6 Health tips for Seniors

by Ms. Hansa Bajaj 
Diet/ Nutrition/Fitness Consultant

1. Maintain a healthy weight: If you gain weight, your risk of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure increases. Calculate your BMI to find out if you are overweight.

2. Stay active and fit: You can go for a walk or do any type of physical activity to maintain strength, balance, and flexibility and promote heart health. It will also help you maintain healthy weight, prevents illness, decrease stress and sleep better. 

Select activities you find interesting and manageable because you are more likely to stick to an exercise routine of your choice.

Some physical activities may not be appropriate for you if you are suffering from recent illness or you have been sedentary for a long time. Check with your doctor before you include exercise in your daily routine. Also, start slowly and reduce your risk of falls by including some balancing exercises in your weekly routine.

3. Avoid smoking: Smoking causes cancer, strokes and heart failure. Improve your health and combat aging by taking this crucial step.

4. Eat healthy: Eat the right amount and the right type of food to maintain a healthy weight. Osteoporosis, Diabetes, High blood pressure and heart disease can be prevented with diet modifications. A regular calcium and vitamin D supplement is also necessary to prevent osteoporosis.

5. Manage stress: Try meditation, yoga and other relaxation techniques to combat stress.

6. Do regular preventive health screening and vision, dental, hearing checkups:  Mammography screening for women by the age of 50 is important for breast cancer. For men, many preventive checkups for prostate cancer, etc. are important. Cataracts, glaucoma and hearing loss, etc. occur commonly with aging which can also be prevented by regular health checkups.

Source: http://www.mylifecare.co.in