Healthy Aging Month is observed this year in September. The theme of this month is to celebrate it by reinventing yourself. This annual observance focuses on the positive aspects of growing older. The mission is to encourage local events for older adults that promote taking responsibility for their health.

Some think of reinventing themselves as being healthier through exercise to enhance physical health. Others may start a new career to meet financial health needs. Maybe you’ll focus on your mental health and engage in a new hobby. The biggest thing is to have an understanding that it’s never too late to make changes. Since this is a time to provide inspiration and practical ideas for those ages 50 and older to improve their well-being, I’ll share some ideas for this month.

You can reinvent yourself by:

Identify with your biological and not your chronological age (if you feel younger than your calendar age). I identify with an age that’s decades younger than I am and have done so for years.
Ditch people in your life who are energy vampires. If you feel like your energy is zapped because someone is sucking the life out of you, then eliminate those interactions from your life.
Pay attention to your oral health. You may want to have some work done on your teeth.
Reaching out to people in the community so that you don’t feel lonely. Go to an event, meet new people, and be more sociable.
Take walks. You can start a new walking routine by yourself or with others.
Improve your mind-body connection. Consider practicing Qigong, Yoga, Tai Chi, and/or meditation.
Go back to school to get a degree/certificate or study something online at no cost. You might want to learn a new language or study a subject that’s been of interest.
Volunteer once a week or once a month. You may find it fun to work with children, people with disabilities, older adults or animals.
Take up a new art form. You might like martial arts, music, drawing or dancing. Choose something that inspires or challenges you.
Raise your awareness about aging by doing research and seeing what you can do to live a healthier lifestyle.

This is a great time to think of things that you can do to promote healthy aging. Most people I know want to age gracefully. The goal for this healthy aging month is to dispel myths about growing older. It’s not too late to invest in your health, change your mind about people you engage with or beliefs you’ve carried that are not serving you well. Try something new that you’ve never done before! It’s a perfect time to recognize that you are unique and can follow your passions in life and enjoy it right now!