Everything changes over time. Time is like smoke, we cannot hold it in our hands or catch it. It always slips through our fingers and gets away. What we came in as will not be how we leave this world. We grow old. Everything ages with time. You buy a fresh banana and leave it on the table. After a few days, it will start rotting as it grows older. Every living thing reaches those days when they are not at their best. Like that, our bodies will grow old too. When we first opened our eyes to this world, we were young and healthy. We were strong enough to fight many diseases. Falling down never stopped us from getting back up and continue running. Our bodies recovered faster, wounds healed quicker, and medicines worked sooner.
As we enter the old age, we become fragile and dependent on medicines, exercise, adults tricycle, a healthy diet and so much more. We are not what we once were. Being a senior and aged person requires us to take the utmost care of our body and remain as active and healthy as we possibly can. Doctors are always going to be there to help us with their services but we need to do a lot of stuff on our own as well. It is our body so the responsibility falls on us to take care of it. The following are tips for seniors on how to remain active and healthy:
Never Forget your Supplements
Medical science is a great friend of our body. Hence, medical doctors are available 24/7 to provide their services and they know what is best for our body. They have years of research and experience. Point is, you always need to listen to and obey your doctor. So, when they prescribe supplements, you must take them accordingly.At a particular age, our body can use all the help it can get from external sources. Supplements boost our immune system and make it stronger. Thus, seniors should never underestimate the importance of supplements and never skip on them. Supplements are of vital importance.
Have a Healthy Diet
‘’You are what you eat’’. All of us are aware of this saying but we ignored it when we were younger while craving pizza, trust me it is correct. Food has a large impact on our bodies. It can be either an enemy to our body or an ally. That part depends on us. When we eat healthily, we are gifting our bodies. Similarly, when we eat something high in fat or junk food, we are damaging our bodies.Our body needs basic nutrition. It needs potassium, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin C, antioxidants and so on. Our bodies require everything that could be beneficial for us. This is why a healthy diet is important for seniors to remain active and healthy. Thankfully, a healthy diet is not exactly rocket science. It involves healthy portions of fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein, fat, and whole grain. In fact, having a healthy diet is inexpensive. Therefore, all seniors should avoid eating fatty, oily and unhealthy food items and stick to a nutritionally balanced diet. Your body will thank you later.
Physical Fitness
Our body has been strong for us since our birth. It has taken us through extensive chores, pulling all-nighters, running around in races, being beaten down and much more. But alas, our body is also going to grow old one day. There will come a day where we would need to go to bed at nine. There will come a day when your body will not cooperate with you as much as you would want it to. It would require a lot of rest and would act sluggish.We, however, must not give in to your body’s whims as seniors. Don’t be rude to it and push it to unbearable extremes. But don’t let it settle into being lazy either. Try to be physically active as much as you can. Go on a walk early in the morning in the fresh air. Join a gym and walk on the treadmill. Jog a few miles. Lift some weights. Do everything to keep your body active but don’t push it to the breakpoint.
Manage Stress
As a living member of this current century, it is safe to say that all are aware of mental health. There are so many campaigns and real-life stories around. Hence, mental illness is a real phenomenon. We might not see visible signs like wounds but it is as real as other physical injuries. So many of us are fighting battles in our minds and just because others cannot see it, does not mean we are not struggling. Being mentally worn-out is something we all need to deal with. Some days, our mind tells us to give up and some days it doesn’t. Just like everything else in life, we need to deal with and manage our stress.Mental illness and stress take a huge toll on our bodies. The body reacts to what we are feeling. It understands our sadness and stress and acts accordingly. We might lose your appetite and lose weight as a result. Or we might start sleeping a lot more than usual. We might also start eating way too much. Each of us has different reactions. This is why, for seniors to remain active and healthy, they need to manage their stress. For the body to work, the mind needs to be in working condition too. Seniors should consult doctors and therapists regularly to address their problems and grief. Therapists are a pivotal pillar of our society and everybody must consult them.
Conclusion
Our society is like a pyramid. At its base are our seniors. They are the foundation of our society. We owe them a great deal of gratitude for their contributions. Our seniors include war veterans, business tycoons and so on. We, as individuals, and as a country owe much to them. So, we must take care of and provide for them. They are too old now to do this themselves, we must take it upon ourselves to help them. We can do this by raising awareness about them. Assist them in visiting doctors and therapists, and interacting with people to remain socially active. We should set programs and organize activities for them. Support for pets should also be made available to them.Remember that loneliness kills them. It ages them beyond their years. So, we must be there for the senior members of our society both emotionally and physically. They have literally spent their whole lives living for us. Now, we need to let them live for themselves.