An Approach to Healthy Independent Aging

With changes in the environment and pollution being on alarmingly high levels, it has become difficult for us to stay healthy as we age. However, there are certain good practices that we can inculcate in our routine and age more healthily. You may or may not be having people who take care of you but in the end it is your own responsibility to keep yourself active and healthy.

What can be done?

Even if it is difficult to maintain a lifestyle that is healthy and active, there are certain practices through which you can age more healthily. These are –

1. Stay Social –

There are countless benefits of staying social. In any age, having friends and an active social life reduces the chances of mental health problems. Moreover, a person who is more social is likely to be more indulged in physical activities than someone who is not that social.

Staying social does not only mean interacting with family members. Often, no one can understand what you’re going through except for someone your own age. Senior Living Homes are the perfect housing options for Senior Citizens. They are communities of Senior Citizens and people in an SLH make friends easily.

2. Excercise –

This fact has long been proven that exercise and physical activities lead to a fit and healthy life. As you age, your body becomes more used to rest and laziness. It is important to add some sorts of physical activities to your routine. It can be walking, jogging, yoga, etc.

In one way, being physically fit is also linked with being social. For example, if you have a jogging partner or a yoga group, you are likely to do these activities daily without a fail. Senior Living Homes again help in this scenario as well. Most SLHs have a routine for Senior Citizens which promotes physical as well as other social activities.

3. Eat Healthy –

The benefits of healthy and sustainable eating are not hidden from anyone. However, we choose to ignore healthy foods and look to satisfy our tastebuds. Now, it is not possible to eat bland or boiled foods at all times. The key is striking a balance. That’s the reason we follow a healthy balanced diet in India.

Especially as we age, it gets difficult for our body to digest complex proteins. It is important to identify your body’s potential and eat accordingly. Moreover, develop healthy eating habits – like having breakfast daily, and eating meals in four-hour intervals. It is as important to develop healthy eating habits as it is to eat healthy foods.

In Senior Living Homes, there is a community kitchen that always provides healthy and tasty meals at regular intervals. Also, eating together is a great bonding activity among the Senior Citizens. No Senior Citizen is bound to community meals though. SLHs also come with a kitchen where Senior Citizens can cook their own meals if they wish to.

4. Sleep Well –

Getting a proper night sleep is very crucial for your overall health. As we start aging our body needs more time to recover from the day’s tiredness. Less or improper sleep can have a negative effect on your mental as well as physical health. It often gets difficult for Senior Citizens to sleep on time due to various illnesses and medicines.

However, this can be improved. Following a routine of sleeping and getting up can decrease the problem cause by medicines. Moreover, there are a lot of exercises as well as meditations that can help you fall asleep easily. Avoid napping late in the day and eat light meals for dinner to get an even improved sleep.

5. Quit Smoking/Alcohol –

Smoking, alcohol, or any other kind of toxins are always discouraged at all ages. If you are someone who smokes and/or drinks regularly, it is time to quit while you age. For a healthy aging it is very important to quit smoking, as it increases the chances of cancer as you age. Alcohol consumption increases the chances of liver failure. When you are aging, the organs of the body get naturally weaker, and exposing them to toxins increases the chances of failure of these organs.

If you’re a smoker, try to quit today. Studies have time and again, shown that people who do not smoke tend to live longer and healthier as compared to people who do.

6. Hobbies and Leisure activities –

As you age, you get more time for yourselves. It is the time to brush up on your hobbies and interests. Pursue things that you could not while working in jobs and making a livelihood. Hobbies not only keep you engaged but also more lively and active. Doing something you like keeps your mind healthy and naturally, if you’re involved in any activity, you are keeping yourself physically fit too.

Start doing more of what you like – read, play, run, swim – do everything that your body allows you to. Make friends who got the same interests as you do not miss these activities any day.

7. Visiting doctor regularly –

You may or may not be having a reason to visit a doctor. Nevertheless, visit a doctor regularly, be it once a month or once in every two months. As we age, a lot of issues start emerging in our bodies that might go unnoticed by us. Hence it is important to be visiting a doctor periodically.

Role of Senior Living Homes in healthy aging

 

Senior Living Homes promote independent, healthy and active living. In fact, these are the pillars on which the whole Senior Living Community stands. Ashiana’s Senior Living Homes take care of every aforementioned point.

 

Our Senior Living Homes have a routine designed for Senior Citizens. This routine involves everything – from meals to exercises. This routine helps you in –

• Maintaining your physical health
• Maintaining your mental health
• Sleeping and getting up on time
• Developing healthy eating habits
• Staying Social

 

Staying social is important, more important as we age, and hence our various activities promote social living. At our SLHs neighbors become friends in no time. Regular visits to doctors are easy, as we have an OPD and on-call doctors in all our SLHs.

 

All in all, our Senior Living Homes take care of everyone living with us and everything that they possibly require. Visit our site to take a look at our projects!