Content Map Terms

Senior Jogging

Healthy Aging

People are living longer than ever before. Learn tips for staying healthy and meeting your health needs as you age.

Last updated: January 25, 2024

As you enter middle age, you may be noticing natural changes to your body or mind. Learn how to plan for a healthy life in the coming decade and improve your experience of getting older.

On this page:

What is healthy aging?

As you journey through life, your healthcare needs naturally evolve. Embracing a healthy lifestyle becomes even more important. There are several empowering steps you can take to proactively care for your well-being, from shifts in your diet and activity levels, to the reassurance of health screenings. Managing risk factors becomes a powerful tool in preventing potential health challenges. Learning about how to increase your strength and balance, and creating a secure home environment are also keys to maintaining your independence.

If you are 65+ and/or need more immediate support, check out Seniors' Health, Seniors BC or Advance Care Planning.

Staying active

    Being physically active is one of the most important steps you can take to age well. Some of the benefits include decreased risk of age-related chronic conditions, such as heart disease and dementia, and preserved physical function which enables performing activities of daily living and maintaining independence.

    Learn more about how to get active:

    Healthy eating

    Eating well is a key part of healthy aging. A healthy eating pattern can help you to meet your energy and nutrient needs, feel your best and stay strong. It can also prevent some chronic diseases and other conditions. 

    Learn more about how to eat well as you age:

    Mental well-being

    Feeling at your best involves maintaining a sense of balance, fostering connections with others and being prepared to confront life's challenges. Your daily experiences and activities significantly impact your mental well-being. Enhance your mental wellness through mindfulness practices, staying involved in community, and cultivating a healthy mindset. By doing so, you'll build resilience, better equipping yourself to face life's inevitable challenges.

    Learn more about mental wellbeing:

    Preventive health and safety

    As you age, it's important to get regular check ups, immunizations and screenings. Early disease detection can be an important tool towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Getting older also means checking on things like vision and hearing loss to ensure it's still safe to do things like driving. 

    Learn more about preventive health and safety:

    Your health information

    Health Gateway provides B.C. patients with secure and convenient online access to their health records. Through Health Gateway you can access your immunization records, lab test results, medication history, health and hospital visits, medical imaging reports and more.

    You can also check if your Health Authority region offers any additional digital tools to access your health information.