Your healthier year ahead starts with these easy-to-adopt lifestyle routines.
“Life is not merely being alive, but being well.” – Marcus Valerius Martialis, Roman Poet
As we close the book on yet another holiday season and embrace a fresh new year, we can refocus our energy on the possibilities that lie ahead. From volunteering in your community to having regular playdates with your grandkids, there are many New Year’s Resolution ideas to inspire a fruitful 2019. If you’re looking to adopt new – or enhance your existing – lifestyle routines this year, consider these healthy habits for seniors:
- Be physically and mentally active
- Socialize with friends and family
- Have a preventative care routine
- Eat feel-good food
- Promote restful sleep
Keep reading for more on cultivating these healthy habits for seniors.
1. Be physically and mentally active
Keeping your body and mind strong can help you lead a healthy life at any age. However, exercises like strength training, cardio routines like walking and aerobics, and yoga or Pilates can be particularly beneficial for seniors to promote balance and maintain bone health and muscle mass. Before you start any new workout routine, check with your doctor to about a good fit for you.
Just like your body thrives with healthy physical workouts, your brain can benefit from exercise too! Mind sharpening activities like assembling a jigsaw puzzle, playing brain exercise games, and learning to play a musical instrument can help enhance your mental sharpness.
2. Socialize with friends and family
Reminiscing, sharing ideas, and catching up with the people you care about can help strengthen relationships, improve cognitive functioning, reduce stress, and promote longevity. Whether you socialize with friends and neighbors in your community, attend a group exercise class or book club, or stay in touch by phone, connecting with others is a healthy – and heartwarming – habit for seniors. If hearing loss prevents you from reaching out to loved ones over the phone, learn how a CapTel captioned telephone can help you catch every word.
3. Have a preventative care routine
When it comes to your health, the adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” holds true. By staying up-to-date on a preventative healthcare routine designed to promote wellness, you can make a world of difference in your quality of life. Making regular visits to your doctor, getting your hearing checked, scheduling screenings and vaccinations, and taking prescribed medications as directed are a few preventative healthcare habits for seniors that can help you feel your best.
4. Eat feel-good food
Eating deliciously and nutritiously can help you feel energized, nourished, and ready to take on your day. Experts recommend that seniors get most of their calories from fresh produce, beans and lentils, low-fat dairy, lean protein, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. When shopping for convenience foods, try and stick to the healthier options like low-sodium canned soups, low-sugar frozen fruits, steamer veggies in a bag, rotisserie chicken, bagged salad mixes, and instant oatmeal to help avoid a food hangover from highly-processed items. If it’s hard to get the nutrients you need, ask your doctor about additional supplements that won’t interfere with any medications you may be taking.
5. Promote restful sleep
Our final healthy habit for seniors is to make choices that help promote restful sleep. Adequate rest is especially beneficial for seniors (or anyone) to help maintain health and prevent cognitive decline. Staying active, keeping your bedroom clean and dark, avoiding televisions or other screens before bedtime, and eliminating sleep-interrupters like caffeine and alcohol can help make sleep easier. If you wear hearing aids, consider removing them at night to make sleeping more comfortable, give your ear canals a break, and allow your devices to dry out.
There are many healthy habits for seniors that you can choose to incorporate into your lifestyle routine that can help you make this year one of your best yet! For more articles on senior living and independence, visit our blog for more tips you might enjoy.
To learn how a CapTel captioned telephone can help people with hearing loss stay connected to family and friends, call us today at (800) 233-9130.
