Healthy Habits: 16 Things Every Woman In Her 60s Should Do
As a whole species, humans hate change, which is why many of us find growing older so difficult. There are plenty of changes we have to deal with as we get on in life, some bad, of course, but also some good. Regardless of any of that, hitting our sixties doesn’t automatically mean a decline in health, despite what many people believe. In fact, our sixties is the perfect opportunity to try new things, explore new interests, meet new people, and so much more. After all, our kids are off having kids of their own now, so it’s time for us to have some fun. Here are sixteen things we should all do to stay healthy once we hit our sixties.
Watch What You Eat
When most people try to get healthy, regardless of their age, one of the first things they look at is their diet. Thankfully, this doesn’t change when we hit the grand age of sixty. For us sixty plus ladies, an ideal diet contains plenty of fruit and vegetables, oily fish, whole grains, and small amounts of lean meat and low-fat dairy. It should also be low in saturated fat. This can help to protect against a number of illnesses commonly associated with getting on in life.
Try Daily Multi-Vitamins
Sometimes even the healthiest of diets can be missing the right amounts of specific minerals and vitamins, especially once you hit sixty and we become prone to certain deficiencies. To remedy this, you should all consult with your doctor and learn how to get more of key nutrients you might be lacking in your diet. More often than not, taking a daily multivitamin can do the world of good. Just be sure to inform your doctor of anything you might start taking before you do.
Make Time For Exercise
Regular physical activity is necessary and vital regardless of your age. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of assuming that it becomes less important and less safe as you grow older. This is far from the truth. In fact, exercise offers lots of health benefits for us women in our sixties, including weight control, stress management, and strengthening muscles and bones. With that in mind, we all need to make time to exercise for at least thirty minutes every day.
Wear The Right Footwear
Foot disorders and foot pain are common concerns for us older women, which means that, if you are going to be exercising regularly, you should make sure that you have the right footwear for the job. Trainers are a good option, as they tend to be more supportive than other types of footwear. Just make sure that whatever shoes you do choose fit you comfortably. Also, apply moisturizer to your feet and cut your toenails regularly to prevent dry skin and ingrown toenails.
Keep Your Mind Active
When it comes to health, your mind is just as important as your body. For this reason, you need to make sure that you give your brain a good workout now and then just like you do for the rest of you. Most people wrongly assume that us older ladies start to become forgetful and slow when we reach a certain age. However, regular brain training, using crosswords, sudoku, chess, and other mentally challenging games can help to keep our minds strong and prevent this.
Manage Your Stress Levels
Despite what many younger people assume, retirement isn’t always as carefree as it seems. In fact, retirees and other older ladies still have worry and stress just like anyone else does and, just like everyone else, this stress can lead to a number of health issues, including heart failure, stroke, and depression. To combat this and live healthier for longer, we need to manage our stress and reduce it by exercising regularly, sleeping properly, eating right, and meditating.
Get Plenty Of Sleep
Sleep is crucial for physical and mental health, but, as we get older, it becomes harder and harder to nod off. Thankfully, there are lots of things that we can do to sleep better at night. To start with, you should combat any external issues, like bed bugs. You can call in pest controllers to help with this. You should also make sure that your bedroom is quiet, dark, and relatively cool. Once you’ve done this, you should start to cut down on caffeine and exercise every day.
Ditch The Nicotine Addiction
Like caffeine, nicotine has the power to keep us up at night, massively deteriorating your physical and mental health. Smoking is also linked to a number of serious problems, including heart, lung, and gum disease, as well as cancer. It’s never too late to quit this habit and help is always available when you decide that you want to. As soon as you ditch the cigarettes, you’ll start to notice changes almost immediately, and you’ll likely live a long longer than you would have.
Moderate Your Alcohol Consumption
Unfortunately, it’s not just a smoking habit that can cause your health to decline; Drinking too much alcohol can also have some pretty nasty consequences. That being said, we don’t need to give up alcohol completely to live a long and happy life. In fact, a glass of wine now and then can actually reduce stress levels, thus protecting us from the health problems that stress can trigger. With that in mind, you need to learn to moderate and control your drinking instead.
Brush Twice A Day
Sore and bleeding gums and gum disease are dental issues us older women commonly have to deal with. However, you can protect yourself by brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing at least once. This helps to remove plaque and bacteria from your teeth and gums. To avoid stains on your teeth, you should cut down on coffee and red wine or make sure that you swill your mouth out with water after drinking. Regular checkups with your dentist are also crucial.
Drink Plenty Of Water
Considering that most of your body is made up of water, it should be no surprise whatsoever that water is important for your health, but this is especially true as you get older. Drinking plenty will help to promote good circulation and deliver the nutrients you need all around your body. It also helps to remove toxins from your body and is important in metabolism and weight control. For this reason, we should all carry a water bottle around try to drink at least two liters every single day.
Look After Your Skin
Drinking lots of water also helps to keep your skin cells hydrated, plumping them up and reducing the appearance of wrinkles. As well as this, you should also moisturise daily and protect your skin from the sun by wearing sunscreen and staying inside during the hottest parts of the day. This will also help to prevent skin cancer. If you want a warm, summer’s glow, you should try fake tan instead of tanning beds, as these are also dangerous to your skin’s health.
Catch Up With Friends
Everyone feels lonely from time to time, but as you get older, leave work, and start spending more time at home, this feeling can get worse and worse, having an enormous negative impact on your mental health and even begin to affect your physically. For this reason, you should make an effort to catch up with your friends and family regularly. You could even organise a girls holiday for you and your friends. Even a five-minute chat on the phone can make a difference.
Find A New Hobby
When you’re in your sixties and don’t have work to go to every day, you can start to feel at a loose end, resulting in boredom and loneliness. To combat this, you could consider where your passion and skills lie and find yourself a new hobby. This could be anything from a new sport to a new language. This can massively boost your mood and self-esteem, as well as providing an opportunity for you to meet new people and forge new relationships.
Attend Regular Check-Ups
As already mentioned, us older women have a number of health issues to deal with that those just a little bit younger than us don’t. These include sight deterioration, bunions, and even some pretty nasty diseases. While there is a lot that we can do to prevent and combat these problems, one of the best solutions is getting regular advice from a doctor. These professionals can advise you on any further steps that you could take, as well as offer medications and supplements.
Listen To Your Doctor
If you’re going to take the time to go and visit your doctor, you need to make sure that you actually listen to what they have to say and follow the advice and instructions that they give. Too many people forget to take their medication or just don’t bother in the first place, which doesn’t give it any time to actually do its job. Doctors are skilled and experienced professionals, so, if they’re telling you that you should do something, chances are, it’s for a very good reason.
Growing older doesn’t have to mean growing unhealthy. With the tips above, we can all stay happy and healthy throughout our sixties and beyond.