Category: Better Living

10 Ways Knitting can Improve Your Overall Health

Posted on by Martin

So you want to improve your health. What’s your first step? Maybe you get a gym membership or start power walking around the mall on rainy days. Maybe you purchase a few helpful diet books and start trying to incorporate more leafy greens into your meals. Maybe you take up yoga or tai chi. Those are all great efforts, but the answer to good health may be simpler than you think.
According to a recent article published by The New York Times, the simple act of knitting can provide some serious health benefits. And it’s less expensive than a gym membership.

Here’s what you need to know.

How knitting Can Improve Health and Wellbeing

Not convinced that picking up a pair of knitting needles can help you live longer and be happier? Here are the facts:

1. Knitting helps reduce stress

Knitting features a repetitive motion much like those found in yoga. As such, it offers many of the same relaxing benefits. While learning to complete the stitches can be difficult, at first, people who have zoomed past the learning curve typically find that knitting or crocheting can lower the heart rate, decrease the blood pressure, and reduce the amount of cortisol the body dumps into the bloodstream.

2. Knitting can boost self-esteem

There’s nothing quite like crafting an item from scratch to help you feel good about yourself. While yoga and meditation both provide some of the same relaxing benefits of knitting, knitting does something that neither of those pastimes does: it provides a tangible payoff in the form of a hat, scarf, or sweater.

For people with low self-esteem, seeing these things come together from nothing can be an incredibly rewarding experience, and simply looking at the things they’ve created can help boost confidence and provide a dose of happiness for dedicated knitters near and far.

3. Knitting can replace addictive habits

For people struggling to stop smoking or drinking, or to navigate the stress and anxiety caused by death in the family, knitting can be a massive help. Programs like prisons and schools regularly use craft-making activities like knitting to help calm anxious individuals and boost social skills, and people struggling with addiction have routinely found that the repetitive and calming act of knitting can go a long way toward replacing their addictive behavior. 

4. Knitting may help you control your weight

Thousands of people throughout the country eat out of boredom. Thousands more eat when they’re feeling stressed or lonely. Over time, these emotional eating habits can lead to severe weight gain, which has an adverse impact on the quality and enjoyment of life. Fortunately, craftwork of any type (including knitting) can help control these urges.

By putting the mind into something positive and constructive, like making something, it’s easier to avoid emotional food cravings and focus on eating only when you’re hungry, rather than when you’re simply stressed or afraid. 

This is a simple payoff, but it’s one that can work wonders to improve the quality of your life and health.

5. Knitting can help keep arthritis in the hands at bay

If you’ve noticed your hands beginning to get arthritis as you age, knitting can help. Because knitting requires small, repetitive movements of the hands, it helps the fingers and joints remain dexterous in the golden years, which can translate into increased daily comfort and fewer arthritis symptoms moving forward.

6. Knitting can lessen eating disorders

While this may seem like an outlandish benefit, a study conducted by the University of British Columbia in 2009 found that 38% of women (all of whom suffered from anorexia nervosa) found that knitting helped them manage the problem. 

What’s more, 74% of participants said that knitting helped them decrease their anxiety and keep their fears at bay. Because of this, knitting is often used in eating disorder treatment programs and can be ideal for people who have struggled with eating disorders in the past.

7. Knitting can decrease depression

If you’ve been feeling blue lately, knitting may be just the thing to help you. According to a study conducted by Betsan Corkhill, an England native, wellness coach, and founder of the “therapeutic knitting” site Stitchlinks, 54% of respondents in an informal survey said that knitting helped them feel happy or worked to alleviate their depression.

This may be due to the relaxing benefits of knitting, or to the fact that focusing on something positive makes it much harder to focus on negative, time-consuming thoughts.

8. Knitting can help manage chronic pain

Because knitting requires all of a person’s focus, it can decrease chronic pain and help the brain re-focus on the positive, thus reducing a person’s experience of pain. 

Because of this, and because it is a low-intensity activity, it can be ideal for individuals who have cancer or are coping with painful, chronic conditions.

9. Knitting can stave off the effects of cognitive decline

According to a 2011 study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, participating in cognitive activities like knitting and crocheting can help prevent or decrease the effects of cognitive decline. In the study, 1,321 people between the ages of 70 and 89 were evaluated and interviewed about the cognitive activities they participated in. The study determined that the seniors who engaged in craft making activities had lower rates of cognitive impairment and memory loss.

With this in mind, it’s clear that something as simple as knitting can go a long way toward improving mental health and staving off cognitive decline with age.

