How to Make a Daily Healthy Aging Routine

Being healthier isn’t just about eating more vegetables (although that’s part of it) or exercising.

There are four main areas of life you want to focus on to improve your overall health as you age:

Emotional Health

According to MHA, nearly two million seniors in the United States suffer from depression. When your emotional health suffers, it negatively influences all other aspects of your health. Research has linked depression and social isolation to digestive problems, heart failure, and weakened immune systems.

As you age, it becomes more challenging to stay social and maintain activities that give life meaning, but doing so is necessary for a healthy aging routine.

Remaining socially active is extremely important for seniors. Getting out into the community when they can, educating the youth, and keeping in touch with family and friends is vital.

Exercise

People tend to think of exercise as an excellent way to get physically stronger or lose weight — essential benefits.

Still, it brings several additional services that are especially important for seniors:

  • It boosts immunity. Getting the flu is terrible for anyone, but it can be deadly for seniors. A regular exercise habit increases your chances of avoiding common illnesses.
  • It’s good for mental health. Aging often brings the loss of focus and memory. Still, exercise helps strengthen the brain and may even help prevent dementia.
  • It helps prevent muscle loss. Muscle loss is a common and serious issue that affects many seniors. Exercise is one of the best ways to ward it off.

The most important thing is choosing a physical activity that you genuinely find interesting. This will make exercising seem more fun and enjoyable and less of a chore.

Hair and Skincare

This is a part of health you may not think about as much, but it still affects your quality of life. Healthier hair and skin can help you look better and feel better about yourself. But more importantly, they can help you avoid issues like skin infections.

Good hair and skincare are pretty straightforward, moisturize daily, and try not to over wash your face to prevent dryness and the removal of essential lipids.

You are avoiding direct sunlight and using sunscreen daily. These low-cost solutions can prevent breakdown skin and have a positive impact on quality of life. For your hair, the most important thing is to drink lots of water and shampoo and condition it regularly.

Nutrition

Eating right is another crucial part of improving your health, and it’s another area of life where seniors face unique challenges.

As you age, your appetite tends to decrease, and it becomes a bit more challenging to maintain a healthy diet.

Countless elders handle poor nutrition, which deteriorates the body’s immune system and can cause an increased danger of falls and injuries. But you don’t just need to make sure you eat enough; you need to make sure you’re eating the right foods when you do eat.

One way to make healthy eating into a routine you’ll want to stick with is treating it as a social activity. This is easy for seniors that live in a senior living community where residents regularly eat together. For seniors that still live at home, inviting family, friends, and loved ones to join for regular meals could help.

Healthy Aging Routines Aren’t One-Size-Fits-All

An excellent healthy aging routine should address each of those four elements. Still, the proper routine will look different for each senior.

In figuring out the proper healthy aging routine for you, consider:

  • Any disabilities or health concerns you have
  • Your available resources
  • Your likes
  • Your living arrangements
  • Your unique needs

Any Disabilities or Health Concerns You Have

Aging often brings some health issues with it. You must consider your physical limitations when developing a healthy aging routine. If you know you have a disability or weakness that creates unique challenges, consult with medical professionals to find solutions for more beneficial habits within your reach.

Your available resources 

If your financial resources are limited, some aspects of a healthy aging routine could seem out of reach. Skincare products are often costly, and figuring out transportation to social events could be a challenge. Look for solutions within your price range. Low-cost moisturizers and sunscreen can be enough to keep your skin healthy. Your neighborhood may hold events you can tap into that don’t require traveling far.

Your likes

You won’t ever stick with a routine if it feels like a chore to complete each day. You have to consider your tastes and preferences. You’ll be much more likely to do a workout you enjoy. Eating healthier is much better for your health to figure out the dishes and recipes that meet your dietary needs and taste good. The social activities you choose to bolster your emotional health should be fun.

Your living arrangements

Live in a senior living community. Your healthy aging routine will look different from living alone or with family members. You’ll have to figure out how to navigate your particular living situation’s unique benefits and challenges in determining the best healthy routine for you.

Your unique needs

Your routine has to consider what your body needs to be healthy — and it’s not the same for everybody. When it comes to exercise and nutrition, that means talking to your doctor first to learn what’s safe for you. You may need to avoid certain foods due to allergies or skip some workouts that could cause injury.

Being healthier doesn’t have to be something that feels like work, and if you can figure out the proper routine for you, it won’t.

How to Keep Up With Your Daily Healthy Aging Routine

Your whole life, you’ve known you should develop healthy habits. The hard part isn’t knowing; it’s doing.

Here’s how you can keep up with your daily healthy aging routine:

Consider Finding a Partner or Support Group

Holding ourselves accountable for better habits is hard. Still, when we know someone else expects us to stick with something we committed to, that’s often a strong incentive. You’ll be more likely to take that daily walk if there’s someone who will be waiting for you each time. If you know someone else will be disappointed if you fail to follow through on your good intentions, you’ll be that much more likely to succeed.

Keep Your Routine Realistic

This is where a lot of health resolutions fail. If you make your goals too ambitious, you’ll likely fall short and give up. Mimes explains, “Seniors must create a routine that is comfortable for them. To create a healthy routine, a senior must implement small changes in their lives bit by bit so that these can become their new normal.” When figuring out what your routine will look like, think about what you’ll do — not just what you think you should do.

Try to do Each Part of The Routine at a Specific Time

For many people, consistency will make a routine easier to stick with. Social activities are easier to commit to if they meet at the same time every week, for instance. Determine a weekly and day-to-day schedule for where your brand-new healthy aging regimens will suit your day.