With age come significant health challenges that affect daily life. However, there are ways to cultivate healthy habits and increase your overall wellbeing. Here is how to stay healthy as an older adult.
Video Overview
Stay Healthy as an Older Adult: Stay Active
One of the best ways to preserve your health over time is to get up and be active as much as your body allows. By going on a walk each day, no matter how long it takes, you will be exercising your cardiovascular system. In the long run, this will help your heart stay strong and keep your muscles from fatiguing quickly. If you are wheelchair-bound or otherwise incapable of walking any significant distance, consider investing in a set of light weights or stretch bands. Using one-, two-, and even five-pound dumbbells can keep your arms and shoulders sturdy.
Keep Connected To Stay Healthy as an Older Adult
If daily activity helps keep your body strong, then staying connected with loved ones keeps your mind sharp. By maintaining consistent communication with other people, you cultivate a feeling of connectedness to the lives of friends and family. To the extent that you can, manage your isolation and loneliness—do not wall yourself off from the community that is available to you. The more you put yourself out there, the more likely you are to form lasting bonds with others. Engage with the local community if you can, and look for ways to start new relationships with people. You never know who you could meet!
Maintain Good Hygiene
One cannot overstate the importance of personal hygiene. Your daily habits throughout life often include tasks like showering, brushing your teeth, and tending to dry skin. However, these activities increase in importance as you age. When left unattended, your teeth can decay and fall out, and your skin could sustain permanent damage. Good hygiene every day will keep your body functioning well and in tip-top shape. Especially as age limits your flexibility and mobility, having hygiene aids or other care professionals help you clean hard to reach parts of your body will save you from more difficulties down the road.
Have Regular Checkups
Going to the doctor can be a hassle as an older adult, especially when you have mobility limitations. But there is no alternative to consistent visits with your doctor. Because the body begins to break down more quickly and in increasingly significant ways with age, it is even more important to seek medical attention. Getting regular checkups will allow your care provider to observe, diagnose, and treat any medical issues before they become serious. Consistency also gives you the chance to manage your prescriptions more easily since you can change dosage or medication during your visits.
Learning how to stay healthy as an older adult and putting it into practice can be easy. Start with small, simple steps that you can incorporate into your day-to-day life. Make your goals achievable and specific so you can grow healthier as you grow older.
