When trying to live a healthier life, it is easy to get confused by the avalanche of information available out there, especially as you grow older. How do you know which areas to focus on, or which habits are the most beneficial? An easy solution is to look for holistic solutions that make you healthier overall without focusing on any specific goal or part of the body.
The practices below are all incredibly beneficial for your mind and body as a whole and are easy to incorporate into your daily life for an all-around health boost. Check out these health strategies for seniors:
1. PILATES
Exercise is the most useful holistic health habit you can develop. It keeps your body fit, mobile, and healthy while also helping to maintain your mental health by reducing stress and fighting depression. Many seniors worry that it isn’t safe for them to work out, but these fears are overblown — the benefits by far outweigh the risks.
Pilates is an ideal workout for seniors because it combines strength, balance, and flexibility, all areas that older adults should be focusing on for their health. It is also gentle, low-impact, and unintimidating, which is ideal for an older adult who has not worked out regularly in a while.
Find a local Pilates club near you with Club Pilates. There are studios all around the country, as well as several levels of classes so you can get started safely and confidently.
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2. EATING BETTER
Most of us know that we should be eating better, but figuring out what that means can be a challenge. Nutrition advice often focuses on the benefits of specific vitamins, minerals, and superfoods, which can make it harder to get an overall view of what a quality diet looks like.
Another problem with the “superfood” mentality is that it makes us forget about the great nutrition to be had from everyday ingredients. Instead of looking for specific foods that promise to boost your health, focus on incorporating as much local, seasonal produce into your diet as possible. This is easier, cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and healthier.
According to Healthline, it is also important for seniors to focus on eating nutrient-rich foods since they might start eating fewer calories. Again, don’t worry about trends or specific ingredients; simply focus on eating fewer processed products and eating mostly whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, pulses, and lean protein. For more ideas, California Mobility offers some great tips on Best Brain Foods For Seniors, provided by several nutrition experts.
3. CLEANER INDOOR AIR
Few people think much about the quality of air in their homes; instead, they worry about the ways street pollution could be harming them. This is a reasonable thing to worry about, especially as air pollution can be extremely dangerous for seniors.
However, this focus on pollution ignores the fact that most of us spend most of our time indoors. Therefore, the quality of air in our homes is just as important — if not more so — than the quality of air in our cities. There are many things you can do to improve the air in your home:
- Open the windows at least once a day to let fresh air circulate
- Invest in an air purifier
- Avoid using cleaning products with harsh toxic chemicals, opting instead for eco-friendly or natural alternatives
- Test your home for radon, which is a particularly big risk for seniors aging in place in a home they have been in for years
- Change your air filters regularly to trap smoke, dust, pollen, and mold. A MERV 13 filter is a particularly good choice, trapping 98 percent of airborne particles.
Living a healthy lifestyle as a senior doesn’t have to be as complicated as it seems. As long as you exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, focus on your mental health, and make your home as safe and healthy as possible, you are on the right track.
Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by conflicting health and wellness advice: stick to the basics and take care of yourself in whatever way feels right for you. By making the decision to care for your health, you have already taken the most important step.
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About the Author: Jason Lewis, personal trainer specializing in helping the senior population
