alert
and active. While certain changes in our mental abilities are inevitable as

Kyalami Estates • CONNECT • Issue 1 • 2019 37