Maintaining good health is important regardless of your age. With that said, maintaining good health as you age is crucial considering the many illnesses and disorders that are common among seniors. Fortunately, staying healthy and mindful of your health can greatly reduce your chances of developing life-changing and debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, diabetes, osteoporosis, and arthritis. Here are a few tips to help stay healthy as a senior.
1. Get Lots of Sleep
It’s no secret that sleep is a very important part of staying healthy. Good sleep regularly will greatly improve your physical and mental health and play a positive role in your emotional health. When you are well rested, you can focus better and are usually in a better mood which can lead to better and more pleasant social interactions and productive activities. Giving your body the rest it needs improves its ability to fight off illnesses and lowers your risk of serious health problems such as a variety of mental illnesses, heart disease and obesity. Consult your doctor if you have trouble sleeping as it could be associated with sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea, which can prevent you from getting good restful sleep. Make sure you stick to a consistent sleep schedule and are getting sufficient sleep each night.
2. Form Healthy Eating Habits
When it comes to maintaining good health, what we eat makes a big difference. Everything we eat and drink affects our bodies in multiple ways, some good and some very bad. Having healthy eating habits ensures your body is getting the proper nutrients and fuel your body needs to function properly. How your food is cooked is also just as important as what you are eating. Food that is processed, deep fried, high in fat and sugar, and cold cuts are among some of the foods that can lead to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and in some cases, cancer. Eating these foods occasionally, even though still unhealthy, won’t necessarily hurt your health as much as regularly eating unhealthily.
Try to maintain a healthy diet that includes healthy and sensible portions of foods which provide the proper nutrition for your body’s needs. Healthy portions of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, poultry, and foods rich in protein, fibre, and healthy fats and carbs are ideal. When cooking, try to limit the amount of fat used to cook your meals and try using the freshest ingredients available. Organic options are becoming more easily accessible. Organic foods usually contain fewer preservatives, pesticides and other food additives that could cause negative reactions within your body. Consult with a nutritionist to help learn more about healthy eating habits and help find the right diet for you.
3. No Smoking and Limit Alcohol
Simply put, smoking and heavy alcohol consumption can do serious harm to your body that causes long-term effects. Smoking has caused multiple types of cancer, heart and respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, and damage to your vital organs and affects those around you through secondhand smoke. Smoking has no benefit to your body or health. Heavily drinking alcohol is also damaging to your body. While an occasional beer or glass of wine won’t necessarily hurt you, excessive and binge drinking can cause serious problems. Heavy drinking leads to weight gain, high blood pressure, liver damage, weakened immune system, mental and social disorders, alcohol dependency, and even death due to alcohol poisoning. For your health’s sake, it’s best to refrain from smoking and limit your alcohol consumption.
4. Staying Active
Exercising and staying active for at least 30 minutes a day is highly recommended to maintain good health. Walking, jogging, riding a bike and swimming are a few activities you can do to stay active, as long as you are capable of such activities. You can also take part in other sports such as tennis and golf. Regular exercise promotes healthy joints and muscles and helps burn calories to keep excess weight off. It also builds your physical strength, endurance, confidence, and self-esteem. Getting outside in general is good for your health. The sun provides natural vitamin D which is important for your bones and blood cells. Studies have shown that being outside lifts people’s moods and promote better sleep, improved focus, improved immunity, and improved self-esteem.
Activities such as gardening and landscaping, hiking, hunting, fishing, bird watching, and camping are all great options to get the most out of being outdoors. It is good to also be mindful of the weather and dress appropriately for those colder days. It is ideal to consider protection from the sun and apply high SPF sunblock and lip balm on those sunny and even the most cloudy days. Hats, long sleeves, and sunglasses also offer protection against the sun and help keep away those harmful UV rays that can cause sunburns and lead to skin cancer. Getting outside and staying active go hand in hand with each other and should be an important part of any lifestyle.
5. See Your Doctor Regularly
Regular good visits with your doctor and various screenings are a very important part of staying healthy. Talk to your doctor about eye exams, hearing tests, bone density scans, and cancer screenings in addition to your regular visits. Be sure to request blood work to ensure your blood glucose, calcium and organ health are good. This is also a good opportunity to check your cholesterol, and blood pressure and to speak with your doctor about your mental health. Let your doctor know of any aches, pains, and any discomfort you may feel and be sure to mention if something doesn’t feel right.
Your health is a priority so do not hesitate to ask as many questions during your visits and get the most vital information needed to help you maintain good health. Stay on top of any medications prescribed by your doctor and report any severe side effects. Also, if your doctor calls you to come in for a follow-up visit, it is for the best and you should not hesitate. Consulting with your doctor or team of care professionals is crucial to maintaining good health.
6. Be Happy
The last tip on this list is simple enough, be happy! Remain positive and do what you love. Whether it’s hiking, bird watching, travelling, going to the movies, playing music, or simply spending time with friends and family. Don’t hesitate to plan full days of fun. Plan days for yourself as well where you can relax peacefully at your favorite spa, or park, or maybe you just want to take it easy on your front porch or backyard. Your mood and outlook on life greatly impact your health, so make sure you are doing what you can to make time for what you enjoy.
In fact, all the tips for staying healthy as a senior on this list will lead to happiness. When you get good sleep, eat healthy, limit your intake and exposure to harmful substances, stay active and regularly see your doctor, it will result in you being happy overall because you are living a healthy lifestyle and that alone is something to be happy about!
7. Staying Healthy with EasyGo
Here at EasyGo Mobility, we understand how important mobile independence is when it comes to staying healthy. Even though it can be difficult to stay active when you must rely on a mobility aid to get around, you can still live a happy and healthy lifestyle with EasyGo. Our power chairs have helped thousands of customers get their mobile independence back. EasyGo riders rely on their power chair to get them to and from their doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, their favorite walking or hiking trails, and being outdoors with friends and family.
Overall, EasyGo riders are happy to be able to just get around easier and enjoy the quality of life and mobile independence gave back to them by EasyGo. Our Standard and Elite models fold easily and fit into just about any trunk, even trunks on smaller cars such as Corvettes and Honda Civics. EasyGo power chairs weigh 50 – 56 lbs. depending on the model, and are TSA and FAA-approved making them ideal for travelling and driving up to 15 miles continuously driving on a single full battery charge. These features and others make EasyGo a worthy companion in helping you stay active and live a healthy lifestyle.
Final Words
These are just a few of the tips offered to help you maintain good health as you age, and we hope they help you do just that. If you have any questions regarding EasyGo and how it can help you get your mobile independence back, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-833-709-3499. We’d like to thank you for taking the time to read these tips on staying healthy as a senior. We wish you all the best!
