Are you feeling like you've lost a bit of zest for life? Do you feel like you're just 'getting older', and putting up with a lack of energy on the daily? No matter what age you are, by focusing on the right habits, you can feel more youthful today.

Nutrition, exercise and rest are essential at ANY age, but you may feel the effects of skimping on one or more of these more as you get older. If you’re looking to feel fresh, young and vital at any age, you’ll want to have these basics down pat.   

1. Nourish your body with goodness

Nutrition starts with an understanding of the importance of prioritising whole foods. It can be easy to get swept away with all the marketing out there, promoting the latest fad foods and diets, but nothing beats the simple power of fresh fruits and vegetables. If you know you’ve lacked here in the past, make it a priority and watch how your energy soars!

The Australian dietary guidelines for adults includes five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit. For you, this means: 

1. One serve of vegetables = 1 cup of raw salad greens or half a cup of cooked vegetables (such as pumpkin)
2. One serve of fruits = one medium fruit (like an apple) or two small fruits (like apricots)

This is what a day may look like, to meet your requirements: 

• One roast tomato and 1/2 cup sautéed spinach included in your breakfast
• 1 cup of salad greens and an apple with your lunch
• 1/2 cup of carrots as part of your snack
• 1/2 cup of roast vegetables as part of your dinner
• One banana as part of your dessert 

You’ll want to add your meats or other foods to this plan; this is simply to show you what a day of including enough vegetables and fruits would look like.

For your daily diet, it can be hard to remember to include enough servings and variety, especially when stresses get in the way. If you’re struggling to hit your daily targets, then a scoop of powdered super greens like the Ultimate Greens by b Raw can be an excellent tool to make sure you’re getting a broad spectrum of micronutrients! For our full range of greens, click here.

2. Stay active

Use it or lose it! Keep your mind and body supple with activities that fuel your fire and keep your energy and spirits high. Though you may want to shy away from intense exercise, there are many ways to keep your body moving. Try a new dance class, start a yoga practice or even enjoy some outdoors community Tai Chi!

Start resistance training as early as you can, to offset the loss of muscle mass that occurs as you age, known as sarcopenia. Bodyweight exercises can go a long way in helping you keep fit and toned as you age! Hit your local gym if you want to up the ante, and always enlist the assistance of an exercise instructor or personal trainer when beginning a weights regime. They can help you to get the most out or your training, and help to prevent any potential injuries that may happen. Furthermore, you can find trainers that are specialists in rehab training. If you’ve been injured in the past or are suffering from physical limitations that can impact your workout, they can be a great help, so you get stronger safely. 

Other excellent exercise choices include:

• Walking
• Hiking
• Aerobics
• Running around with kids
• Swimming
• Jogging
• Gardening
• Pilates
• Golf
• Tennis

For natural energy support to get the most out your active lifestyle, check out a product like Adreno Ignite by iThrive Nutrition. It has natural energy supporting ingredients without any stimulants, so you can enjoy steady energy without any jitters. For the whole range, click here.

3. Get enough rest

It’s an unfortunate fact that sleep becomes more of a challenge as you get older. As you age, sleep becomes lighter and more fragmented. You tend to get tired earlier, and your sleep quality isn’t as high as it used to be. Broken sleep might mean more day time naps, which is fine (as long as they’re short and sweet not to impact the night time routine!).

To stay feeling young and healthy, you’ll hopefully have a smart sleep routine by now. If not, the best thing you can do is have a set time that you go to bed and wake up every day. A set schedule helps program your circadian rhythm, which optimises your hormones and gives you the best natural energy every day.

If you find you can’t sleep because it’s too hot, know that temperature plays a significant role. The ideal temperature is between 16-19 degrees celsius, so change the thermostat as needed, and invest in the bed linen that you need to stay comfortable.

Are you waking up with a sore back or neck every day? Check your mattress; it may be too hard or too soft for you. If you haven’t updated it in 10 years, it’s worth having a look at getting a new one! 

Are you still struggling to catch those Zzz? Check out our wide range of supplements here. A popular choice is ZMA by Genetix Nutrition.

4. Lastly, have FUN!

Somewhere between childhood and becoming adults, many of us lost our joyful spark. When you were a kid, playing came naturally to you. With all the wonder of discovering a world, your imagination was full of exciting ideas. You had the natural energy to explore, and you weren’t tainted by the societal conditioning many of us face as adults. An excellent way to reduce your stress levels and enjoy your best life is to tap back into that state of play - have some fun!

Play with the grandkids, get out there and do something you’ve never done before - perhaps you always wanted to try dancing, but you were too shy to do so before. Maybe you used to be great at drawing, but it’s been so long that you’re not even sure you could draw a stickman. Put pen to paper! Is there a novel waiting to be written by you? Jump onto it!

Putting play back into your life is a potent way to ramp up the fun factor and feel young again. Games and fun activities aren’t just for the kids. Not only will it help you feel (and look) more youthful, you’ll have more energy than ever before, and enjoy the benefits of stress relief. If you feel like you’ve been stuck in the mundane for too long, throw away your to-do list and take some time to have some fun. Go out there and enjoy a good laugh, learn a new skill or jump around and be silly to your favourite music - you’ll wonder why you gave it up in the first place!