One of the questions most asked of our senior care experts is how to reduce the impact of aging. Increasing your longevity is an admirable goal to strive for, but it would be in vain if you feel lethargic and sick. The key is not just longevity, but to maintain health during those golden years. With just a few basic changes to your lifestyle, you can potentially reduce the impact of aging. Living a healthy lifestyle that focuses on clean living and an active exercise regimen is the key to success. Below, you’ll find six health tips for seniors that give a snapshot of a health lifestyle.
1. Stop Smoking NOW
Smoking is one habit that even by reducing will add years to your life. Completely quitting smoking now is however the ultimate game changer. Many studies have documented how severely tobacco use affects the body. If you continue a regular smoking habit past 40, you literally shave about ten years off of your life expectancy. Imagine if you quit how many years you can add to that. Smoking also reduces skin elasticity and expedites the aging process making you look older than you actually are.
2. Achieve a Healthy Weight
There is an ongoing debate on what is considered obese, what is considered too skinny and so forth. What most experts do agree on is that carrying excess far exposes you to a high risk of conditions like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and even cancer! Excess fat on your belly will also bring your metabolism to a crawl making it harder to lose weight and burn fat. The best way to reverse this is simple. Spend more energy/burn more calories per day than your body takes in. It is also important to make the calories count by eating healthy, low fat low sugar foods.
3. Be Active
Whether it’s a walk around the park or playing a game of shuffleboard outside, living a more active lifestyle will do wonders for your health. Activities that require moderate physical exertion are best because they elevate your heart rate. Your heart is a muscle so work it out often to make it stronger and lower your propensity for diabetes and liver disease. According to expert studies, just fifteen minutes of activity increases longevity by three years or more on average.
4. Eat Healthy Foods
When you eat to live versus living to eat you make a conscious decision to eat a well-balanced combination of fruits, lean protein, vegetables, unprocessed whole grains, and healthy fats in moderation. Eating a diet of this nature includes many macronutrients that have anti-aging benefits. Vitamins and supplements may be a viable way to fill any deficiency, but the best way is to get those nutrients from the food source themselves.
5. Relax A Little
Even the most active and in shape people can be derailed by a little-known culprit, stress. Studies prove that stress has not only a mental impact on the mind but a physical impact on your body. Stress raises cortisol levels, which is a hormone that when elevated can cause heart trouble, increase retention of belly fat and more. Meditation, taking frequent retreats and yoga are some great ways to relieve stress levels.
6. Spend Time With Friends
The mind is also like a muscle. If it is not stimulated and constantly trained, the chances of developing dementia increase. Make it a point to get involved with a social circle that stimulates your mind. Do some of the above activities together, see a movie, or have a game night. Anything that keeps your mind active will complement your physical activity. Strive for both mental and physical health.
GET STARTED TODAY!
More than likely you don’t need to make radical changes to the daily routine you already are accustomed to following. Think more progress than perfection. Over time, practice will make you better, and your new habits will become second nature.
