5 Healthy Aging Tips to Help You Make The Most of Your Senior Years
When you’re a senior looking to improve your quality of life, there’s no better solution than improving your physical and mental health. Health and wellness influences all other aspects of life, which is why finding easy ways to boost yours is the key to being happier in retirement. This solution can be fairly simple if you know the right steps to take. So, keep reading our healthy aging tips for some insights into sustaining a healthy quality of life and increasing your happiness as a senior.
1. Be Sure to Schedule Regular Wellness Exams
Preventative care is one of the best ways you can stay in control of your quality of life as you age. If you haven’t already, make an appointment for a wellness exam with your preferred healthcare provider.
Seniors who are on Medicare can use their annual wellness visit to head off potentially serious health conditions before they get worse, as well as obtain professional advice as to any diet, lifestyle, or wellness changes that can be made to improve overall physical and mental health. This is also a good time to set up a schedule for future wellness visits.
2. Take Steps to Relieve or Reduce Chronic Pain
If you are living with chronic pain, you may also be living with a lower quality of life. Pain can impact so many different aspects of your well-being aside from physical comfort; your mental health, relationships, and overall outlook on life can all be severely affected by pain.
So, look for help with pain conditions, such as these resources from Comprehensive Pain Management Center, if you really want to take back control of your health and happiness. Certain conditions require different approaches to relieve pain, so make sure you drill down into these resources to find the perfect pain management solution for you.
3. Eat Foods That Will Preserve Your Quality of Life
These healthy aging tips include self-care when it comes to meals. You can definitely ask your doctor for diet tips during your annual wellness exam, but it also helps to have some food knowledge of your own. You may find that following certain top diets, such as the DASH or Mediterranean diet, helps you:
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Manage brain function
- Improves your odds of living a long, healthy life
That’s because these diets are heavy on whole foods that benefit your brain and body while being light on foods that hinder your health, such as red meats and processed foods. Check with your doctor before following these meals plans, and remember to make changes slowly to help them stick.
4. Make Regular Physical Activity a Major Priority
One of the lifestyles changes your doctor will likely suggest is regular physical exercise. For seniors, staying active is important for a variety of reasons. You can maintain more muscle mass if you work strength training into your routine, while cardio can help you maintain better mental health.
If you suffer from chronic pain, exercises such as swimming can provide relief from your symptoms as well. Aim to add these exercises to your routine a few times a week and you will begin to see improvements to your physical and mental health.
5. Address Any Habits or Health Issues Affecting Sleep
When thinking about healthy aging tips, there is one that is the most important.
One aspect that impacts overall quality of life, health, and pain management is sleep. Poor sleep quality can increase your risk for serious diseases, including Alzheimer’s, and can also lead to worsened mental health issues.
When you live with chronic pain, not getting enough sleep can also have negative impacts, such as making pain symptoms worse by altering the way your brain responds to pain. So, how can you make sure you’re getting the sleep you need to age well? Your nighttime habits can have the biggest effect on your quality of sleep, so make sure you are relaxing enough before bed and try to avoid screens several hours before.
Conclusion
Quality of life is important at any age, but it is especially important for seniors. So, improve yours by taking more control over your mind and body with these healthy aging tips. Incorporate the habits that will keep you healthy, and take the necessary steps that will keep you happy as well. Because, contrary to popular belief, the years ahead of you really can be the best yet.
This article was written by personal trainer Jason Lewis. Find more of his work at strongwell.com
