Happy New Year 2024!
According to Forbes Magazine the top New Year’s resolution in America in 2024 is to improve fitness followed by losing weight and eating better. For seniors, these goals are great but other goals like improving one’s outlook and have fun while getting results should also be considered.
We have seen a lot of different suggestions and we think the following tips gleaned from a recent article offer some great new ideas for the New Year.
Eat more nutritious foods
Your health matters now more than ever. At the Brookhouse Home we are very proud of our nutritious meals but we can always benefit from trying to eat even more nutrient-dense foods.
Move more
And kind of movement or exercise can be incorporated more into your daily habits. We recently learned that dancing is one of the best exercises for cognitive health. Physical activities like dance are especially important for older people as this supports heart health, strengthens joints, and reduces the risk of injury from falls.
Learn something new
There is always the opportunity to learn something new and one of the things our activities director likes to do is brain puzzles and trivia games. It is a great way to keep learning, but simply taking a different route on your walk or stopping to talk to your neighbor can keep us social and learning this year.
Make new friends, or spend more time with old ones
Feeling lonely and isolated has been linked with cognitive decline for seniors. Further, medical experts believe that loneliness increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. By setting a goal to make new friends, or staying in regular contact with old ones, this can be a great way to fend off loneliness. If you’re struggling to meet like-minded people in your same stage of life, you might consider moving to a senior living community like ours.
Sleep better
Sleeping well is an overall health booster. Finding solutions to sleep problems you might have, create a better nighttime routine, or talking to your doctor about insomnia or other concerns you might have about your sleep can help with a goal to sleep better.
Stay creative
Creative outlets for your mind can include simple activities from watercolor painting to knitting. Creativity is important for brain function, so be sure and ask your activities director for more creative or in-depth projects this year.
Preserve your life story
Grandchildren and great-grandchildren want to know about your life, all of it, including the parts before they were born. Memorialize your life story in some way for your descendants to read or watch. You could scrapbook, compile photo albums, write a memoir, or record videos of yourself talking about your life.
Learn new technology
The Brookhouse Home has seen the benefit of our residents using their computer tablets, laptops and phones more often and we even see them engaging social media more and more. It can be difficult to keep up with technology these days, but failing to do so means you’re missing out on ways to connect with the people who matter most to you. Try to learn and keep up with today’s tech, so you can continue to experience everything good the world has to offer.
Be more authentic
We sometimes spend most of our lives not having the hard conversations and not saying how we really feel about things. Now is the time to be truly honest with all those around you. Be your most authentic self. What do you have to lose?
Reconsider multi-vitamins
Reconsider using vitamins or nutrition supplements. as many older adults do not need them. Consult your healthcare provider if you have any issues or concerns about your nutrition.