10. Knitting can help you be a part of a community

Multiple studies have shown that maintaining social relationships is critical as we age, and knitting is a great access point for doing this. By joining a knitting group, attending craft shows, and more, knitters can show off their wares and make new friends along the way.

The Case for Knitting

Simple, low-impact, and easy for virtually everyone to enjoy, knitting is a fantastic way for people to manage pain, feel happier, and stay active as they age. Plus, it’s an excellent way to produce some truly unique wearable items for yourself and your family!

 

 

6 Proven Methods to Improve Your Memory as You Age

Posted on by Martin

Memory loss: it’s one of the things people fear the most about aging. While memory loss comes in a variety of shapes and forms, many people imagine themselves unable to remember a loved one’s phone number or forgetting special days. 

While these things are a reality for some seniors, memory loss doesn’t have to be an essential component of aging. In fact, people who take proactive steps to improve their memories with age can enjoy a lifetime of mental sharpness and clarity. Read on.

What is Memory Loss?

Memory loss is forgetfulness that exceeds normal levels. For example, a young person may forget the name of a performer for a moment, and then recall it in conversation several minutes later. This is not memory loss. Instead, it’s a standard spell of forgetfulness.

If a senior begins to forget things like whether the stove is turned on, where he or she lives, or whether a visitor is a daughter or a neighbor, this is considered memory loss.

According to Medline Plus, memory loss is caused by normal aging or by injuries to the brain, including brain tumors, concussions or head trauma, brain infections, or stroke. 

While most people experience bouts of forgetfulness throughout their lives, memory loss is a problem that is most prevalent in seniors. According to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 out of every eight seniors experiences memory loss as they age. Surprisingly, this memory loss affects young seniors the most prominently, with 44.7% of older persons between ages 60-64 reporting memory loss. 

While some level of memory loss is normal throughout our lives, excessive or ongoing memory loss can be signs of Alzheimer’s or dementia. As such, it is important for people who want to keep their minds healthy as they age to take proactive steps to preventing memory loss.  

6 Smart Ways to Improve Your Memory as You Get Older

If you’d like to stave off the effects of memory loss, follow these six tips:

1. Keep learning new things

Learning new things is by far one of the best actions you can take to protect your memory and keep your mind sharp. Harvard Health Publications reports that higher levels of education are associated with improved mental functionality in old age. This may be because of several reasons. 

On the one hand, learning new things keeps people in the habit of using their minds, and may translate into higher levels of mental challenge and development with age. On the other hand, learning new things has been shown to help promote neuro-generative activity in the brain, and improve the brain’s ability to make new connections and keep existing connections healthy.

Fortunately, learning new things is simple, and you have many options if you’re interested. Pick up a new hobby or audit a class on a platform like edX. Take a dance class at your local community center or learn a new language. 

You don’t have to do something as drastic as going back to school to learn something new. You simply have to dedicate yourself to using your brain and making lifelong learning the top of your to-do list.

 

2. Don’t buy into the myths about aging and memory loss

The mind-body connection is one that’s often underestimated in our society. When it comes to memory loss, people who believe that aging and memory loss go hand-in-hand may actually experience increased memory loss. In fact, Harvard Health Publications reports that seniors exposed to repeated, negative stereotypes about memory loss and aging do worse on memory tests than their counterparts who avoid the stereotypes. 

With this in mind, don’t buy into the myth that aging means an automatic loss of memory. Take proactive steps to keep yourself healthy, and don’t believe the hype.

 

3. Engage all your various senses

The mind is a “use it or lose it” thing, and engaging all your senses helps keep each of them stronger. Memory works best when all our senses are engaged, and, because of this, it’s typically recommended that seniors pick up new hobbies that engage the senses.

For example, consider cooking. When you make a pizza from scratch, you have the scent of the ingredients, the feel of the dough as you knead it out on the counter, and the sight of bubbling cheese to look forward to.

If pizza isn’t your top priority, you’re not limited to cooking. In fact, any tactile hobby, like pottery, will work beautifully.

 

4. Focus your memory to where it’s needed most

The mind takes in thousands of tiny bits of information each day and, with age, this can quickly become overwhelming. Because of this, professionals recommend that seniors learn to economize their brainpower. For example, instead of clogging your head up with the 15 things you need to do next Tuesday, write it down in a planner. 

By getting it out of your head and onto a sheet of paper, where it’s easy to remember, you free your brainpower up for more important things, like learning new skills, building new relationships, and more. 

