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Senior Exercise and Fitness Tips
As we get older, sleep seems to become somewhat elusive. The lack of melatonin after age 60 often contributes to insomnia. Many have trouble falling asleep or sleep much too lightly, waking up often in the night. However, older adults need just about as much sleep as a young adult in their 20s. Fortunately, the following tips can help anyone get the recommended amount of sleep with a bit of effort.
Develop A Sleep Routine That Works For You
Older adults need a great deal of consistency in their sleep routines. It’s much easier to get to sleep when you have a routine that really trains your mind and body to get ready for bed. Some find it helps to take a warm bath or to read a book. Others find solace in drinking a warm glass of milk right before bedtime. However you feel the most comfortable, a solid routine can go a long way in getting you the recommended hours of sleep.
A common problem with many adults in general is that they perform stimulating activities right before bedtime such as eating, drinking alcohol or watching an action movie. Meanwhile, these may seem like the right way to fall asleep, they actually keep your mind awake much longer than you would think. You need to let your mind take a break and relax or you’ll find yourself tossing and turning. Listening to calming music or reading a favorite novel is a good way to relax your mind and drift off to sleep.
Ensure You Have The Right Mattress And Pillows
As we age, it’s more than normal to develop achy joints and muscle pains. Unfortunately, the problem is that most adults ignore the importance of a good mattress and the effects that a bad one may have on their sleep patterns. Memory foam mattresses are also a much better sleep aid as we age as the mattress relieves pressure on the points on your body and is able to accommodate all manner of builds.
Pillows are another integral part of really getting to sleep on time. Side sleepers, for example, need just enough head support to eliminate spinal tension. A pillow between the legs is also recommended to help realign the spine. Back sleepers should try putting a small pillow beneath their knees as it helps release tension and makes sleeping more comfortable.
Say No To Afternoon Naps!
Not getting enough sleep at night may contribute to the bad habit of taking afternoon naps. It may seem like a good idea at first, but you’ll throw your body out of balance. In fact, insomnia sufferers often get worse as they age due to their unbroken habit of naps.
Address Your Sleeping Environment
What kind of sleep environment do you have in your bedroom? Mainly, you need to ask whether it is indeed conducive to seep. Changes in temperatures and high noise levels often make it harder to sleep and to stay in bed. Address these problems that seem to surface in the night. Technology and bright lights are other issues that may contribute to fewer hours of sleep.
Deal With Your Stress
Stress and anxiety are perhaps the number one culprits that prevent you from sleeping. The worries that you deal with during the day may come to haunt you at night. Bills, health problems and other issues don’t allow your mind to turn off and relax.
Getting enough sleep as an older adult is an integral part of your life. Whether you suffer from insomnia or you sleep lightly, the above tips can help you create a bedtime routine that addresses your problems.
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Tips For A Cancer Prevention Diet
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Build A Healthy Heart With These Seven Diet Tips
It is no secret that the Western World is facing what can only be described as an epidemic of obesity and heart disease. The reasons for this are myriad, but at the heart (excuse the pun) of this problem lie a few core issues. The first of these is that we are today more pressured than ever before when it comes to our time. This has led to many becoming increasingly reliant on fast foods – with inevitable health consequences. High sodium and saturated fat levels of the widely available convenience and fast food are only one component of just why this diet is killing more people than ever before. The second is stress. Not only do we have less time to prepare healthy meals – but our fast-paced lifestyle increases stress levels – again with worrying health consequences. Then there is an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Many people today spend much of their time in front of a screen of some kind – for increasingly long periods. We have neither the energy nor the freedom to enjoy the benefits of regular exercise.
Fortunately – even given limited time there are some steps that we can take in order to enjoy a heart-friendly diet.
Here are seven simple strategies to ensure that heart disease is kept at bay.
1. Portion Control.
Unfortunately, the portions that we consume. whether in the comfort of our own homes or at a dining establishment are too large. Avoid larger portions – and do not eat until you simply cannot anymore. Select a smaller plate. Try and focus on high energy foods that have the nutrients that you will need to maintain energy levels. fruits and vegetables are great choices. Avoid refined foods.
2. Vegetables and Fruit.
As mentioned both of these are great choices when it comes to enjoying a heart-friendly diet. they supply essential vitamins and minerals – and many of them have properties that have been proven to fight heart disease. They also make great snacks to stave off those hunger pangs. simple as cutting up and storing in the fridge for snack purposes. The Internet also has huge repositories of recipes that allow for quick and easy veggie-centric meals to be prepared. If time is an issue then low salt canned or frozen vegetables are perfectly acceptable.
Another way to get all your necessary vitamins and minerals is to eat fortified foods like they did in this amazing school feeding scheme.
