Tips to Maintain Wellness as You're Getting Older
Getting older isn’t easy. Not only are there physical changes to contend with, but you’ve probably also noticed some changes in your mental and emotional state.
Fortunately, there are some steps that you can take to help ensure that you’re aging in a way that’s healthy, allowing you to better enjoy the next chapter of your life.
For years, scientists have studied the aging process and how most adults deal with it. Their research gives you better insight into how to approach aging with grace and dignity, and how to protect your health and wellness.
Healthy aging is possible, but it requires you to act intentionally and make some changes that need to be made.
Monitor Your Health
One of the most important tips for healthy aging involves staying informed about what’s going on with your body.
When you were in your 20s and 30s, you probably didn’t spend a lot of time reviewing lab results and keeping up with your cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and other vital health statistics. As you get older, it’s important that you know what your body is doing.
It’s also important to understand that staying on top of your health doesn’t only involve regular visits with your primary care provider (PCP).
It also includes routine visits with your dentist, eye doctor, and other specialists. Your body’s systems change as you get older, but by knowing what’s happening, you can stay ahead of things and identify problems before they turn into something more serious.
Get Active
Experts agree that one of the most important aspects of promoting wellness in seniors is to be active.
Unfortunately, that’s sometimes easier said than done. As we get older, our bodies tend to naturally slow down, joint inflammation becomes more prominent, and we find ourselves getting tired more easily.
It may seem like a catch-22, but getting active can actually help you overcome those difficulties.
Being physically active can help slow down the effects of aging, including joint pain, high blood pressure, and mobility issues.
Doctors recommend that seniors get around 30 minutes of moderate activity each day, but it’s worth noting that you don’t have to cram all 30 of those minutes into a single workout.
If you aren’t currently in a position to take a brisk, 30-minute walk each day, consider taking multiple walks around your block or down the street and back. The goal is to be active for a certain amount of time each day, and it doesn’t matter if you do it all at once.
In the past, experts believed that only aerobic exercises like walking, biking, and jogging were beneficial, but that’s no longer the case.
Today, physicians and other aging experts agree that mild weightlifting exercises and workouts that promote balance, such as tai chi and yoga.
In addition to lowering blood pressure, these exercises have also been shown to improve bone health, combat some of the early phases of Alzheimer's, and more.
Eating Right
Diet plays a pivotal role when it comes to health and wellness in seniors. Your diet changes over the course of your life, and when you get older, the changes have the potential to become a bit dangerous.
It’s normal to not feel as hungry as you age, since you may have become less active. When your body doesn’t need as much food to stay fueled, you may find yourself not getting the nutrients that you used to consume.
With this in mind, it’s important to make healthy food choices.
While this doesn’t mean that you never enjoy the sweets and other snack foods that you like, it does mean that you try harder than before to eat a well-balanced diet.
Cutting down on red meat consumption is a great way to keep your cholesterol low, promoting heart health.
Other studies indicate that healthy eating promotes joint health, which is a crucial component of feeling good in your later years.
Adding Vitamins
The importance of eating right sets the stage for the next tip for healthy aging in seniors. Since your dietary needs change when you get older, you may find it necessary to add vitamins and supplements to your daily routine.
Before you start taking a multivitamin or any sort of supplement, it’s a good idea to talk to your physician to make sure that you don’t take anything that may interact negatively with any of your medications.
Depending on what your doctor says, you may be better served by taking a multivitamin that’s made specifically for seniors.
These multivitamins allow you to get an extra boost in your daily nutritional intake without having to deal with a handful of extra pills.
Connect With Other People
As we get older, becoming more isolated often seems unavoidable. Depending on your age, you may find that many of your closest friends are no longer around, either because they’ve passed away or they’ve moved to live closer to family.
Additionally, your children are probably grown and have lives of their own now, leaving you looking for meaningful connections.
Doctors agree that the benefits of being connected to other people go beyond providing emotional and mental support.
Studies indicate that seniors who experience isolation report physical health problems that include reduced mobility, trouble with daily tasks, and inflammation. These physical issues appear in conjunction with depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
Nurturing meaningful connections with other people may require some creativity as you get older. It’s entirely possible that the people you used to live beside aren’t there anymore, which leaves a hole in your life.
However, thanks to technology, you can now stay connected to people, regardless of where they live. Video chatting makes it possible for you to see your children and grandchildren, even if they live on the other side of the globe.
However, using technology isn’t your only option when it comes to forming meaningful relationships. Consider volunteering with a local group that provides meals to the less fortunate in your community.
Even if volunteering isn’t an option, do some research on senior citizen groups in your community. Building and nurturing healthy relationships helps to protect your health on every level.
Get Some Sleep
Sleep is always an important part of your overall health, but it’s even more important when you age. Insomnia affects older adults more than any other group, and a lack of sleep has the potential to create problems with your physical, mental, and emotional health.
As tempting as it is to get a nap during the day, it’s even more important to get plenty of sleep during the night to help your body maintain its normal circadian rhythms.
If you feel like quality sleep is getting harder to maintain, evaluate your daily routine and see if there are some changes you can make.
Cut down on your caffeine intake, or eliminate caffeine altogether.
If you don’t want to give up caffeine completely, make sure that you’re not drinking regular coffee, soft drinks, or other sources of caffeine after a certain point in the evening.
If you do need to take a nap during the day, try to keep it to 30 minutes or less. Make sure that your bedroom is completely dark when you go to bed, and invest in room-darkening curtains if necessary.
By getting the right amount of sleep and allowing your body to get the rest it craves, you’ll protect your health and well-being.
Keep Your Mind Engaged
Finally, it’s important to engage your mind in something challenging every day.
Whether it’s reading a book, working on a crossword puzzle or sudoku, or taking up a new hobby such as painting or learning how to play a musical instrument, it’s important that you keep your mind sharp.
Not only does this help you reduce the likelihood of Alzheimer’s and other cognitive disorders, but it also helps establish a sense of purpose that becomes even more important as you get older.
While it’s long been said that you “can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” that’s simply not the case.
Looking for opportunities to learn new things can give you a renewed sense of purpose and help you find things that you may not have ever known you were interested in.
Stay Healthy As You're Getting Older
One of the most dangerous misconceptions around aging is that you have to be a spectator who sits by and watches your life change for the worse. That’s not the case at all.
By implementing these tips, you can take steps to promote your overall health and wellness, ensuring that you can enjoy the next chapter of your life.