 

5. Reinforce your memories with repetition

Repetition is a powerful tool for solidifying memories and making short-term information long-term. With this in mind, use repetition in your daily life to boost your memory as you age. When you meet someone new at a gathering, repeat their name to yourself verbally. When you’re learning a new skill, repeat it several times until you feel like you have it down pat. We can’t expect our brains to perform well without the benefit of repetition, and the simple act of repeating something to ourselves can go a long way toward helping us remember it.

 

6. Take care of yourself physically

Good nutrition and adequate hydration make all the difference when it comes to protecting your memory. Simple things like inadequate hydration can have a devastating impact on memory, and studies have found that people who eat brain-boosting foods, such as fish, once each week have a massive 60% lower risk of developing dementia as they age. 

That said, fortify your diet with plenty of clean, fresh water, foods rich in omega-3s, and healthy fats.  Your brain will thank you for it!

Healthy Memories Start With Preventative Care

While conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia do affect some seniors, getting older doesn’t mean your memory must go out the window. With these six tips, it’s easy to take good care of your memory as you age, and enjoy a clear mind and sharp memory throughout your golden years. 

 

10 Volunteer Opportunities Guaranteed to Increase Your Happiness This Holiday Season

Posted on by Martin

Bring joy and hapiness to yourself and those less fortunate by volunteering this holiday season

The holidays are a time of giving, and most people find that they feel better about themselves and the world around them when they volunteer to help at local, national, or global organizations.

The reason for this is simple: the world is a hard place, and, while we can’t reach out and fix the entire thing at once, the most proactive step each of us can take is to do everything in our power to make our corner of it better.  

In recent years, the number of people who volunteer housebound has risen, climbing to more than 62.6 million adults in 2014. 

These figures spike during the holidays when people from all walks of life are looking for ways to give back, spread some good cheer, and lend a helping hand to their neighbors and communities.

If you’re searching for a volunteer opportunity to participate in this holiday season, here’s our list of the top ten volunteering opportunities:

1. Volunteer at a soup kitchen Help out at a soup kitchen

 Right now, 1 out of every 6 Americans faces hunger, and more than 17 million U.S. households experience “food insecurity” (meaning the household has occasional periods where it is difficult to access enough food for all its family members) each year.  These are staggering numbers, and they just go to show how critical the work that soup kitchens and similar community organizations offer is. 

This holiday season, one of the easiest and most helpful things you can do is to take an active role in feeding the hungry. Volunteer positions at soup kitchens (which provide free, hot meals for needy families and individuals) are common and straightforward. Plus, since they don’t require heavy lifting or intense physical activity, they’re ideal for older seniors or people with injuries and disabilities. 

To find a soup kitchen, community kitchen, or food bank (organizations that work to feed their communities around the holidays and throughout the year)  in your area, visit FeedingAmerica.com and enter your location. 

2.  Donate to a local domestic violence shelter

 Every single minute, an average of 20 people (in the U.S. alone) are abused by their intimate partner. This abuse leads to more than 10 million individuals being displaced from their homes annually. In many cases, the victims of abuse turn to domestic violence shelters for legal advocacy, orders of protection, housing, and healing.

This holiday season, find one of these organizations in your area and donate time, supplies, or money. In the name of safety, many domestic violence shelters are only open to women and children, and they always need simple supplies. Here are some items you can donate:

  • Baby formula
  • Diapers
  • Feminine hygiene products
  • Clothing
  • Household goods (shelters often furnish women with household supplies when they leave the shelter and move into their own apartments or homes)
  • Children’s toys
  • Holiday food (turkeys, cookies, etc.)
  •  Gifts

Some shelters also have facilities for pets, and separate housing units for men. To find out what your local shelter needs, contact them and ask for a requested donation list. Keep in mind that many shelters are in confidential locations and may not accept strangers as volunteers, so you may have to go through a screening process to volunteer at the shelter. 

If you don’t want to do that, you can always donate supplies. To locate your local organization, visit the local coalitions page from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  

3. Read to children at a local library

Read to children at the library

 Reading stories to children is a fun and enjoyable volunteer activity that leaves everyone involved feeling happy and festive – especially when the books are old holiday classics, like The Night Before Christmas. 

To find out when your library hosts children’s Storytime, and how you can get involved, contact your local organization for more information.

4. Read to seniors at a senior centerSeniors reading books for the holiday

Senior centers are commonly overlooked volunteering destinations, but they need just as much attention as places like soup kitchens and shelters. To give back to your community and help local seniors this holiday, offer to read stories, sing carols, make Christmas ornaments, or more at your local senior center.  

Many of the seniors in these places have no remaining family, and a visit from a caring volunteer may be something they look forward to for days.  

