New Year's Resolutions for Seniors
The beginning of a new year brings the time to let all of the mistakes of the past year go and step into the next 365 days with joy and anticipation in your heart. For seniors, the scope of your annual resolutions may have changed, but it is still important to pause and reflect on what simple changes could help you in your everyday life.
Caregivers can help with keeping those resolutions for independent seniors who just need a little support to stay at home. Call Visiting Angels of Matawan at (732) 671-2899 or visit our website at www.visitingangels.com/matawan to find out more about our services.
When making resolutions to start your new year, it is important to think of small steps and steady progress. Choose goals that will enhance your life and also not cause you to feel badly if you don’t achieve them. Here are some ideas that might spark some of your own!
Try a New Healthy Food Weekly
Take a stroll through your local grocery store and look for a vegetable or fruit that you haven’t seen before. Check your cookbooks for a recipe or at an online site like cookinglight.com. You can also find out more about the food you are trying and spices and herbs that pair well with it by doing online searches.
Join a Dance or Exercise Class
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that older adults need 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week (that’s just over 10 minutes a day!). Muscle strengthening is also recommended two or more days per week. Taking a regular dance or exercise class can help to achieve these goals in a safe, fun environment. You also get the added bonus of listening to music and bonding with others in your community.
Spend More Time in Nature
The American Psychological Association says that from a stroll through a city park to a day spent hiking in the wilderness, exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks in empathy and cooperation. Sunshine also gives you much needed vitamin D; a daily dose of 20 minutes is all you need!
Keep a Positive Mindset
Positive thinking is important because it can have a beneficial impact on both physical and mental well-being. People who maintain a more positive outlook on life cope better with stress, have better immunity, and have a lower risk of premature death.
Stimulate Your Mind
Mental stimulation can have a positive impact on overall health. The more active our minds are, the less likely it is that we develop mental health problems and physical disabilities. For seniors who deal with depression or anxiety, mental stimulation tasks can reduce the symptoms and help them feel happier each day. Mental stimulation also helps with stress reduction. Stress can have an impact on our overall health and controlling stress through mental stimulation is a great way to increase the chance of living a longer and happier life.
Prioritize annual health screenings
Start making appointments in January for the rest of the year. Annual screenings can be scheduled ahead of time so that you don’t have to wait for the doctor’s office to call. These days our healthcare providers are so busy, it is our gift to them to track our own medical needs.
Become a plant owner
One of the best things about caring for indoor plants is the beautiful exchange that happens – plants depend on us for water, and they take care of us by improving the air we breathe and making our space more beautiful. Being a plant owner reduces stress, improves your sense of wellbeing, and supports cognitive health. Plants can also be hopeful. As they grow and blossom, they can be an important reminder for us of things to come.
Head to a day spa
Spa treatments have many benefits for seniors, including reducing pain, better sleep, and more mobility. No matter how old you are, taking care of your body and staying healthy is essential. Not to mention the wonderful feeling of being taken care of by others and emerging clean and refreshed is unmatched!
Volunteer regularly
Volunteering reduces stress and increases positive, relaxed feelings by releasing dopamine. By spending time in service to others, volunteers report feeling a sense of meaning and appreciation, both given and received, which can have a stress-reducing effect.
Keep written correspondence
Writing letters may seem old-fashioned but corresponding with friends and family has important health benefits. Writing regularly increases clarity and broadens perspectives, eases feelings of loneliness and isolation, develops a sense of accomplishment, strengthens friendships and family bonds, and creates joy for both the receiver and the sender.
If you need support to help make your new year’s resolutions stick, Visiting Angels of Matawan can match you with the perfect caregiver. Call us at (732) 671-2899 for a free consultation today!