Tips to keep your mental wellbeing in top shape as you age

"Taking care of your mental wellbeing is important at any age," says Dr Seranne Motilal, Discovery Vitality's clinician wellness specialist who focuses on mental health.

Here she shares top tips for Vitality 65+ members on how to age healthily with sound wellbeing for body and mind.

Eat healthily and maintain a healthy weight

Aside from increasing your chronic disease risk, being overweight has a direct effect on your brain health. Studies have found that traditional diets such as the Mediterranean based diet, are good ways to enhance your cognitive ability.

"What you eat can have a very real effect on your mood and how you function during the day," she says. A healthy, balanced diet can lower stress and anxiety, boost brain function, and nourish your body and mind.

• Eat healthier, think healthier: how diet affects your mental wellbeing

Enhance your mind by staying physically active

In line with maintaining a healthy weight and diet, exercising regularly can increase decision-making, multitasking and planning abilities and has positive effects on spatial recognition and speed. Research has found that doing exercise at least three times a week can reduce your risk of dementia by 37%. Regular exercise also decreases your chances of falling.

Exercise is a powerful way to prevent and manage chronic conditions, boost the immune system, and to relieve stress and anxiety.

• Read this guide for Vitality 65+ members on how to stay active during COVID-19.

Preventing falls and enhancing your cognitive fitness

"One of the major concerns as you get older is the risk of falling," says Dr Motilal. "In fact, as many as a third of older adults fall each year. And the number rises as you get older."

"Physical activity is absolutely critical in preventing falls and almost any regular exercise can help improve balance, strength and flexibility," she adds.

• Read more about how to enhance your cognitive fitness.

Do regular health screenings to find out your risks

Understand how healthy you really are by doing preventive health screenings and assessments. Vitality 65+ members get access to comprehensive screening tests that are enhanced to the unique risks specific to older adults. Members 65 or older can now:

• Test their hearing
• Complete a vision test
• Assess their falls risk

"We also give you access to our mental wellbeing assessments to help you find out more about your wellbeing," Dr Motilal says. These online assessments focus on six areas that all contribute to your mental wellbeing:

• Resilience
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Wellbeing
• Alcohol
• Sleep

You can take these assessments twice a year every six months, and you'll receive 500 Vitality points when you complete all the assessments. This means you could earn 1 000 Vitality points a year. Learn more about Vitality mental wellbeing assessments and Vitality 65+.

Visit the Vitality 65+ Channel for exercise videos, healthy cooking demos and podcasts on how to stay mentally and physically healthy during COVID-19.