As you age, you may decide it’s time to clean up your health in order to stay active and engage as long as possible. Minor health issues may have begun to nag you and you’re eager to nip them in the bud. You may also have begun to notice, particularly once you are sixty or seventy, that injuries take longer to heal, and ordinary illnesses sap your energy for a month rather than a few weeks. If you are yet to begin feeling the effects of age, now is a great time to take steps to become more resilient.
Tackle Your Demons
First, address any demons that are impacting your health. In order to clean up your health, conquering addictions of any kind will make an enormous difference. If you smoke, or drink more than is healthy, do yourself a favor and get help to quit. Addiction can have a huge impact on our health. Research shows certain addictions might even change pathways in your brain.
You don’t have to go it alone. Speak to professionals and use options like alcohol outpatient services. This will mean you can continue to live your life as you get treatment.
Fix Your Diet
What we eat is has a significant impact on our health. It contributes to weight gain, high blood pressure, heart issues and so much more. A poor diet makes it far more likely to lead to a hospital the older you get. If you want to avoid this it’s time to change your diet. Start by cutting out processed foods. Avoid microwave meals and begin cooking with fresh foods. If you aren’t much of a cook, keep it simple. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables that require little preparation.
Begin a Fitness Routine
People tend to think a fitness routine must be intense and draining to be effective. This is just not true. Consistency of activity is most important. Start slow. Do something you enjoy doing, even if it’s only ten to fifteen minutes a day at first. Walking is an excellent path to health and fitness. If you have a Fitbit or tracker on your phone, keep track of how long and how far you walk each day. Increase it slowly, little by little and stay within your comfort zone. You may also experience a lift to your mood as you become more active.
Swimming is another enjoyable form of exercise. It is both relaxing and strengthening, and improves flexibility. If you suffer from chronic pain, swimming may be your perfect option.
Focus On Your Mental Health
Finally, it’s important that you don’t forget about your mental health. Perhaps you have concerns about dementia. Exercising your brain is an excellent way to stave off the affects of aging on your brain. Treat it like a muscle to keep it healthy through activities such as brain teasers and solving puzzles. Watching mindless TV won’t keep your brain active, but educational programs will. Reading is also an excellent source of exercise for the brain. Keep a book nearby and read a little bit of it of it every day.
Take these few steps to clean up your health so you can get on with enjoying life at every age.
