Are you ready to become your best and healthiest self in 2021? The last year has been full of stressors, but it’s also been one of beauty and coming together to overcome hardships, so let’s continue that trend into 2021 by focusing on rejuvenation and wellness.
Federated Health Charities presents some tried-and-true methods for seniors to make sure they’re getting the most out of life and are focusing on their own self-care in 2021:
Do some gentle exercises.
As you grow older, it’s more important than ever to maintain an active lifestyle. Whether you do it to stay fit, get stronger, or maintain your weight, there are countless benefits of being active well into your senior years. Getting up and moving around helps you live a longer and healthier life.
One way to incorporate more gentle exercise and stretching into your life is to create a daily routine of yoga poses. You can also take up swimming (safely!) or golf (which can help you burn calories and stretch your legs). The goal of these kinds of activities is to get your body moving and work out some of the kinks. Yoga, especially, can help you alleviate back pain, as well as other common aches. It can also form a key component of a mindfulness regimen, helping you fight stress.
Focus on your sleep.
As you age, your sleep cycle may change. Some seniors report that they get less deep sleep as they get older and take longer to fall asleep. This presents a few problems for older adults as lack of sleep can lead to lower motivation, depression, stress, and anxiety.
In 2021, strive to get more sleep and keep your sleep cycle within the healthy range for your age group. For seniors, it’s still common to get seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Create a bedtime routine that involves winding-down activities — reading, drinking herbal tea, and meditation can all be effective ways to tell your body it’s time to rest. You should also reduce bedroom distractions (like the television, handheld devices, or other bright lights) to make sure you can fall asleep easily and stay asleep for the duration of the night.
Get an energy boost.
Feeling more energetic might be on your list of resolutions for this year, and there are several ways to achieve that goal. For one, getting your body moving and sleeping on a more regular cycle are both important ways to feel more energetic. Sunshine has been shown to have a rejuvenating, energizing effect on our psyches, so get outside!
But even if you are practicing good nutrition habits and have a well-balanced diet, some energy-boosting vitamins and minerals may be evading your grasp. One option that you can use to turn the food you’re eating into energy is vitamin B-12. This essential vitamin helps make DNA and helps keep your blood and nerve cells healthy.
You may want to turn to a nutritionist or dietician to help you put a meal plan together so you can eat healthy year-round. You can find local and virtual fitness wellness professionals through online job boards.
Take this year one day at a time.
The coming months will give us an opportunity to focus on rejuvenation, wellness, and self-care. Doing these few things — focusing on exercise, taking supplements, and getting your sleep cycle right — are all great ways to focus on wellness in the coming year.
Article written by Hazel Bridges of Aging Wellness https://agingwellness.org/. Visit the aging wellness website for more tips, tools and resources for aging seniors. Ms. Bridges is the creator of Aging Wellness, a website that aims to provide health and wellness resources for aging seniors. She’s a breast cancer survivor. She challenges herself to live life to the fullest and inspire others to do so as well.
