Change is inevitable – or so it is said. As you are growing up, going to school, getting a job, learning a trade, getting married, and having a family, change happens constantly. You are making dozens of decisions daily, managing people and schedules, and juggling activities. When you are younger, you accept and handle change as if it is normal. And thank goodness that our younger minds and bodies can handle all of the information, possibilities, decisions, and actions required to live an active, normal life – at least in most countries.
But, as we age, change seems to slow down. We get into routines, we have fewer major life-decisions to make, and we seem to control the immediate world-your home, family, neighborhood, friends, and work or volunteer environment. Most of us manage the world around us with a reasonable amount of grace and acceptance. This is a good thing – to a point – as our minds and bodies age we are less capable or willing to make the dozens of daily decisions that we made in our developmental years. But like I said, this is a good thing – up to a point.
If you stay active in your senior years, good for you! If you have turned into a mental and physical couch potato, then the rest of this article is for you. It is time to change your dynamic – your physical and mental state and the immediate world in which you live.
As we age, our minds and bodies have less flexibility and less ability. We can accept this deterioration and end up enjoying life less, or we can continue to take charge of your life, your mental state, and the immediate world around you. Report after report extols the virtues and benefits – and necessity – of regular exercise, eating healthily, keeping one’s mind active and challenged, and socializing regularly. So, read on for some suggestions on how to change your dynamic if you find yourself vegetating toward that lazy state.
Exercise. 150 minutes of exercise pr week is recommended for seniors. 21 minutes each day, or 30 minutes over 5 days. That’s not a lot of time to0 devote to keeping yourself healthy and out of the doctor’s office or emergency room. This exercise can easily be done from home with low impact activities like walking, chair yoga, stretching, light weights, or dancing. Gyms and community centers offer swimming, elliptical machines, Zumba, Yoga and more, and you can usually find a place that takes your Silver Sneakers card.
If you don’t or can’t get out to a class, go online. There are dozens of guided exercise programs you can join. Organizations like AARP and most Medicare Supplement plans also offer suggestions or programs for exercise.
Eating. This change can be made simply by adding more fruits and leafy, green, and colored vegetables to your daily meals, and including foods with good protein and fiber. Also, you can cut down on processed foods and those high in sugar or carbohydrates. This cut back will help you eliminate harmful foods as you are adding more positive foods to your diet. Most food packaging will give you the protein, fiber, sugar, and carbohydrate content, so compare brands and items to get the highest of the good content while decreasing the not so good ingredients.
Mental. Study after study are showing that the more you keep your brain engaged, the healthier you will be while reducing the risk of diseases like dementia or Alzheimer’s. Simple activities like reading, doing puzzles like crosswords and fill-ins, and playing games that make you think, go a long way to keeping your brain active and healthy. One author said, “Reading novels is a form of emotional education,” pointing out two benefits of reading besides a nimbler brain – a better emotional state and increased learning.
Social. The importance of staying connected is an integral part of staying healthy as we age. Talking to friends and family is an easy way to keep in touch. Set-up regular calls to friends and family who are far away, and schedule weekly get-togethers with friends and family who are near. The visits don’t need to be complicated or involved. Just have a conversation. Share information about yourself and your life. Make sure you ask the same about the others in your conversations.
If you don’t have family close or many friends, create social situations by volunteering. Choose an organization or activity that you have a passion for and get involved! You will benefit as much or more as those you help.
Medical. As we age our bodies become weaker and less flexible. Eating right and exercising can stave-off these negative efforts on our bodies, but regular medical check-ups and disease testing are also important. If you are disease-free – congratulations! But you should still schedule an annual physical, and plan to test for heart disease, cancer, lung diseases, and other life-shortening diseases. Even in the healthiest of us some physical degeneration is inevitable, so it is important to discover medical problems early so they can be treated and or cured. Diseases and infirmities are inevitable, but early detection and taking advantage of modern medicines can overcome these medical problems enabling us to live and enjoy life longer.
If your status quo leans toward the couch-potato style, it’s time to change that routine, now! Two generations ago, our grandparents only live into their 50’s. And retirement meant the end of the road and often the end of a life. Now, with today’s medicines and procedures, and the amount of information that is available to us to make good decisions about ourselves, we are able to live full and complete lives well into our 80’s. This gives most of us twenty-plus years to enjoy the second stage of our lives – those years after retirement. Make sure you take care of yourself throughout your life to enjoy those years.
