How to be a Healthier Old Person

How to Be a Healthier Old Person

When it comes to life most of us simply think about living for as long as possible, but some of us don’t stop to think of being healthy while we age. There is a big difference in the quality of life of someone who is old and has multiple health issues and someone who is old and healthy.

Being healthy throughout our life is going to help with any medical issues we may face in the future and the tips that I will share in this article will not only improve your life today but the future too.

Incorporate healthy foods into your diet.

We all like to binge on food that isn’t good for us and we all know that fast food isn’t healthy. Not only does this make you put weight on but also takes away the vital nutrients that your body needs too.  

I’m not here to tell you not to eat fast foods, but instead try to cut them down to a minimum and replace them with good whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans and lentils.  High protein foods will keep you feeling fuller for longer while giving your body the vital macro and micronutrients needed to perform vital functions in the body such as cellular repair and production which is vital, especially as we get older.

Exercise as often as possible

As you get older and you use the muscles in your body less they start to become weaker. Weak muscles have a big role in trips and falls and are one of the leading factors to older people falling every year.

Keeping active not only keeps your weight down, improves your cardiovascular endurance but also keeps your muscles from wasting away and becoming weak.

With that said you don’t have to be in the gym 24/7 lifting the heaviest weights to get the benefits of exercising. Slow walks, non-contact sports, or even taking a pet out to play can all be counted as exercise.

As you get older you won’t be able to take part in some of the activities that you may have when you were younger, but you will be surprised by the ones that you can participate in.

A few exercises for seniors could include:

• Water aerobics.
• Chair Yoga.
• Resistance bands workouts.
• Light dumbbell training.

Getting enough sleep.

Sleep is vital for the body and the lack of it can cause many medical issues including depression, anxiety, memory problems and even cause more nighttime falls.

The last point is vital as we know seniors are far more likely to fall so having an interrupted sleeping pattern is going to make it more likely for a fall to occur.

If you are having trouble sleeping there are a few things that you can do before heading to the doctor for any pills. Firstly you should aim to keep your bedroom dark and distraction-free.

Items such as mobile phones and televisions should be removed from the bedroom. I know some seniors will use a mobile in case of an emergency, but there are other devices such as on person alarms that can be used to do the same job without the distracting lights which keep your brains engaged.

As we get older we are far more likely to become sensitive to noise and if you find yourself being woken up by your neighbours there are a few things that can be done to your home to improve your sleep quality.

If you don’t have double or triple glazed windows at home you could upgrade your windows. This is an expensive option but it does make a big difference to the noise that comes into your home.

You can also insulate your home with noise reduction materials, once again this isn’t cheap but it will make a big difference to the noise that filters through to your home.

There are far cheaper options available, such as noise-cancelling devices or even a set of earplugs that will block out the noise. Your budget will ultimately decide on the option you want to choose, but choosing one of them will help you sleep better.

Stop bad habits now

If you have any bad habits such as smoking, excessive drinking or even eating too many chocolates or sweets you should cut them out as soon as possible.

Unhealthy habits such as these will cause problems later on in life. If you want to live a healthy life as you get older you will need to take care of these problems now.

Guest Article.