You may have heard that as you get older, your health care needs will decrease. But that isn’t always the case! In fact, there are a number of things that seniors can do to ensure they’re staying healthy and happy well into old age.
Here’s what you need to know about being an active senior citizen:
1. Make Time for Yourself
Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you cannot dedicate time for hobbies and passions whether old or new one. In fact, at your age, they become more vital since they help you stay active and productive.
Spend time exploring new things, walking around a mall or an open market trying out food items, reading books from the library, or even going to a movie theater with family or friends. You can also join a community center where other seniors usually get together for different kinds of activities such as line dancing, dance lessons, potlucks, and more.
2. Get a Hobby
Hobbies are great for keeping your mind fresh and active throughout the years as you age. Further, people who engage in hobbies tend to live longer than those who don’t.
A new hobby can improve your mood and lower your stress levels, giving you more reason to stay young at heart. Lastly, hobbies help seniors stay physically fit as well.
Some of the most popular hobbies for seniors include music appreciation, arts and crafts, photography, fishkeeping (yes, fishkeeping is a thing), walking, or jogging. You can also engage in scrapbooking to playing music or learning a new language. It’s important that you find something you enjoy doing, so it becomes easier to stay committed to it.
3. Eat Right
As you age, your body’s immune system is bound for a slower response time to health issues and threats such as flu or colds. Eating right doesn’t only affect your physical health but also mental well-being as it helps suppress the symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety.
So it’s important that you keep a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet with plenty of water intake.
When it comes to senior nutrition, certain nutrients become more vital at your age. Vitamins, for instance, are needed to keep the cells in your body healthy and functioning properly. Minerals help with digestion and bone health issues. Fiber keeps you regular, while protein helps maintain muscles mass.
4. Stay Active
As you age, your muscles become weaker and less flexible due to diminishing levels of testosterone. Staying active can help maintain or even improve muscle strength as well as bone health since it puts small stress on the bones.
The good news is that seniors are allowed just about any activity they want to pursue including weight lifting, cycling, swimming, hiking, or even karate classes.
Those with significant mobility issues can consider staying in a senior assisted living facility where they can receive 24/7 care from a qualified medical staff. A nurse, for example, can help them monitor their blood pressure, check on medications, provide treatments, and assist them when they are doing exercises.
5. Manage Your Stress
Old age is no joke for most seniors as they continue to experience physical pain that can be difficult to manage at times, especially when the pain becomes chronic or recurring. Moreover, seniors need to fight off mental pain from the death of their loved ones as well as from losing friends.
Learning to manage stress is hard since the older you get, the more difficult it is to stop worrying about or obsessing over irrational things. However, you can still make it easier by avoiding negative people and spending more time with family and close friends who you trust to give nothing but positive vibes.
You can also manage stress by practicing meditation, going on a walk with music, playing some games such as chess or checkers (or even scrabble), and engaging in fun activities like watching an opera or ballet performance.
6. Socialize
Socializing with other people not only helps seniors feel young but also boosts their self-esteem and confidence. Socializing can benefit you psychologically as it provides an opportunity to get out of your shell while giving you the chance to meet new friends from different backgrounds.
Another benefit of socialization is that seniors can open up about their feelings or problems and find solutions to them through talking things out with peers who have had similar issues. This also makes it easier for seniors to seek and maintain a regular medical routine since they can be motivated by their friendships and peer support networks.
You can consider many ways to socialize. You can join a senior’s group for recreational activities. Volunteer at animal shelters or retirement centers. Establish home routines with loved ones.
No matter how old you are, it is always possible to stay healthy and happy as long as you make a conscious effort to stick with your goals.
