Quality of life is a term quite often thrown around, but even more so once you hit your senior years. The key to improving it is to take control of your physical and mental health. For seniors, this could mean exercising more to increase strength and mobility, finding natural ways to ease the aches and pains that come along with aging, or engaging your brain to stay mentally active. If any of these goals sound familiar, then the following tips will be helpful.
Make Exercise Simple by Walking
When it comes to exercising, you might think you need to hop on all those machines in the gym, but the simplest and safest form of exercise for seniors is walking. Walking strengthens the muscles in your legs and core, helping with mobility and easing pressure on joints, as well as slows the loss of bone mass. Regular walking, especially a long and/or brisk walk, can help with sleep issues, as well as improve your mental sharpness and self-esteem. One reason seniors might shy away from walking is the fear of falling. However, walking can just as easily be done on a treadmill where you can control your speed and incline. Treadmill walking should be discussed with your doctor first, especially if you use an assistive device for walking, as holding onto the handrails can promote poor posture and increase aches and pains. Take things slow when starting a treadmill routine, and be mindful of your heart rate. Switch things up by pairing walking with other senior-friendly exercises such as yoga, water or chair aerobics, or gardening.
Don’t Live with Pain
Chronic pain such as arthritis tends to come with age, but that doesn’t mean you need to accept pain as a permanent part of your life. There are many natural supplements that seniors can use to help alleviate the symptoms of arthritis that are causing your quality of life to decline. One such supplement is ginger. Although it is typically used as an aromatic spice in food dishes and teas, studies show that ginger can significantly reduce the pain and inflammation from arthritis, and its effectiveness is even comparable to ibuprofen. Fish oil is also a common supplement taken for arthritis pain as well since the omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation in the joints. Another supplement that is becoming popular in treating chronic pain is CBD oil. Evidence shows that CBD oil can help relieve pain and inflammation, enabling you to continue living your life without pain getting in the way. Before you give it a try, be sure to talk with your doctor and read through this buying guide to get the best-quality product.
Keep Your Mind Happy
Use it or lose it applies not only to your body but your brain as well. Dementia is a common senior disease, so it is important that you continually exercise your brain to improve overall cognitive function. Brain games such as puzzles, crosswords, and Sudoku are common, but there are other ways to boost brain health too. Meditation not only relieves anxiety and stress via deep breathing, but it also stimulates the areas of the brain responsible for short-term and long-term memory. Volunteering in your community is another way to improve brain functioning via tasks like planning, organizing, problem-solving, and following directions. The added socialization is important too, as seniors often experience feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression. Volunteering is a good way to experience that sense of purpose and meaning, as well as learn something new. Speaking of learning, take advantage of the free time your senior years provide to expand your knowledge and learn new things via hobbies, classes, or reading.
Quality of life is important in your senior years, but it’s up to you to improve it. Take control of your physical health by making exercise a priority and implementing natural supplements to live pain-free. Take care of your mental health too with brain-boosting activities and socialization, and you are well on your way to increasing your quality of life.
