5 Health Tips for Seniors to Improve Quality of Life
While it’s important that we take care of our minds and bodies at any age, the older we get the more crucial it can become to our quality of life. Health maintenance for older adults may help prevent potentially deadly illnesses like pneumonia or treat common age related diseases such as arthritis.
Today we’re exploring five health tips for seniors to improve quality of life. These simple lifestyle adjustments may help with common health issues affecting older adults and keep you feeling your best all year long.
Useful Health Tips for Seniors
According to recent census data, there are 54 million adults over the age of 65 living in the United States. That makes up roughly 16% of the population! As that number continues to grow, learning health tips for seniors is all the more crucial to maintaining good health and potentially circumventing health issues affecting older adults.
A few easy lifestyle adjustments that may help with health maintenance for older adults include:
- Staying active with exercise and fitness routines
- Adopting a healthy diet
- Practicing self care activities
- Playing brain games to help against cognitive decline
- Manage stress levels
Importance of Exercises for Older Adults
First up in our exploration of health tips for seniors is staying active. Staying active is a positive health choice at any age, but it becomes all the more important as we get older. Experts recommend exercising to elevate your heart rate within a safe range for 20 to 30 minutes a day, at least five times a week. Exercise routines are great ways to boost your immune system naturally, improve lung function, and stay in good health.
It’s not required that your exercise be super strenuous. If going for a jog isn’t your thing or isn’t possible, low impact exercises such as tai chi or yoga can be just as effective at health maintenance for older adults. Other great exercises for seniors that you might consider include walking or swimming. In a pool, excess pressure is taken off the joints as you’re more buoyant. This can help with how to keep joints healthy and may serve as effective exercise ideas for adults living with fibromyalgia or needing options for exercising with arthritis.
At any age, it’s also important to recognize the need for a post workout recovery routine. This will help keep your body loose and may prevent potentially painful (or even dangerous) post-workout pain such as muscle strain, muscle tension, or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).
Note: Before beginning any exercise routine, consult your doctor to ensure it’s safe for you to do so.
Benefits of a Healthy Diet for Older Adults
The next item on our list of health tips for seniors is adopting a healthy diet for older adults. As we get older, our needs change. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean meats may help boost your immune system naturally and serve as a source of antioxidants. Studies have shown that dietary antioxidants such as vitamin C may improve the function of the musculoskeletal system in older adults. Additionally, these antioxidants have been shown to improve cognitive function and the general health for seniors.
As part of health maintenance for older adults, it’s also important to limit the consumption of sugary and fatty foods. These foods can trigger inflammation in the body and lower the effectiveness of your immune system. Additionally, limiting alcohol consumption may help with some health issues affecting older adults. Consult your doctor for personalized information on what your body needs to maintain a healthy diet and keep your immune system in top condition.
Self Care Activities for Seniors
Practicing self care is something we should be doing at every age, but it’s another example of health tips for seniors that may improve quality of life as they get older.
For example, the positive effects of getting a massage has been recognized as a positive option for health maintenance for older adults. The benefits of massage may include improving sleep quality, pain relief, stress management, and better blood circulation. Better blood flow may be a crucial factor in how the body heals itself more quickly and help with health issues affecting older adults.
While aging and back pain don’t necessarily have to go together, oftentimes older adults are more prone to back pain symptoms. Self care tools like zero gravity chairs can help in this regard. Unlike traditional recliners, which actually focus the pressure on the lower back while sitting, using zero gravity chairs for back pain (or treating sciatica symptoms) may be effective as they’re designed to reduce this pressure. In the zero gravity position, the legs are elevated above the heart level and weight is distributed along the body. This reduces pressure on the lower back and pelvic regions and is the catalyst for the many potential health benefits of zero gravity chairs.
The bonus features of zero gravity luxury recliners may also contribute to self care activities for seniors by providing massage functions or heat therapy. Heat therapy has been shown to help with muscle soreness, alleviate pain, and deepen relaxation.
Other self care activities for seniors that may help boost their overall health include meditation, listening to calming music, and even socializing with others. Taking even a few minutes each day to look after your health can make a huge difference in your well being.
Brain Games for Older Adults
Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is important for your physical health but our list of health tips for seniors wouldn’t be useful if we left off the importance of taking care of your mind. Studies have even shown observational evidence that keeping mentally active reduces the likelihood of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s at advanced ages.
There are an endless number of brain games for older adults that can be helpful. These range from working puzzle books to using smartphone apps like those on Luminosity or Elevate. These tools help keep your mind sharp and could help in preventing cognitive decline. Simple tasks like journaling have also been shown to be effective brain stimulants, as well.
Learning How to Manage and Reduce Your Stress Levels
Last up on our list of health tips for seniors to improve quality of life is learning how to manage stress levels. Following relaxation tips for how to de-stress helps lower cortisol levels naturally and may even benefit the fight against health issues affecting older adults such as heart disease or high blood pressure.
Finding ways to manage stress levels doesn’t have to be difficult, either. It can be as simple as learning how to meditate at home or creating a zen space in your living room to relax and recharge. Taking a few minutes each day to manage your stress and anxiety levels can make a huge difference in your overall health. Integrating meditation or other stress relief techniques into a relaxing night time routine may also help with treating insomnia or other sleep disorders that are preventing you from getting the restful sleep you need.
We hope our list of health tips for seniors has given you some new techniques to try or new adjustments to consider. Before starting any new exercise routines, diets, or other activities that may affect your health it’s important to consult your doctor to be sure it’s safe. Once you’ve been given the go ahead, see what works best for you! Does your new diet have you feeling energized? Did choosing a zero gravity chair give you a multifunctional way to practice self care and stress management? Finding the right combination for your well being could make all the difference in the world. Try it for yourself and find out.
For more information on the potential health benefits of zero gravity chairs and how they might benefit your lifestyle, check out these resources:
