No matter how hard we try and fight it, the aging process happens to us all. Once you get past 18, it feels as though your adult years fly before your eyes. If this sounds like you and your senior years are closer than you thought, now is the time to take a look at your health and mobility and daily habits.
As we get older, our mobility begins to decline, which can have a huge impact on our confidence and self-worth. Therefore, practicing daily habits such as those below can help boost mobility and help you retain independence.
Go For a Walk
While it may sound like an obvious tip, going for a daily walk can be highly beneficial in boosting your mobility. If you’ve recently retired, you may see this as a time to put your feet up and take it easy. However, the less mobile you are, the more at risk you are of developing serious health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Going for a short walk around the block can keep your mobility levels in check, not to mention the fact that it will do wonders for your mental wellbeing.
Practice Yoga
As you age, strenuous physical activity may become harder to do. If you don’t like the idea of hitting a gym or doing anything that will cause more harm to your body than good, low-intensity activities like yoga may be the answer for boosting your mobility. Regular yoga sessions can also improve flexibility, helping to make you fitter and stronger. Whether you practice yoga daily, a couple of times a week, at home, or in a class, you will soon notice the benefits yoga can bring.
Stretch
Simple habits like taking time to stretch in the morning and evening can do your mobility the world of good. After a good night’s sleep, stretching your arms and legs helps to keep your muscles flexible, which is vital for maintaining a range of motion in your joints. Daily stretching can also improve your posture, decrease back pain, and decrease muscle soreness. Lower back pain like lumbago is more common as you age, so getting into the habit of stretching may help in relieving pain and discomfort.
Eat Joint-Friendly Foods
What you put on your plate can have a huge impact on your mobility going forward. As you get older, you need to take more notice of your diet. If you’re the kind of person who loves junk food, this can be having negative effects on your health and mobility. There are lots of joint-friendly foods that can strengthen your mobility, including red apples, berries, nuts, and oily fish. Making changes to what you eat and sticking to joint-friendly options will help keep you on your feet and moving.
Take Supplements
We’re inundated with adverts online and on the television that promotes supplements (and for good reason too!). In addition to following a healthy diet and eating joint-friendly foods, adding some supplements into your diet could help you further in regard to retaining your mobility. There are lots of different supplements that can help improve joint pain and inflammation, including glucosamine, type 2 collagen, and fish oil.
Dance
You will have difficulty finding someone who doesn’t love some kind of music. Whether you’re a fan of the songs around you growing up, or you’re into more recent tunes, having a dance around the house can do wonders for your mobility and flexibility. The physical benefits of dance are endless. Dancing can improve your balance and coordination, improve muscle tone and strength, as well as enhance cardiovascular health. Whether you’re a senior or not, getting into the habit of dancing can give your whole body a workout, and of course, boost your mobility.
Sit Up Straight
If you’re always slouching when on the couch, you’re not alone. Whether you’re watching your favorite TV show or catching the news, sitting in the same position for prolonged periods can harm your joints and mobility. Sitting up straight and retaining good posture is key for boosting mobility.
Whether you’re now in your golden years or retirement is looming, you will want to hold onto your mobility for as long as possible. Therefore, getting into the habit of doing all (or any) of the above can help boost your mobility and keep you leading an excellent quality of life.
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