As you age, so does your body, bringing about changes in your living habits, health choices, medicine intake, and income. Your sense of smell and taste also change, which may affect your food choices. Your body will also dictate the physical activities that you will or will not be able to engage in. So as you age, you might be faced with thoughts such as ‘I don’t feel like going for a walk as I might slip and fall’, or, ‘I don’t feel like going for a walk because my legs hurt too much to do anything’.
No matter how old you are, it’s never too late to make healthy changes in your life. Staying young at heart is not a myth! It can be a reality if you set your mind, heart, and body to this cause. So while seeking out health advice and care, you might also want to eat healthy foods and keep physically fit and active to be independent for as long as possible. Read on to start with healthy routines and diet or simply if you need a reminder of how to be healthier every day. Thanks to healthy eating and regular physical exercise, you can ward off depression, maintain good orthopedic health, reduce the risk for obesity and other dangerous diseases.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
As you age, you may notice certain changes in your body shape: you might begin to lose muscle mass, gain some weight and feel looser or even painful joints. This is partly due to the fact that you body burns fewer calories as metabolism slows down with ageing. The best way to keep your body in check is to eat healthy foods so that your body can function properly and be strong enough to combat diseases.
So eat foods that are high in nutrients to provide your body with the energy it needs to carry out your daily routine activities. Among old people, being underweight can be an issue as it might affect your daily activities and cause fatigue easily. Being overweight or obese can also be a serious health concern as extra body mass or weight can increase the risk of heart diseases , type 2 diabetes, bone issues, and high blood pressure. That’s why it is vital to eat wisely, be physically active to preserve and maintain muscle and bone strength, and achieve an overall healthy weight as you age.
The Kind of Foods You Need as You Age Old
You should ensure a high daily intake of nutrient dense foods as these packed with a lot of vitamins, minerals and other favorable nutrients that your body needs. Some of these nutrient rich foods are:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread etc.
- Pulses (chickpeas, beans and peas)
- Nuts
Achieving and maintaining a balanced dietary intake is necessary as eating too much nutrient dense food can also be harmful. Adults over the age of 50 or 60 have different dietary needs and requirements. Make sure that you visit a nutritionist to learn about a daily dietary intake that is adequate for you.
How Much Physical Activity is Good for Your Health?
Doing physical activity is always good for your health while you age as it keeps you active, strong and happy. Regular exercise improves your endurance, balance, and flexibility. It even helps to maintain your desirable body shape and make you look young, beautiful and energetic. Thus being regularly active through a routine of short and easy exercises can help you stay younger and healthier.
You can perform easy exercises such as raising your arms or legs to the extent which you easily can, or do easy aerobic exercises like walking or jogging.
Start off slow to work up towards your fitness goal. Keep a simple log sheet to note down your exercise routines. Make sure that you don’t perform heavy workouts for your age. Keep a steady heart rate and breathing throughout the exercises. You can also take light and easy yoga classes or brisk walking to increase your stamina.
Being Good to Yourself for Motivation
Older people tend to get lonely, depressed, sad, low or stressed easily. That is why it is necessary to take special care of them at this stage. Due to the loss or separation from loved ones, they can suffer from health problems by not taking care of themselves and may feel like doing nothing, not eating right or tend to over-react. Thus it is essential for people as they get older to take good care of themselves by getting enough sleep, staying in touch with their family and friends, keeping their spirits up high and motivating themselves to enjoy the simple things in life.
Always remember, you are what you feel: age is just a number. You have to stay young at heart to improve your eating plan, be physically active and most importantly, being good to yourself for a happy healthier life.
