In order to stay healthy, it’s vital that you spend enough time being active, getting fresh air, and otherwise taking care of your body.
When your body was young, it was easy to be active. But as you get older, other pressures and your own physical age can cause you to become less and less active. However, if you want to be healthy, happy, and live a long life, you’ve got to find a way to get and keep active.
To help you in doing this, here are three tips for staying active later in life.
Work On Your Balance
One reason that many older adults shy away from being active is because they’re worried about what might happen if they were to fall and get hurt. But if you’re not working on keeping your balance, it’s easier for slips, trips, and falls to happen.
Knowing this, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recommends that older adults start working on their balance as part of being active. This can be done by repeatedly going for a sitting or a standing position, practicing standing on one foot while holding onto something like the back of a chair, and doing exercises like tai chi and yoga. All of these strategies, either done by yourself or with a group at your assisted living facility, will help you to gain more balance and be in better shape to get more active in the future.
Keep Things Interesting
If you don’t naturally enjoy being active, it can be hard to think of activities that will allow you to get your body moving without feeling like you’re falling into a rut by doing the same things over and over again.
To combat this, Shawn Radcliffe, a contributor to Healthline.com, recommends that you keep things interesting by alternating between aerobic and strength training exercises when you choose to devote time to being active. You can also throw in some sports if you feel like you want to get a little competitive, too.
It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint
Remember, if it’s been awhile since you’ve been active, it’s going to take you some time before you can get back to what you used to be doing when you were more active in your life. Because of this, HelpGuide.org advises that you start slowly and try to increase your activity more and more each time you get up and do something. Even if it’s just by one minute or one movement, slowly getting more active will be a great benefit to your health.
If you’re needing to find some help in getting more active now that you’re a little older, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you achieve this.