3. The Importance of Whole Grains.
These grains are an excellent choice of fiber. That fiber is essential for controlling blood pressure and avoiding cardiac issues. The best news is that you can by and large cut out refined grains and substitute healthy whole grains. The simple choice of using whole-wheat flour is a great place to start. Try some wholesome barley soup as an intro to your meal – it’s delicious and nutritious – and is easy to freeze so you will always have access to a heart-friendly option. Brown rice is another great addition to any meal. Whole grain pasta is also widely available.
4. Watch the Fats.
Saturated and trans fats have been widely implicated as contributing to heart disease. Protein that contains these fats should make up no more than between five and six percent of your daily diet. Trim excess fat from the meat that you consume. Use less butter (and margarine) while cooking. A great habit to make part of your shopping is to check the labels of the food that you will be purchasing. If it is marketed as ‘low fat’ it may not be as healthy as you think. Once again – there are great guides on the Internet. Choose Olive Oil and Canola Oil.
5. Choose your Fats Carefully.
Poultry and fish (omega-3 fatty acids help cut down on heart unfriendly triglycerides in your body) are great choices. Cut down on the red meat. Reduced fat milk is another great choice. If you want to try some meat substitutes (think soy burger) go ahead. Some of the modern products are extremely tasty.
6. Cut Down on Sodium.
Reduce your salt intake. Shop for reduced sodium products – especially in products like canned soups and frozen ‘convenience foods’. There are also some fabulous seasonings available that feature little or no salt.
7. Plan Ahead.
This is essential. It reduces the stress of meal preparation, as well as reducing the temptation to go the fast food route. Plan your daily meals. That allows for variety and the conscious choice in selecting ingredients. Remember to prepare ahead of time where possible and make use of your freezer.
A heart-friendly diet is not only essential – it is tasty – and can be extremely convenient. A bit of thought and planning and you will be leading a healthier lifestyle in no time at all. Happy heart health.
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Tips For A Cancer Prevention Diet
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Tips For A Cancer Prevention Diet
There are plenty of things that an optimal diet can do for you. One that you might not be aware of is the ability to prevent cancer as best possible. While there is no sure thing, there are steps you can take to prevent cancer with an optimized and healthy diet. Below, we will be going over some of the top tips for a cancer prevention diet.
Tips For A Cancer Prevention Diet:
1. Sustain A Healthy Weight.
One of the best things that you can do to ensure that you are able to maintain a healthy weight would be to sustain a healthy weight. By avoiding the complications of being overweight, you should be able to reduce your risk of putting yourself in a position to develop cancer. You should be doing this by combining a healthy diet with healthy amounts of exercise.
2. Eat A Balanced Diet.
Another big thing that you will be able to do in order to prevent yourself from being at a high risk for developing cancer is eating a balanced diet. You want to try to get in a healthy and balanced diet that is full of whole foods. Eating a diet full of whole foods is key if you want to prevent cancer because a lot of the foods that you will find that have been heavily processed are going to be cancer-causing foods.
3. Reduce Meat Intake.
While some meat can be good for you, it is never recommended to consume large amounts of meat. You want to try to avoid eating too much meat as it can cause you to have an increased risk for colon cancer. Instead of eating a diet heavy on meat, you should look to get other protein sources into your diet in order to minimize your meat intake.
Getting sushi delivery straight to your house is a fantastic way to eat healthy, reduce meat intake and stay relaxed at home.
4. Reduce Alcohol.
Hand rejecting alcoholic beer beverage concept for alcoholism and addiction
You will want to reduce the alcohol that you consume on a daily basis. You don’t want to drink too much because it is going to increase your risk of developing all kinds of cancer ranging from mouth cancer to breast and even colon cancer. If you are going to be drinking alcohol, you will want to limit your consumption of them.
5. Leafy Greens.
One of the best additions that you can make if you are looking to reduce your risk of cancer would be leafy green vegetables. By taking in more leafy greens, you will be able to considerably reduce your risk of cancer because these vegetables contain all kinds of cancer-killing ingredients. For one, you are going to take in a lot of vitamins that can help to reduce your risk alone. Along with this, you will be able to take in a lot of properties that can make it easier for your body to dispel toxins which can cause buildup throughout your body. Lastly, leafy greens are going to be able to eliminate excess inflammation throughout your body. Inflammation is at the root of all disease. Therefore, by reducing inflammation, you will be able to maximize your cancer prevention.
Overall, there are plenty of different things that you can do to increase your cancer prevention throughout your diet. Whether it be through eliminating eating inflammatory foods and foods with high-fat or by getting more healthy foods with anti-inflammatory vitamins and minerals, you should be able to make significant adjustments in your diet that can pay off in a big way. There is a lot you can do through diet alone when it comes to giving yourself the ability to fight against cancer development. By combining a healthy diet with healthy exercise, you should be able to do your best to prevent cancer.
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Senior Exercise and Fitness Tips
Health is Wealth
