General5 Tips to Maintain Good Health as a Senior

While taking care of your health is essential at every life stage, it becomes even more critical as you age. 

In most cases, young people are resilient and can quickly bounce back from illnesses and injuries. However, as you age, it’s normal for your health to decline, and a common cold or minor injury may lead to further complications that take you longer to recover from. 

As a result, you must focus on maintaining your health as you age, particularly as you hit your 60. Looking after your health involves creating a lifestyle and making sound decisions that support good health. 

Consider incorporating the following into your routine to help you live a healthy, high-quality life. 

Be Intentional About What You Eat 

When you were younger, you may have gotten away with eating foods that were simply empty calories, like fast foods or highly processed foods. These foods may have been tasty and filled you up, but they likely contained little to no nutritional value. Besides containing no nutrients, these foods are usually loaded with sugar, which poses a risk of diabetes and heart disease. 

As you get older, your nutritional needs change. Sometimes, you need fewer calories since your life may slow down, but you may have greater nutritional needs. This can be because older people may not be able to absorb nutrients as well as they did when they were younger. Dietary requirements may also change as a result of chronic illnesses and medication. 

The best diet is balanced, and should be made up of protein, healthy fats, vegetables and fruits, and complex carbohydrates. There’s room for the less healthy foods like spermidine for which you’re fond of, but these should be eaten in moderation – 80% of your diet should consist of nutritious foods, leaving about 20% for those less nutritious ones.

While you must prioritize eating healthy foods, it’s usually impossible to meet your dietary needs with food alone. So you should take supplements to ensure you get all the nutrients your body needs. Common supplements many older individuals need are calcium, B vitamins, and vitamin D. 

However, since everyone is different and has different needs, it’s best to chat with your healthcare advisor or doctor, who will advise you on what you should take. 

Incorporate Movement and Exercise into Your Routine

You may suffer from aches and pains that put you off exercising, but being active boosts your immune system, helps you maintain a healthy weight, and keeps your heart healthy. If you’ve never prioritized exercise in your youth, now’s the time to start! 

You don’t have to do strenuous, high-impact workouts for them to be effective. Walking, jogging, cycling, and swimming are all excellent cardiovascular exercises.

Another way to include exercise in your life is to look for hobbies that involve movements, like gardening or bird watching. Also, consider classes like yoga or water aerobics. These are very gentle and give you an opportunity to socialize and meet other people.

Ensure You Have Health Insurance

Another thing you may have been able to get away with when you were younger is not having health insurance. While health insurance is important at any age since there’s no telling when you will fall ill or get hurt, there’s a greater risk when you are older. And since there is no free healthcare, getting sick or injured can be a massive financial burden. 

If you can afford private health insurance, this should be the first prize as it has many benefits and can be tailored to meet your healthcare needs. Still, if private health insurance is out of your budget, you may be eligible for Medicare, which is subsidized by the state and designed to give everyone access to healthcare. 

Apart from Medicare Part A and B, it’s advisable to buy Gap cover, also called Medicare supplement. Medicare supplement will cover expenses not covered under Medicare Part A and B, like copayments and deductibles.  

Keep Up to Date with Health Screenings and Preventative Care

Prevention is better than cure. To this end, you must go for regular screenings and annual checks. Going for regular screenings and checks will allow you to catch any health problem you may develop early on, and treating it early is much easier than if you were to discover it when it is far gone. 

Screenings and checks you should have regularly include cholesterol and blood sugar. Folks who suffer from high blood pressure should be tested for diabetes, and those with a history of  cancer in their families should have the respective screenings. 

Along with screenings, it’s also helpful to take preventive measures to lower your risk of falling ill. This includes vaccines and boosters like yearly flu shots that protect against flu and pneumonia. 

Keep Your Mind Sharp

Being mentally active is equally important as physical health. Maintain your cognitive ability and keep your mind busy by engaging in mentally stimulating activities. You can keep your mind sharp by doing puzzles or brain teasers, reading, or learning a new skill. 

If you live alone, make a point of socializing and talking to others. A challenge many seniors face is that since they’ve retired and live alone, they seldom come into contact with other people. Apart from loneliness causing depression, it may cause a decline in their mental health and cognitive ability. 

For many seniors, maintaining their independence while aging in the comfort of their own home is a top priority. However, achieving this can sometimes present various challenges, including the difficulty of maintaining social connections, as well as the risk of loneliness and cognitive decline. That’s why, in addition to keeping the mind active, the support of a dedicated caregiver could be a crucial element for overall wellbeing. It’s worth noting that the cost of senior home care can be seen as an investment in a higher quality of life, enabling seniors to receive personalized care and assistance while fostering the opportunity for meaningful social interaction.

Conclusion

Growing old is a privilege and a blessing, but to make the most out of your golden years and live a good quality life, it’s essential to take care of your health. You can do this by adopting healthy habits and making good lifestyle choices that support optimal health. 
References

• Reverehealth: Why Nutrition Gets More and More Important as You Age
• Health.gov: Nutrition as We Age: Healthy Eating with the Dietary Guidelines
• Nia.nih.gov: Dietary Supplements for Older Adults
• Bannerhealth: For Seniors: A Checklist for Good Health
• Healthline: The Senior’s Guide to Staying Healthy Year-Round
• Aplaceformom: 10 Health Tips for Seniors