Kelsey McCracken, a 21-year-old student at Loyola University Chicago, says that aging is an important topic, but not one of the most pressing in their life. “I go back and forth a lot between really unhealthy habits and trying to do healthy things,” they said.
For McCracken and countless other students, college can be an exceptionally difficult time to make ‘aging’ a top priority. Juggling classes, social lives, extra curriculars, internships and jobs leaves little time to be worrying about what one’s body will look like in ten years.
“I guess my most unhealthy things tend to happen on the weekends and then I bounce back during the week when I try to eat better, take care of myself and bring myself back to being a real human,” said McCracken, a middle school math major.
But what exactly does it mean to age in a healthy manner? Why should college students care that September is Healthy Aging Month – a time dedicated to celebratte growing older? According to Mira Krivoshey, the Assistant Director of Health Promotion & Sexual Assault Advocate with Loyola’s Wellness Center, being healthy is different for each person, but there are still practices that we can all keep in mind.
What does it mean to age in a healthy manner?
“Quality of life matters. So does enjoying life and getting satisfaction from your it,” says Krivoshey. “It means putting in practices now that allow you to live a life that you enjoy and that gives you satisfaction for as long as possible.”
This encompasses the typical hallmarks of living a healthy lifestyle – from having a nutritious diet and drinking enough water to getting enough sleep each night. But Krivoshey says that’s where many people fail to realize the importance of other aspects, such as mental health, social health and spiritual health.
To her, it’s all about identifying the areas in which one is flourishing, and where more help might be needed. It’s important to identify “areas where you feel like there’s opportunity to add, and making small changes.” An example would be having a really supportive network and a fulfilling social life, but then not paying as much attention to physical health, she warns.
Why is this so important to start thinking about now?
As people in general, but especially as students, it can be difficult to think about investing in healthy habits for the future. Especially at a time when stress levels are high and budgets are low.
Being focused on the here and now is totally appropriate, developmentally, says Krivoshey. But it’s also a time when there are a vast amounts of free resources available. The Wellness Center on campus offers flu shots, mindfulness meditation, and health education activities, all for students to take advantage of. Krivoshey also recommended the center’s dietician as a great resource for coming up with healthy, budget-friendly meals.
She says that students should be “setting up those physical check ups and getting into those habits now so that when you’re 45, you’re not first thinking, ‘What am I doing to take care of my mental and physical health?’”
This all flies directly in the face of the standard American healthcare system, which typically focuses on response. When we are sick, we visit the doctor. When a crisis happens, we go to see a mental health professional. When we see wrinkles on our face, we start to put on creams. But according to Krivoshey, prevention is the key here.
“If we can get into healthy mindsets and practices now, it won’t get so bad. It’s important for college students to think about now because it sets you up for success down the road.”
Photo by kikekiks on Unsplash
What happens if healthy aging is not practiced now?
Without thinking of our future selves, we run the risk of being stuck in bad habits at a time when it might be painful to not be healthy. Some things to avoid, Krivoshey says, would be to neglect one aspect of healthy aging in favor of another. For example, we shouldn’t focus only on exercising, while ignoring our friendships and relationships.
“That can be super exhausting if you’re focusing on one and not the other, and there are ways to integrate both. Yoga is great for both your mental health and your physical health. You can exercise with friends so that you’re building those relationships at the same time.”
Besides the physical and mental cost of waiting to take care of the body, Krivoshey says that there is also a direct monetary cost of not practicing healthy aging. All of the free resources that are provided in college are suddenly very expensive once graduation hits. “If you can start to take care of yourself now, in college, when a lot of things are free for you, that’ll offset a lot of healthcare costs down the road. So think about it from a monetary perspective, perhaps. It’s another way to invest in yourself and boost your self worth.”
As for McCracken, thinking more of the future is a huge push towards becoming more healthy. And while it may not always be easy to remember to foster all aspects of wellness, they do think it’s important to make an effort. For both their own saks, and that of their loved ones. “I want to be able to live long enough so that I’ll see my kids grow up and get married,” they said.