Slowing Down: How to Make Sure You Care for Yourself as you Get Older

By Jennifer Bell

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Slowing Down: How to Make Sure You Care for Yourself as you Get Older

We all want to look young and beautiful. However, it’s hard to evade the reality that getting old is a part of the natural process of life. The only difference is that you can decide how this happens since you choose to slow down the process by making wise choices along the way. The good news is that it is never too late to get started.

independent senior living experts have approved intelligent choices that you can take to enjoy a healthy and enjoyable life in your golden years. These tips will help you live life to the fullest in your senior years:

1.   Stay Physically Active

Exercise is the first thing that rings in our minds when we think about physical activity. The goal of regular exercise is not just adding more years to your life but adding life to your years. The older you get, the more muscle is lost due to degeneration. Therefore, you need to deal with this by doing some resistance training to build muscle. Exercise does not only involve the gym but also:

• Walking
• Dancing
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Yoga

Other Benefits of Exercising

• Mental health and mood booster
• Lowers the risk of heart and cancerous diseases
• Maintain strength and agility
• Improves sleep
• Help decrease chronic pain
• Reduce smoking cravings
• Increase vitality
• Maintaining good weight

Choose a routine that you enjoy and one that works best for you. Also, remember that the older you get, the more our exercise needs to change. Consult a health practitioner to advise you on the best type of exercise to take.

2.   Watch your Diet

 The foods that you eat play a critical role in your health, appearance, and mood. As you age, your food needs change with your body. Most seniors will mainly experience decreased food metabolism, slow digestion, and changes in taste and smell. Seniors are advised to maintain a healthy diet by taking:

• Vegetables and fruits which contain antioxidants that reduce signs of aging
• Whole grains help to conserve energy
• Healthy fats like omega-three fatty acids are good for your skin and make one look younger
• A prescribed amount of Vitamin D and Calcium helps maintain strong bones and maintain body posture
• Low amounts of salt to keep your blood pressure on the optimal

Seniors are also encouraged to use oils for cooking and to avoid refined sugars and processed foods.

3.   Quit Smoking and Alcoholism

Both smoking and alcoholism have been associated with heart and lung diseases and premature aging. In addition, the chemicals used in cigarettes have also been linked to damaging the skin fiber collagen and reducing skin elasticity.

Also, you can use your exercise routine to help you curb smoking cravings. You can set your exercise routine to match the times when you usually want to smoke. Quitting smoking isn’t a fun ride, but you can consult a doctor to direct you on the available resources to help you stop.

Women can drink one drink per day for alcohol, and men can drink two drinks per day until they can stop taking it altogether.

4.   Get Enough Sleep

You will be amazed at the ton of things that good sleep can do to your body, both physically and emotionally. Conversely, poor-quality sleep automatically affects your emotions, weight, memory, and even your appearance.

It also gets harder to maintain the same number of hours of sleep as you get older. However, it is not automatic that you’ll develop sleeping problems when you get older. It’s still important to adopt healthy sleeping habits as you age. You can adopt wholesome sleeping routines by:

• Avoiding stress
• Having a bedtime ritual like listening to music or taking a bath
• Ensuring your bedroom is free of distractions like light from your screens
• Having dark curtains to prevent light from waking you up early in the morning
• Maintaining an active lifestyle during the day

5.   Build A Strong Social Network

Meaningful relationships are birthed from quality rather than quantity. Seniors are encouraged to have senior connections that will improve health, increase happiness and give a longer life. On the contrary, having a socially isolated lifestyle can result in high-stress levels, mental health issues, obesity, and heart diseases. You can stay socially connected by:

• Joining volunteering or peer counseling group
• Participating in group leisure activities

6.   Drinking a lot of Water

Taking lots of water is one of the best ways to maintain your youth. It has been proven to have lots of benefits which include:

• Good digestion and sleep
• Nourishing your skin, hair, and nails
• Improving your brain function
• Maintaining energy levels
• Flushing out toxins

Consult a doctor to help you determine what amount of water you should take and answer all the questions you have about water.

7.   Regulate your Stress Levels

A lot of events in life are beyond our control. Keeping your stress levels down and maintaining happiness goes a long way in helping you age gracefully. Try to focus on the things that you can control and try to face life hurdles with a face of humor and dignity. One of the proven ways to protect yourself from stress is meditation.

Meditation not only lowers your stress levels but also helps people suffering from cancer, depression, heart diseases, high blood pressure, and chronic pains. You can start with a few minutes per day as you gradually increase the time. In addition, there are available apps online which will help you track your milestones as they boost your momentum to continue.

8.   Make Regular Visits to A Doctor

This will help you identify and treat your health problems as early as soon as they start. Ensure that you schedule regular checkups as you age and consult your doctor immediately if you feel any concerns about your health.

All the listed factors are co-related to one another to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. The first step is by acknowledging the areas of concern in your life and finding ways to fix them as early as possible.