To age gracefully while enjoying your sunset years demands living a healthy life. This means seniors must adopt a healthy lifestyle that assures big health payoffs. According to a recent study, certain lifestyle behaviors can be adopted by seniors concerned with how to be healthy now and in the future.
Improving your quality of life requires a high level of self-control and discipline. Numerous diseases and conditions can be prevented by practicing healthy living. Joint stress, heart disease, diabetes, bone stress and high blood pressure are among conditions and diseases that can be kept at bay by practicing healthy habits.
ü Daily consumption of fruits and vegetables
Seniors can include a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables daily. When choosing fruits and vegetables, go for color and variety to ensure you have a mix of nutrients. Keep fruit where you can reach it. Look for dark leafy greens and cook them in a manner that ensures no loss of nutrients. Enjoy fruits and vegetables during meal time or as a snack. The odds of aging gracefully and successfully can increase drastically with daily consumption.
ü Drinking alcohol in moderation
The study also shows persons who consume alcohol in moderation are likely to meet the successful aging criteria. Those who consumed alcohol heavily or didn’t consume alcohol at all were surpassed by those who drank moderately. If you don’t drink any alcohol, you don’t have to start just to enjoy some benefits of alcohol consumption. Seniors who drink should moderate their intake. Men can consume 1 to 21 units of alcohol while women can drink up to 14 units of alcohol weekly.
ü No smoking
Smoking is a NO NO if you want to live a healthier life. Persons who have never smoked in their life are likely to have a healthy old life compared to former smokers and those that smoke. Smoke has no health benefits whatsoever to your heart or body for that matter. If you want to increase your odds of a longer healthier life, quit smoking and if you don’t smoke, don’t start.
ü Engaging in intense physical activity
Participants who were physically active raised the odds of healthy aging. A moderate but intense weekly workout improved the participants’ health. Physical exercise improves moods, boosts energy and helps to control weight. You can indulge in an activity that you enjoy to ensure you maintain a good routine.
