Ways to be a healthy older adult
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EmailUseful tips to help you stay healthy throughout your lifespan.
As older adults, we need to take control of our health to help us thrive as we age.
There are four basic things we can do to increase our health and well-being: eat well, be active, maintain a healthy weight, and keep our foods safe. Michigan State University Extension recommends we take these steps to gain control of your health.
1. Eat well
- Use the USDA’s MyPlate as a guide for your daily food choices.
- Choose a wide variety of foods every day, including whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins.
- Limit saturated fat and added sugar in your diet. Not sure how to do this? Remove skin and fat from animal-based protein, such as chicken, before cooking. Choose liquid oils that are high in unsaturated fats. Check nutrition labels when purchasing packaged food. Consider limiting or reducing sugary beverages and drinking more water or low-fat milk.
2. Be physically active
- Consult with your physician before starting any new exercise routine, especially if you have been sedentary for a year or more, are over age 65 or have heart trouble, high blood pressure, chest pain, diabetes or dizziness.
- Build slowly to help reduce the potential for injury.
- Try to participate in some form of physical activity most days of the week for at least 30 minutes. You can break the time into smaller segments, such as 10 minutes three times a day.
- Try something new, such as swimming, biking, tennis, yoga, golf, stretch or strength-based exercises. Walking is a simple place to start and can be done anywhere.
- Always start your activity with a warmup and some stretching.
- Keep a physical activity log, or an Activity Planner, to see your activity and progress.
3. Maintain a healthy weight
- Exercising regularly and making healthy food choices can help to maintain a healthy weight. Managing weight can help to decrease the likelihood of heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
- Research shows that losing 10 pounds can help decrease blood pressure and reduce the risk of serious illnesses. Arthritic pain can also decrease with weight loss.
- Get a good night’s sleep of seven to nine hours each night. There is growing evidence that poor sleep habits are linked to obesity. Sleep loss can disrupt your metabolism, increase feelings of hunger, and raise cortisol levels, otherwise known as the stress hormone.
4. Stay food safe
- Older adults are at a greater risk of food borne illnesses, so it’s important to follow the guidelines to clean, separate, cook, and chill.
- Cook foods thoroughly. Use a meat thermometer to be sure food gets to the minimum internal temperatures.
- Avoid cross contamination by making sure to keep meat and meat juices separate from ready-to-eat food, beginning at the store and ending with food preparation.
- Keep food out of the temperature danger zone of 40 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. One way to do this is to make sure your refrigerator is set to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower and your freezer is 0 degrees or less.
- Before preparing any food, make sure to wash your hands with soap and water. Using clean kitchen utensils, washing and sanitizing cutting boards and cooking surfaces, and rinsing fruits and vegetables can also help with staying food safe.
- For food safety questions, call MSU Extension’s Food Safety Hotline at 1-877-643-9882.
By following these recommendations throughout our life, we are more likely to ensure we will age well. Making and keeping these healthy habits can decrease our risks of being diagnosed with chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Start your healthy habits today by choosing one of the recommendations listed above!
If you would like more information about food safety or nutrition, contact your local MSU Extension office or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3463).
