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Taking care of your health as you get older may seem scary and overwhelming, but being fully involved in the process will benefit your health and peace of mind. Taking control of your health can help you prevent some health issues altogether and mitigate any issues that do crop up. Here are some tips for assessing your current health needs and planning for the future.
Be Physically Active
Maintaining a physically active lifestyle can be harder the older you get, but making the extra effort can bring many added benefits. Physical activity on a regular basis can offset some of the problems associated with aging.
Regular exercise will help to improve your balance, improve your mood, help alleviate anxiety and depression, help you maintain your mobility, and help improve cognitive functioning. It is also a great addition to any management plan for chronic diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and some cancers.
If you do not currently live an active lifestyle, don’t worry. It is better to exercise a little bit than not at all. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of aerobic activity each week. This can be in smaller increments each day. If you are not at this level right now, then start where you are and gradually build up to where you need to be.
Be Socially Active
Depression and anxiety can increase and deepen as you age. Maintaining a social life and regularly interacting with family and friends is crucial to help you stave off mental health issues. Being socially active helps to increase positive moods, reduce negative feelings, and increase the likelihood of physical activity.
Just like with physical activity, it is important to start where you are currently. Reach out to old friends and look for opportunities to make new ones. You can look for new friends in church groups, gyms, alumni groups, volunteer activities, and other groups that exist to promote areas of interest to you.
Healthy Diets
Your body has even more need for the proper nutrients and healthy foods the older you get. Eating a healthy diet can not only improve the way you feel but can help to lower the risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions.
You will need to consult with your doctor when constructing a healthy diet plan and before making any major changes to your current eating habits. In general, it is a good idea to base your diet around whole foods that are unprocessed.
Regular Checkups
Going to regular checkups with your dentist, eye doctor, general practitioner, and any specialists you are seeing is important to maintain your health, seek treatment for conditions causing you problems, and catch any new problems before they become bigger.
This becomes even more important the older you get because you have to manage chronic medical conditions, multiple medications, and other issues. You may also be recovering from hospitalization. If you see these problems start to pile up, you may want to visit a geriatrician.
Since they specialize in treatments and care of older people, they can help you manage your health efficiently and safely. They can not only help refer you to specialists, but they can also coordinate your care and treatments and help you create a health plan to follow to optimize your health.
Managing Medications
If you are taking multiple medications, it can be hard to keep them all straight. It is so important to take all your medications exactly as prescribed in order for them to be effective. If you do not take drugs as prescribed, then they can not effectively treat your condition, and you may even see negative reactions.
When you meet with your physician, you should have regular medication reviews to make sure that all medications are still necessary and performing their proper functions. You should never stop taking a drug without consulting your doctor, but you should consult with him or her to make sure you still need to be taking them. This is also a great time to talk about any side effects you are experiencing and how to deal with them.
Managing Bad Habits
You also need to manage your bad habits and eliminate them to avoid future complications. Smoking and the consumption of alcohol are both linked to adverse side effects for your health. If you have certain health conditions, smoking and drinking can make them worse. Visiting Atomic Blaze Smoke Shop can help you find alternatives and talking with your doctor about quitting smoking and limiting your alcohol consumption is important.