It’s never too late to want to make a change. Life is definitely a balancing act, and for those who have been around for those few extra years have all the knowledge on what’s best to make it work. After dedicating the day-to-day to work and family to achieve the best life possible, there comes a time where the older professional needs to start taking care of themselves. The children are now out of the house and running a household isn’t as stressful as it was with a few children or even one child running around.
There’s now no excuse, very soon your children may be starting families of their own and you need to be in tip-top shape to run after those active little grandchildren. There’s no better time than the present to get your self back up and running, yes there are the aches and pains that may come with getting older but the best way to combat the minor set backs is to become stronger. A stronger and healthier you contributes to an overall better quality of life and the best way to enjoy those day of being young again. When the children leave the house, it can take you back to the first days of marriage when it was just two, your life may be more stable now because of the hard work you’ve put in to take care of your family. It’s time to take care of YOU!
Get a hold of this fresh start and become the best version of you, it’s not time for retirement as yet and you’re still young, embrace the youth and keep pushing, enjoy life and live healthy while still maintaining the career and life that you’ve built. Having a healthy body brings a healthy mind, giving you a fresh outlook on everything within the work place and the ability to keep up with all of the fast pace changes that are taking place in the working world today.
Here are some useful tips to keep you in tip-top shape, as you get older to maintain the best quality of life:
Nutrition
You likely need fewer calories now than you did when you were in your 30s. Ensure that you’re choosing nutrient rich food from all the food groups in every meal.
Stock your pantry so you always have basic foods on hand for a healthy snack or meal.
Ensure that you prepare your food at home as opposed to buying out, many fast food outlets cook with oil and excess amounts of butter. You’re not 100 per cent sure what’s going into your food, and heart health is something that you need to pay extra attention to as you get older. Nothing beats a good home cooked meal to ensure you’re eating three balanced meals a day.
Ensure that you’re drinking water daily. In a country like Trinidad where the climate is always hot or extremely hot, it’s important to stay hydrated. Your ability to recognise thirst deteriorates as you get older, so it’s important to be conscious of what you’re putting into your body. Always choose water, fresh fruit juices, milk or herbal teas as opposed to sodas or juiced with extremely high sugar content.
Eat foods high in fibre to ensure digestive regularity.
Physical Wellness
As you get older, physical wellness is important to maintain your independence. You’re still a part of the working world and need independence to get yourself to and from work every single day. Taking some time out of your day to go for a simple walk, swim, or even go to the gym and do a moderate workout to get your blood flowing.
Do at least 30 minutes of exercise a few times a week with activities that raise your heart rate. This is an excellent practice to keep your heart healthy.
Do some muscle strengthening exercises at least twice a week. This does not mean that you need to go to the gym to life heavy weights, what I mean is that you use moderate weight or even resistance bands with light muscular exercises. This keeps your muscles and bones healthy to ensure that you can meet the demands of the environment around you.
DANIELLE DA SILVA
danastnt@hotmail.com
