By Kayla Harris
Live it up — this is your time to find some joy after a decades of working and raising children, with all the effort and energy you’ve poured into that. However, if you want to get the most out of your retirement and newfound freedom, staying fit is of the utmost importance, especially considering your increased risk of age-related illnesses.
Don’t worry about making huge sacrifices to get the body and mind that you want. Contrary to popular belief, healthy living is fun, and once you develop the right habits, you barely have to think about what you’re doing. For now, here are some ways to get on the right path.
Adopt a Healthy Diet
It’s not as complicated as it seems. You need to get your vitamins, minerals, proteins, slow-release carbs, and unsaturated fat by eating fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, whole grains, and lean meat. Sure, maybe it’s a little complicated, but sticking with whole foods will simplify things, and there are now smartphone apps that help you create and stick with a nutritious grocery list or have those foods delivered to your home. If that’s still too much work, delivery services will bring balanced meals to your door with just a few keystrokes.
Exercise Daily
This can be difficult if you’re not already involved in a physical activity, but it’s not as hard to start as you think. In fact, all you have to do is put on a pair of sneakers and start walking, which is an excellent form of cardio, along with biking, hiking, swimming, and dancing, and they’re all fun. Remember to build some stretching exercises into your routine and explore strength-training such as weights or yoga. This will actually help with joint pain and increase mobility as long as you advance slowly to avoid overdoing it and injuring yourself.
Take a Hike
Hiking through nature is an excellent addition to your exercise routine that provides a number of other restorative benefits in addition to what you get from the physical activity. For one thing, you’ll be outside, exposing your skin to the sun’s rejuvenating rays to spur the production of vitamin D in your skin. As for your mental health? Studies have shown that nature helps ward off depression and even encourage creative thinking.
Use Your Brain
There are many ways to do this, and a study cited by Healthline shows that word puzzles could help people function cognitively at the levels of people 10 years younger. This is a great reason to give them a try the next time you have a bit of time to yourself. If that doesn’t sound interesting, then you could give your intellect a workout by reading or playing a game.
Socialize
Hanging out with your friends isn’t just fun, it’s also good for you, and that’s backed up by a growing body of scientific evidence, according to an article in Time. Not only does being socially active keep your mind sharp, but it also helps maintain your motor skills, though the exact mechanism for this is not yet known. That should inspire you to call up a friend and invite them over to catch up on events over a glass of wine.
Enjoy Your Hobbies
Taking up a hobby helps you relieve stress while doing something engaging. What’s more, you’ll encounter new challenges and experiences that make you feel young at heart. If you’re already passionate about something, keep at it. If you’re looking for something new, think about what you always wanted to do when you were younger and you may find your answer.
Now it’s time for you to take the ball and run with it. There’s nothing stopping you from making some changes so that you feel better tomorrow.
Kayla Harris is the founder of Elderimpact. Her mission is to empower seniors against ageism by making handy the information they need to keep controlling their own lives.