A lot of things start to change as you get older. These changes are environmental, physical and mental. Some of these changes are good, but some might negatively affect your life. The more informed you are about what’s going on, the easier it’s going to be to tackle the challenges that come with aging.
Aging doesn’t necessarily mean poor health. There are plenty of older adults that enjoy good health, sometimes even better than younger people.
As your body ages, your skin, bones and mind start to behave in ways that they never have before. Instead of letting these changes catch you by surprise, keep yourself informed about your body. Know what to expect and know what to do to maintain your happiness and your health through these changes. This article will outline Seven different things that you can do. To stay happy and healthy as you age.
An Active Lifestyle
One of the most important things that you could do as you get older is maintain an active lifestyle. This might seem obvious to some people, but unfortunately exercise is neglected in many people’s lives. This leads to healt challenges and more difficulties later as you age.
Exercise doesn’t have to be scary or stressful. You should have fun while staying active. In fact, exercise can be a wonderful activity to share with friends or family. Do you know what just a 10-minute brisk walk can do? It can reduce the risk of many different health issues including heart disease and even diabetes.
As you get older you are also at a higher risk for developing arthritis. People with arthritis also benefit from maintaining an active lifestyle.
Doctors recommend you get at least two and a half hours of exercise each week. These two and a half hours should be of moderate-intensity exercise. You can meet this time requirement by engaging in half an hour of moderate-intensity exercise for five days out of the week.
Remember that your goal is to stay active not just get active. So, pick an exercise activity that you like to do. If you don’t like sticking to a gym routine, go for a brisk walk or even a ride on your bicycle instead.
Eating Healthy
Even if you’re not used to exercising everyday eating is something that you are used to doing every day. Because it’s something that we already do every day, it makes it that much more important to do it well. Making sure that your body is well nourished can help to reduce the risk of getting heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure. All in all, when you eat better, you feel better.
Maintaining a healthy and well-balanced diet is one of the most important things that you can do in aging well. You need to replace the unhealthy foods in your diet with healthier ones. This means foods that have more fiber and more nutrients.
In addition to eating your everyday fruits and vegetables. Place a limit on consuming foods that are high in more dangerous ingredients for older adults such as fat, cholesterol and sodium. You may also want to consider taking some daily vitamins to ensure that your body is getting enough calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 every day.
Mental Health
Keep learning new things and challenging your brain. Don’t shy away from taking advantage of low prices for fitness classes for seniors or even senior classes at your local college. This can help keep your brain from declining and bring joy to your life.
If you’re feeling down or depressed, talk to someone. Start with a friend or family member, then if you need to, talk to your doctor. Your doctor might be able to recommend a therapist for you to talk to. If you feel that that’s something that you would benefit from give it a try. Maintaining your mental health is as important as your physical health.
Healthy Relationships
One of the most difficult things about getting older is the loneliness you might feel. Staying connected with the people in your life, forming new relationships and keeping your relationships healthy is as important as keeping your body healthy. By connecting with other people, you make sure that your mind is active. This helps prevent depression and dementia.
Many seniors have found that volunteering within their communities or taking classes to learn something new has helped them form new relationships and stay connected with other people. Ask around to see where you’re needed in your community.
Preventative Care
Even if you feel fine, visit the doctor regularly to maintain your health. There are immunizations that you can get to help protect you against dangerous sicknesses like the flu and pneumonia. Get screened for breast cancer and colon cancer regularly. Once detected, you can start getting treatment.
Learn to Cope
Coping mechanisms are extremely important as you age. Everybody faces periods of both joy and stress. The more you resilient you are, the more gracefully you will be able to cope with the challenges that arise in your life.
Try and keep your focus on everything that you’re grateful for. You might lose things as you age but don’t stop taking everything that you still have for granted. Try and appreciate and enjoy what you have even more than before. Accept what you can’t change and always look for the silver lining in every situation. Learn to face all your limitations with dignity and good sense of humor. Laughter is sometimes the best medicine.
Look for Joy
Search for things that bring joy to your life. If you’re facing retirement, you might want to consider picking up an old hobby or even trying a new one. Take a class or join a team to get back to doing what you love.
You can also decide to dedicate your time to learning something that you’ve always wanted to try. Learn foreign language or how to play an instrument. This combines physical health, mental health, social health and brings joy to your life.
As you get older, you might also decide that traveling is something that you want to do now that you have time. Many people find joy by simply taking a scenic hike or going camping. If you feel that too much physical activity will be strenuous for you, then you might choose to visit a museum.