Aging Healthy, Part 4 – Keeping Your Body Healthy
Many of the physical challenges associated with aging can be overcome or drastically mitigated by exercising, eating right, and having healthy sleep habits.
It’s never too late to start improving your physical wellness, no matter how old you are or how unhealthy you’ve been in the past. Caring for your body has enormous benefits that will help sharpen your memory, boost your immune system, manage health problems, and increase your energy.
Exercise
A recent Swedish study found that exercise is the number one contributor to longevity. But it’s not just about adding years to your life, it’s about adding life to your years. Exercise helps you maintain your strength, balance, and agility. It also increases vitality, improves sleep, and can help diminish chronic pain.
Having a friend or family member to exercise with is a great idea. They can help keep you motivated and hold you accountable for staying with a regular routine. Exercise doesn’t have to happen in a gym or be strenuous. A regular morning or evening walk is a great way to start an exercise routine. Walking doesn’t require any training or special equipment and you can do it anywhere.
Start slow. If you are new to exercise, a few minutes a day puts you well on the way towards building a healthy habit. Slowly increase the time and intensity to avoid injury.
Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Find out if any health conditions or medications you take will affect the type of exercise you choose.
Eat well
Eating well as you age is about more than just the quality and variety of your food. It’s also about the pleasure of eating, which increases when a meal is shared. Eating with others can be as important as adding vitamins to your diet. A social atmosphere stimulates your mind, makes meals more enjoyable, and can help you stick to a healthy eating plan.
Your relationship to food may change along with your body over time. A decreased metabolism, changes in taste and smell, and slower digestion may affect your appetite, the foods you enjoy, and how your body processes food. Now, more than ever, healthy eating is important to maintain your energy and health. Avoid junk food and load up on high-fiber fruits, vegetables, and whole grains instead. This will help you feel more energetic.
Get plenty of sleep
Many adults complain of sleep problems as they age. But getting older doesn’t automatically bring sleep problems. Developing healthy bedtime habits can help. Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool and avoid artificial light from screens for one hour before bed. A soothing activity, like taking a bath or playing music, can help you wind down and get a good night’s sleep.
All the local senior centers offer meals, education on nutrition, health and wellness information and programs, and offer free exercise classes and exercise equipment. (Barton County, McDonald County, Joplin, Carl Junction, Webb City, Carthage and Neosho) The Joplin Family Y and Millennium Family Fitness also offer senior exercise programs at discounted rates.
As always, Joplin Elder Law is here to help you connect with community resources on ways to help get and/or keep your body physically healthy. Just give us a call or fill out the form below if you would like more information about resources or the services we offer.
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