According to the NIH, engaging in social and productive activities that you enjoy may help to maintain your well-being and independence as you get older. Research has shown that an active lifestyle helps lower the risk of developing dementia, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer. Being physically active helps you feel happier and less depressed, and possibly help improve mental abilities, especially if the activity uses the brain to recall words or steps, like singing or dancing.
Find activities you enjoy like gardening, dancing, swimming, biking, or walking. Some ideas for increasing physical and social activities are:
To reduce the risk of injury, it is important to increase you physical activity slowly over a period of week to months. Make sure to warm up and cool down before and after exercising to help get the muscles ready for activity and let the heart rate and increasing increase gradually. Cooling down after the exercise allows the heart rate to gradually return to normal.
For those with chronic disease conditions or who have been inactive, it is wise to consult with a health care provider before taking on a new exercise regimen.
It is not a matter of time as much as a matter of planning ahead so you can enjoy an unhurried dinner. If you have meats thawed and ingredients on hand, most things can be tossed together in about the same time as it takes to order and wait for the food at a restaurant. Slow cooking something in the oven or crock pot is a hand option for making tasty food with little food preparation time.
Setting SMART goals can help us make small changes to improve our health at any life stage. SMART goals are especially valuable because they provide a step-by-step plan to reach our goal. They provide us with a sense of direction, motivation, and clear focus for actions to take.
