Healthy Tips for a Long Happy LifeBY

Getting older doesn’t have to mean a deterioration of health and happiness. By building on four healthful foundations —food, faith, fun and fitness--seniors can experience decades of good living.

Food is the Foundation for Good Health

Plan meals around easily digestible fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat, fish, and legumes, an excellent alternative source of proteins. Soft fruits like peaches, pears, and plums help digestion and prevent constipation—a result of a more sedentary lifestyle. If eating raw foods becomes difficult because of dentures or missing teeth, soften them in the microwave or try juicing fruits and veggies.

Eat More Vegetables and Fruit

Seniors should avoid eating red meat and processed foods, such as bologna or sausage, which can clog the arteries. Broiled or baked chicken and fish are good protein sources and easily digested when served in smaller portions, no more than four ounces. Remember: quality is more important than quantity. Serving high-quality, whole meals instead of fast food meals will keep seniors healthier.

Ditch the soda, coffee, tea and sugary beverages for distilled water. At less than a dollar per gallon, drinking distilled water is like drinking from the fountain of youth. Purified water helps prevent kidney and gall bladder stones, flushes out harmful toxins, and hydrates aging skin and brittle bones.

Cut Back on Red Meat and Refined Foods

Drink More Water

Faith is the Foundation of Happiness

Seniors who regularly participate in church activities could live longer. Expressing one’s faith in God through prayer, fellowship, and Bible study bolsters the spirit and gives individuals a reason to live. Even nursing home residents should be encouraged to participate in weekly devotions, join the choir, or listen to spirituals.

Worship Your Way to Good Health

Fun is the Foundation for a Sound Mind

Older adults who regularly participate in physical or social activity are more likely to not only age gracefully but also live happier, more productive and longer lives. Studies indicate that laughter and social interaction turn on certain receptors in the brain that cause the body to function at its optimum level.

Laugh! it’s Better than Medicine

Fitness is the Foundation for a Strong Body

Encourage seniors to join a low impact exercise class like water aerobics, walking or spinning – anything to get them up and to move. Chair exercises are great for soothing arthritic joints while card and board games help keep aging minds sharp. Thirty minutes of exercise every day can add years of youthful living.

Don’t Stop Moving

Thank YouHome Care Assistance of Greater Phoenix offers hourly and live-in home care for seniors in Phoenix, AZ. We provide senior care services to elderly and adults who need assistance. Free In-Home Care Consultation.

Phone: (602) 388-1085

Address: 3143 E Lincoln Dr.

Phoenix, AZ 85016

Web: http://www.homecareassistancephoenix.com/