3 well-being factors that make your golden years golden

Here’s something you probably already know: Being active on a regular basis keeps your body young and fit. Even some vigorous housework can improve your physical health as much as a session at the gym ! Regular physical activity also promotes good mental and emotional well-being. That’s a pretty well-accepted idea. There’s nothing like a good, brisk walk in the fresh air to help reclaim your afternoon and get things done, despite that “2:00 slump.” Aerobic exercise and strength training have been shown to help with depression and anxiety. And even those “down-in-the-dumps” days we all experience from time to time can be cut almost in half with just two hours of exercise a week ! Surprisingly, though, it seems that the relationship between exercise and well-being, both physical and emotional, travels in both directions. Those who exercise are happier, healthier and more emotionally stable. But recent research reveals that if you are mentally and emotionally healthy, you will be far more likely to continue the physical activity that will keep you that way well into old age. Emotional well-being keeps you active In a recent Finnish study, the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, researchers took a closer look at the relationship between physical activity and mental and emotional well-being, particularly in middle-age. They wanted to find out whether leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) was a predictor of mental well-being at age 50, or if it was the factor that promoted that mental well-being. They also distinguished among several types of well-being, and were interested in finding out whether specific leisure-time physical activities were associated with each: Emotional well-being was defined as overall satisfaction with life and the tendency to have positive feelings. Psychological well-being refers to having a sense of purpose in life. And social well-being […]

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