It is essential to sustain our brain and body's health. This is especially true for seniors after 50 that need to stay healthy and active despite their age for a good lifestyle.
Social activities keep people sharp and mentally stimulated which is essentially important in the prevention of probable dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
Growing older involves changes in all of life's realms from the physical to the mental to the social to the emotional among others. Growing older does not necessarily mean you will have a series of medical conditions or a dreary life.
According to studies, eating well and staying active can make a remarkable difference in older adults' quality of life. One is never too old to enjoy the benefits of such. Many of such things to gracefully are as follows: exercising and being physically active, making healthy food choices, and even not smoking, reported the National Institute on Aging.
Elderly people often find themselves living at home alone. Such isolation can lead to depression; a senior in your life could gradually slump into a daily rut. Beyond dulling their spirit, it has negative effects on their physical and mental health. Assisted living is beyond retiring to a rocking chair to watch television and playing bingo. Seniors nowadays demand adventure, reported The Arbor Company.
Small lifestyle changes could have large positive effects and adopting even a few of the habits listed here will start you on the proactive track:
1. Stay physically active for a healthy body and mind
Exercise can help offset the effects of aging. Physical exercise done regularly could improve your balance and mobility, improve your mood levels through reducing anxiety and depression, and help bolster cognitive functioning, reported Medline Plus.
2. Focus on nutrient density
Aging adults are in need of fewer calories. However, they need higher amounts of some nutrients, particularly vitamin D and calcium. Focus on quality not quantity in terms of nutrition.
Retirees may live on limited incomes and have trouble purchasing adequate amounts of nutrient-rich foods to meet their physical health needs. If this is a dilemma for you or the senior in your life, explore selections for senior meal sites or nutrition assistance programs in your community.
3. Find the right balance
Every senior has varying limits to the amount of time they could spend on activities to fit their lifestyle. Find the golden mean. What is suitable for one person can be too much for another. Be vigilant in taking on too much at once.
You could start by adding a few activities to your routine and assess how you feel. You have the freedom to add more.
Remember: partaking in activities you enjoy should be a pleasant experience and not stressful.
4. Learn new hobbies or skills
Hobbies add vitality or energy and interest in seniors' lifestyles. Workshops and classes in communities for seniors are as follows:
- Painting classes
- Educational lectures
- Book clubs
- Computer classes
- Foreign language classes
- Writing workshops
- Woodworking classes
Read also: What Are the Lifestyle-Related Risk Factors?
