You would be surprised to know much common sense advice is scientifically proven to be effective, especially with staying healthy after 60. The following tips can ultimately reduce your health costs, and live longer lives. They are scientifically proven recommendations that you can share with your partners, parents, and grandparents and help them improve their quality of life! Watch Your Diet.
It is no secret that a well-balanced diet has a positive impact on the body, the mind, and even the soul! By following these simple steps a person over 60 can not only recover more quickly from an illness, but can also prevent poor health and disease. Stay away from saturated fat found in butter and red meat by substituting it with the good fat found in olive or canola oil and salmon.
Limit your intake of refined sugar in foods such as white bread, white rice, and pasta. Instead eat whole grain bread and high fiber foods such as brown pasta to control the of sugar level in your blood. It is also important to take a daily multivitamin while calcium supplements are advised for women.
Move! It has been proven that an improved cardiovascular fitness and low blood pressure were increasingly prevalent in people aged above 60 who rode their bikes or walked on their treadmills for 20 minutes twice a week. It is never too late to start exercising! Walk the block with your neighbors, walk the dog several times a day, swim if you have the chance and park the car at the end of the parking lot when going to the supermarket.
Add some music to your moves and dance or lift free weights from time to time! Weight bearing exercise can help you maintain strong bones and slow the process of bone cell absorption! Additionally Yoga and meditation classes can have a positive influence on your balance and breath.
Be a Constant Learner. Research has shown that the more you exercise the mind the better memory skills you have. The mind is considered a muscle that can be strengthened by keeping a high level of intellectually boosting activities. Reading daily newspapers or entertaining books is very beneficial, as well as enrolling in a language or computer course.
Attending cultural events or being in a group that encourages you to build conversations and exchange thoughts can also stimulate the brain and keep it active.
Practice Your Social Charm! After 60, social networks tend to get smaller and this can have a negative effect on person nears retire and decreases his work time. This can have a negative effect on your health, specifically on your mood and well-being.
Involvement in community-based activities and contact with people can lift your spirit and help you stay positive while doing something productive! There are many opportunities for volunteering around you: check your local church, hospital, library, school and health associations!
Watch Your Medication Intake. Some research indicates that people above 60 years old are not always compliant with the doctor’s prescription and advice. Many people forget to stay on the medical course prescribed while others choose to stop the medication without their doctor’s knowledge. Your medication is prescribed for a reason, and unless taken as instructed, there is a chance that it may not achieve its purpose. This can mean bad health news for you! Consult with your doctor if you plan to stop a medication or if you forget to stay on your course as intended. You could experience unfortunate side effects such as dizziness, shortness of breath, low or high blood pressure, stomachaches, etc.
If you are in pain, seek professional help. It is very important not to delay doctor’s visits if you are experiencing any physical pain. Delayed treatment may affect recovery or even make recovery impossible. Our nervous system uses many means to eliminate discomfort, so by the time, the nervous system responds to illness or injury with pain, damage has already occurred.
Sleep Well and Enough! While the average recommended sleeping time is nine hours, people above 60 need about six to seven hours of sleep. Keep a ritual of sleep by relaxing and going to bed at the same hour every night. Keeping a high level of activities during the day will help you sleep well at night and can minimize the chances that you will fall asleep while driving or in a meeting.
Stay Away from Stress! Stress cannot be avoided in one’s life, but the good news is that it can always be handled in a positive way. Seek counseling, spend time with good friends, talk about your concerns to your family, write a list of stresses and an action plan on how to deal with them, take art classes and exercise, etc.
Spread positive energy around and it will come back right at you!
Source: Joan Firra, movementislife.net
