Life After 50 Expo

10 Tips for Healthy Aging !

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A healthy body , mind and spirit calls for graceful aging. Here are 10 tips:

1)    Maintain an appropriate weight. Your diet should be low fat, high fiber and include generous portions of fruit and vegetables daily. Be sure to watch the nutrition information on food product labels.

2)  Have a personal exercise program.  Walking will get the job done as long as you get at least 30 minutes a day three times a week.  More is better.  Include some stretching exercises. A personal trainer or work-out partner is helpful. For best  results combine both anaerobic and aerobic exercise. Be consistent.

3)  Watch your own physical health. See your doctor(s) as needed.  Take your meds as scheduled. Use supplements appropriately. Be sure you understand what any medication is to do. Understand any potential side effects. Know any interaction possible from multiple prescriptions. Your pharmacist can be a great team member.

4)  Drink moderately.  Studies show a little wine may be helpful. Don’t overdo it.

5)  Just say no to smoking. We are becoming more and more an anti smoking society. As we age, we just look silly with a cigarette hanging out of our mouth.

6)  Take charge of your financial future. Married or single be in control. Know what is coming in and what is going out. Know the value of you investments. Warren Buffet says he only invests in things he understands. Should you be different?

7)  Don’t drain the brain!  Even as we need to be physically active to maintain our body’s health. Be mentally active as well. Your job may provide this activity. Working or retired you may need to provide your own stimulus. Reading, working puzzles and other activities can be very rewarding. Use it or lose it!

8)  Remain goal oriented. These days even a hospital stay often has a board to list the goals for the day. Always have things to strive for. Your reach should exceed your grasp.

9)  Develop and maintain strong social ties.  This is your support system. It can be work or home-church or civic groups. And don’t forget your weak social ties. These are the folks with whom you have limited contact. They too can supply needed support.

10)                      Watch your attitude. Roll with the punches. Learn new things. Don’t be afraid of change. Love life!

Exercise Is So Important – Make it A Daily Routine !

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Muscle Strengthening for Senior Adults

For the older adult, staying active can be a real challenge. Family caregivers become genuinely concerned about the health and safety of their elder parents. When health and activity are at declining levels, frailty can become a real issue. Seniors fear the thought they may become frail, for they know it will threaten their independence. Senior care experts attest that frailty takes a toll on a senior’s social life.Elderly Care St. Augustine FL

In order to avert frailty, those muscles must be worked and those limbs and joints must be moved. Frailty is not an inherent part of aging, but nevertheless it is a result of inactivity. For the elder adult who wants to retain as much independence as possible, it’s never too late to start working out! Of course, they can start out small. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing effort.

Talk to your senior loved one about physical fitness and strengthening their muscles. They need to be committed to make this work. Let them go through the following steps to start a muscle strengthening plan. You can do it with them or hire an elder care provider to encourage them to exercise daily. Their elderly care provider can take them to their weekly swimming or yoga session. Other days of the week they can workout at home in their living room or senior’s day at the local gym.

How to get started with physical activity – for seniors

  1. Make the decision that physical activity is important to you
  2. Think of the benefits being fit will bring you – more movement, more independence, better health, more energy, less fall risk, etc.
  3. Go see your doctor and make sure everything is okay to start an exercise plan. Get the doctor’s suggestions as well as any restrictions if they apply.
  4. Make a plan. Have some buddies who will support you and help you carry out the plan. You could even hire someone who specializes in senior fitness to help.
  5. Carry out your plan.
  6. Chart your progress. At the beginning write down what you can and can’t do. Write down your progress at the end of each week. It will be of great encouragement to you.

The fear of becoming frail tends to make seniors worried they can’t stay in their own homes. The best way to ensure they can continue living in the comfort of their own home with a caregiver to assist them with some daily tasks is to make sure they are exercising every day and staying as strong as possible. It adds not only to physical health but to mental and emotional health as well.

If you or a loved one could benefit from the help of elderly care in St. Augustine, FL, contact the caregivers at Signature Home Health Care. We help seniors and their families with many levels of home care service. Call 904-513-2464 for more information

About Robert Duncan

Robert Duncan began his health care career at New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation the largest metropolitan healthcare system in the United States. In 2010 he became a Certified Senior Advisor and is Director at Signature Senior Care, AVP at Signature Staff Solutions and president of Signature Home Health Care. The Signature Health Care group’s mission to provide the most qualified, best trained caregivers for any environment.Google Verified Author

Healthy Living as we Age!

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As an older adult, regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It can prevent many of the health problems that seem to come with age. It also helps your muscles grow stronger so you can keep doing your day-to-day activities without becoming dependent on others.

Not doing any physical activity can be bad for you, no matter your age or health condition. Keep in mind, some physical activity is better than none at all. Your health benefits will also increase with the more physical activity that you do.

If you’re 65 years of age or older, are generally fit, and have no limiting health conditions here are some things that the Center for Disease Control says are healthy and helpful.

Do some aerobic exercise each week. Walking is the easiest way. At a moderate pace, 250 minutes a week is the reccomendation. That is a little over 35 minutes a day. At a vigorous pace only 75 minutes a week is needed. And you can do as little as 10 minutes at a time and still get the aerobic effect. The point is to get the heart rate up.

In addition to aerobic work, muscle work is also needed each week. This could be weight lifting, resistance bands, heavy gardening or yoga. To keep our muscles strong we need to place enough resistance on the muscles so that the next movement is hard.

The point is to have active bodies as we age. You can find a wide variety of ways to stay active and still enjoy the process. For more information on this subject go to http://cdc.gov.