Five Activities That Can Protect Your Mental And Physical Health As You Age By Ziggi Ivan Santini, University of Southern Denmark; Paul E. Jose, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, and Vibeke Jenny Koushede, University of Copenhagen for Natural Blaze
No one is immune to developing chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer or arthritis as they get older. But research shows social activities, like joining clubs, interest groups or volunteering, are linked to better mental and physical health and a longer lifespan.
Our own recent research found that that the more that people participated in social activities, the less risk they had of developing or accumulating chronic conditions. We looked at people aged 50 and older from 12 European countries over a five-year period, and studied how volunteering, education, joining a club or being involved in religious or political groups impacted their likelihood of developing major chronic illnesses.
We found that weekly participation in social activities reduced the risk of developing a chronic condition by 8% compared to no participation, and reduced the risk of developing two or more chronic conditions by 22%.
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We love helping others and believe that’s one of the reasons we are chosen as Ambassadors of the Kingdom, to serve God’s children. We look to the Greatest Commandment as our Powering force.
Even if you’re busy, our findings suggest that just a few hours spent on a social activity every week can protect your health. Not only are social activities important for keeping physically active, engaging in activities with other people is shown to benefit your mental wellbeing, which in turn further protects your physical health.
With that in mind, there’s a wealth of research that shows doing just one of these five activities regularly will provide benefits.
Learn something new
Taking time to be inspired by new things is good for our health. Studies show that people who read books live longer, and bilingual people have better cognitive health. Pursuing new knowledge or learning new skills is known to promote wellbeing and memory function.
Activities like attending an art or music class are associated with enhanced brain health, as they improve the communication between different brain regions. They can also improve psychological resilience, meaning that they can improve people’s ability to cope better and persevere through stressful or challenging situations.
