Taking care of your physical health involves staying active, making healthy food choices, getting enough sleep, limiting your alcohol intake, and proactively managing your health care. Small changes in each of these areas can go a long way to support healthy aging.
Staying physical and active
Exercise or movement not only gives your body a boost but your mind as well and helps people maintain their independence for longer. Examples of services and activities we offer to encourage a 'stay active' approach include: Physiotherapy and exercise programs. Outdoor walking group.
Avoid fatty and fried foods, which can lead to heart problems. Drink less alcohol: Many people enjoy a spot of alcohol at some point in their day. Excessive drinking, however, can lead to bone loss and falls. Stop smoking: Smoking can cause many health issues that can lead to illness and premature death.
fitness - water exercises, swimming, dancing, fast walking and cycling keep your heart and lungs fit and healthy. strength - lifting and carrying weights, climbing stairs, doing squats and raising your legs to the side all help maintain your muscle tone and bone density.
Eat vegetables and fruits. Fresh, frozen, or no-salt canned vegetables and fruits in their own juice, water, or light syrup are good choices. Include foods that are high in vitamin B12 in your diet. Good choices are fortified breakfast cereal, milk or other dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.
As an older adult, regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It can prevent or delay many of the health problems that seem to come with age. It also helps your muscles grow stronger so you can keep doing your day-to-day activities without becoming dependent on others.
What to expect: As we continue to age, we may be concerned about losing cognitive function. It may be harder to learn new tasks, recall information or keep track of everyday household items. That's normal as our brain grows older. The brain changes caused by Alzheimer's disease, however, are not a normal part of aging.
Common conditions in older age include hearing loss, cataracts and refractive errors, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression and dementia. As people age, they are more likely to experience several conditions at the same time.
As it turned out, five specific lifestyle choices make a big difference in living to 90: not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, good blood pressure control, regular exercise, and avoiding diabetes.
Try to incorporate endurance activities, strengthening exercises, stretching and balancing exercises into your exercise program. Good choices include walking, swimming, biking, gardening, tai chi and exercise classes designed for seniors. Trouble Sleeping—Many older adults do not get enough sleep.
Social interaction is one of the best ways to maintain your cognitive health. Games and puzzles can be very helpful, too. Many seniors enjoy crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, card games, and video games. Another great way to keep your mind sharp and promote healthy aging is to switch up your routine.
Malnutrition can come from several factors, including reduced appetite, poor dental health, chronic conditions, depression, or living alone.
Use wholegrain cereals like wholemeal bread and brown rice and pasta more often than white varieties. Older people who have trouble with their teeth, may prefer softer textured or cooked vegetables and fruit, finely milled wholemeal bread or other grain (cereal) foods, and dishes like soups, casseroles or stews.
Older adults who walk three to four miles a day — 6,000 to 9,000 steps — were found to be 40 to 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than those who walk a mile (2,000 steps) a day, according to research published in the journal Circulation.
Research has shown that it's important to get all four types of exercise: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Each one has different benefits.
“There are three key things that healthy people do every day: exercise, maintain a nutritious diet and get a good night's sleep.
Drink plenty of water. Move more. Take the stairs and add walking breaks to your day. Get plenty of sleep.