You have the opportunity to fill your senior years with your favorite activities and people. To keep up with your interests, you want to keep fit so you can enjoy them for as long as possible. However, everyone has their own lifestyle and preferences, so be sure to cater the ways you keep fit to your personal needs. If you aren’t confident about where to start, you can begin with the five suggestions below.

Regular exercise

Exercising can be many things. You can walk, cycle, swim, row, lift weights, and so much more. Any regular exercise that gets the blood flowing and increases your heart rate is beneficial for your body. When you work your muscles, not only do they become stronger, but they can also become more flexible. Maintaining the body’s muscle mass can help your stability as you balance or lift objects.

If you think you’d like to start getting regular exercise in, you may consider joining a gym, signing up for a specific class, starting a sport, or walking with neighbors.

Appropriate amount of food and water

Your body needs fuel to keep up with daily activities, both physical and mental. You can get energy by consuming the appropriate balance of nutrients. The right food portions of vegetables, fruits, proteins, and whole grains can give your body what it needs to make it through the day.

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined most men should drink about 3.7 liters of water each day, and women should drink about 2.7 liters. However, it all depends on your body and lifestyle.

Additionally, it is essential to eat the proper amount during the day, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You may also consider eating small snacks between larger meals. Your body can tell you when you are not getting enough nutrients. You may experience dizziness, shaking, and headaches if you do not eat or drink enough during the day.

Mental stimulation

When you continuously keep the brain stimulated, you can prevent the onset of certain illnesses, including dementia. When you retire, you may lose stimulation, so picking up hobbies such as crosswords or sudoku can help. You can also lower the rate of depression when you actively learn and stimulate your mind regularly in your senior years.

When you think of keeping fit, you may only think of the physical sense, but the mind also plays a role. It is essential not to forget about mental stimulation.

Good sleep

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those 65 and older should get an average of 7-8 hours of sleep each night. The number of hours you are sleeping is important, but quality sleep is critical. If you wake up throughout the night or feel tired even after getting enough sleep, you are likely not getting good-quality sleep.

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is when you are in a deep sleep and dreaming. During this stage, your brain activity increases which can be essential for memory. REM sleep should take up about 20-25% of sleep. If you don’t believe you are getting the quality of sleep you’d like to get, you may want to change your sleeping habits. One typical pattern is watching television before bed. Studies have shown watching television can increase stress and fatigue.

The right amount of quality sleep can go a long way when trying to keep fit in your senior years!

Preventive visits

In your senior years, you may get your health coverage from Medicare. Medicare Part B covers all things medical, including preventive visits. When you are within your first 12 months of being on Medicare, you can schedule the Welcome to Medicare visit, and each year after, you can schedule an Annual Wellness visit. Although these two visits are optional, they are considered preventive and covered 100% by Medicare Part B.

Preventive visits help you get ahead of diseases and illnesses. Your doctor may perform specific tests to make sure your levels are where they need to be. If they find anything suspicious, they can order more and hopefully catch a disease in the early stage when it can be most treatable.

Conclusion

Although these are not the only five ways to keep fit in your senior years, they are important ones to consider. Your body needs proper nutrients to fuel the body and brain, and it needs sleep to rest. You may consider changing some of your current habits to ensure you keep fit so you can enjoy your day-to-day activities.