We are always being told to be healthy, do more exercise and eat more veggies, but will this have long-lasting benefits? The answer is yes. If you put your health first when you’re young, you will feel the benefits later on in life suffering from fewer ailments as you age. Read on to get some tips on staying healthy for a fuller life.
Remain active
While many of us find exercise to be a bit of a drain, this is what will start helping you to prolong your health. By exercising, you can improve your overall body health, not just physically, but mentally as well. Exercise can help with improved cognitive functions and reduce depression, something that can be very helpful when you move into social housing such as https://www.belmontvillage.com/ in later years.
Exercise can be done in so many different forms, so you shouldn’t be put off by the idea of going on a run since there are many more options too. You could join your local gym if you are looking to tone up through doing workouts or if you want something a little more creative, why not opt for rock climbing or squash? Whether you are looking to do a team sport or something you can do by yourself, there will be something out there to suit your wants and needs. If you are joining something that involves teamwork or interactivity of some sort, this is also a really good way to meet new people.
Keeping up social ties
When you’re young, building up a strong network of friends and family is crucial to long term health. By building these relationships, you will generally have more positive moods, and in turn, this will lead to higher levels of physical fitness. Reconnect, make those strong connections, and these will last as you age, helping you to retain that sense of belonging within a group.
Mental health is just as important as physical health and something that massively contributes to your mental health is the company you keep. Therefore, you should definitely keep your loved ones close so that you know that you will have people you can rely on in times of need. Life can also get a bit lonely if you don’t have people you are close with to regularly see and speak to and keeping in contact with people can be so easy these days with the existence of mobile phones and social media.
Eating well!
This one will come as no surprise to anyone! When you’re younger, it’s important to establish healthy eating habits as changing these later on in life can be a lot harder by eating healthy when young such as high fiber foods and those low in saturated fats, you can reduce the risk of heart disease which will affect you later in life.
Eating well does not mean eating boring foods. You can enjoy really tasty food which has half the calories of some of the foods you may be used to. A simple way to make sure you are remaining healthy is to swap out some of your carbohydrates for healthier ones: for instance, swap chips or potato waffles out for more hearty carbohydrates such as quinoa, couscous or wholegrain rice. The best way to start enjoying healthy food is to get really good at cooking and learn how to use flavors and spices effectively. Once you have done this, it will become super easy to make anything taste great without the need for fat and grease. Why not invite some friends over and impress them with your new healthy cooking skills?
Have those important checkups
When we’re younger, we often avoid going to a doctor for what seem like inconsequential things. However, neglecting to check up on that small lump or missing out on an important cancer test, can come back to haunt us later in life. Get these regular checkups as they could be the key to picking up an issue early and nipping it in the bud.
Going for checkups is super easy and quick so there is really no excuse not to. Unfortunately, diagnosing yourself using internet-based sources is really not sufficient, so this won’t be good enough. It is easy to become overly dramatic and always think the worst in your head if you are trying to check yourself out. Equally, you may be underreacting about something. The most sensible thing to do is definitely to leave it to the professionals, as doctors and nurses have had to go through long training processes to get to where they are today.
Don’t party so hard!
This can often be one of the harder ones to follow when younger. We’re all into having a party now and then. However, limiting your alcohol intake is the best way to help you in later life. Limiting yourself to just one drink a day will decrease your mortality risk significantly helping you to live a longer and more productive life.
Arguably, it is not worth partying excessively earlier on in life if this means you suffer consequences later in life. After all, you can still have great fun without the involvement of alcohol, so why not try and think of some alternative ways to spend your evenings rather than always opting for the booze?
Taking care of your body
Another oft-overlooked aspect important to health is that of sleep. Getting plenty of sleep when you’re younger also sets the stage for healthier patterns later in life. Of course, as we age, we tend to sleep less, but it’s still recommended that you try and get at least 7 hours of sleep per day for optimal health benefits as you age.
Personal hygiene also plays a vital part. Gums and teeth are particularly susceptible. Maintain good brushing habits and regular dental hygiene will ensure that your teeth are in good shape later on. Good dental hygiene can also help to reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. So, by implementing just a few of these, you can help yourself achieve a healthier senior lifestyle.
