By Patty Endres, Garden Square at Westlake, 970-576-7222
People are always talking about staying healthy and we can get a bit tired of all the hype. When you see it in print, and people talk about it so much, you may end up not paying attention since it’s there all the time. We all know that eating right, getting enough sleep, managing your stress and getting regular exercise will help. But there are a couple of things you may not attribute to healthy aging.
Staying involved with friends or do something to make new ones. If you hide in the house all the time, you aren’t socializing. I read in a stress management course that relationships are more impactful to peoples’ health than having money. Not that we don’t need money, but for a person to be happy and healthy, they need to be around others.
Continue to learn. Many folks feel that they don’t need to take any more classes or learn new activities, because they’ve retired and are going to relax. Just because you don’t have to, or you don’t need college credit doesn’t mean the classes aren’t meaningful. Your brain craves new things to keep you sharp both mentally and physically, as they both seem to work together.
Attitude is everything. If you are in a funk and can’t seem to get out of it, you need to find a way to change your attitude. Take a laughter course, go to the comedy club, and find one thing each day that makes you laugh, especially at yourself. Also, I read that keeping a gratitude journal helps attitude.
Volunteer. Many people find that when they give to others it puts their own problems in perspective. It allows the giver to feel useful which focuses attention on something other than themselves.
I think it was Einstein who said that it’s insane to think things will change by doing the same thing over and over. It’s a new year. Start it off right by doing something different to make your life healthy and happy.