5. Do food drop-offs for your local food bank

Most local food banks run programs where they deliver critical groceries to people who are house-bound, ill, or needy. This holiday season, volunteer to take over some of these deliveries. In addition to being a critical service, these deliveries also provide essential supplies to vulnerable populations that truly need the help. 

When you volunteer your time to drop off these donations, and you’ll be rewarded by meeting new people and making new friends. 

6. Volunteer at a halfway house

Halfway houses are commonly in need of volunteers for the holidays. Simple things, like volunteering to cook meals or work with residents, or just offering to donate supplies are highly appreciated. These small things are wonderful ways to make a difference during the holiday season.

7. Donate your time to meals on wheels

Meals on Wheels is an important organization that makes it a mission to deliver warm, healthy meals to seniors who can’t cook for themselves, or leave home very easily. Without an organization like this, these seniors often go hungry or fail to get the nutrition they need from their daily meals.  

Meals on Wheels of America

Fortunately, your support can help make a difference. This holiday season, donate directly to Meals on Wheels or visit their website to locate volunteer opportunities in your area. 

While this is a simple program, it’s one that can make a significant difference in a senior’s life.  

8. Make care packages for overseas soldiers

Holiday packages for soldiers

Soldiers currently deployed overseas don’t get to spend the holidays with their families, and many of them are missing husbands, wives, parents, and children. This holiday season, one compassionate way to get involved and volunteer your time is to put together care packages for overseas military personnel. 

Military.com has a helpful list of things to send people who are deployed, and SupportOurTroops.org has simple directions for assembling and mailing care packages to overseas military. 

9. Volunteer at your local animal shelter

Volunteer at local animal shelter

We know it’s important for humans to have happy and safe holidays, but what about the animals in our lives? Each year, more than 7.6 million dogs and cats enter shelters in the U.S., and only 2.7 million are adopted. In no-kill shelters, caring for those animals left behind can be expensive and exhausting, and volunteer assistance is always appreciated. 

This holiday season, dedicate your time to caring for the animals who can’t come home for the holidays. Cleaning pens, cuddling with animals, walking dogs, or attending community events to raise awareness are all fantastic steps. If you can’t volunteer for physical work, consider donating pet food, beds, supplies, or even money to your local shelter.  

10. Help your neighbors

If you’d like to keep your volunteer efforts as close to home as possible, look for small ways to help your neighbors. Simple things like shoveling your elderly neighbor’s walk, brining a batch of homemade cookies, or singing carols with some people from your area will brighten spirits and help everyone get into the holiday frame of mind. 

 

Conclusion  

Volunteering for the holiday season is a great way to get into the giving mindset and make a difference in your community. While it can be difficult to locate volunteer opportunities that fit your priorities, these ten opportunities are ideal for most people and can help you do good this holiday season. 

18 Healthy Habits That Fight the Signs of Aging

Posted on by Martin

Let’s face it: nobody wants to get old. Unfortunately, it’s tough to avoid.

While aging is inevitable, it’s easy to develop a series of healthy habits that can help fight the signs of aging and make your golden years healthier, happier, and more exciting than they’ve ever been.

Read on to learn more.

 

18 Healthy Habits to Help You Age Gracefully

Want to enjoy your retirement and senior years more? Focus on developing these 18 healthy habits. 

1. Eat right and watch your weight 

We’ve all heard the saying “you are what you eat,” and it gets truer with age. When you feed your body high-quality, nutrient-dense foods, it stands up to the stresses and rigors of aging better and is less likely to break down or stop working over time.

What’s more, a well-rounded diet can also help fight off disease and keep the skin and body looking and feeling their best.

 2. Protect your skin with SPF

When it comes to the way you look, the sun is responsible for more premature aging than virtually anything else. With this in mind, wear SPF every time you go outside. In addition to keeping your skin healthy, and wrinkle – and age spot-free, wearing SPF also decrease the risk of skin cancer and helps you stay healthy in your older years.

3. Drink enough water 

Drinking enough water is essential to looking and feeling your best. With this in mind, shoot for at least eight glasses each day and don’t skimp on the other liquids, either. If you have a difficult time remembering to drink water, consider carrying a water bottle with you or setting alarms on your phone to remind yourself to have a glass several times each day.

4. Avoid alcohol as you age 

While a glass of wine with dinner is a habit many people enjoy, excess drinking ages the skin and can damage your appearance. With this in mind, keep your drinking to a minimum, and think twice before you pour that extra glass of red wine.

5. Stop (or avoid) smoking

If you smoke tobacco, your skin ages quicker, and you put yourself at risk for a whole slew of health complications that affect non-smokers at much lower rates. In addition to the fact that smoking increases the risk of cancer, it also damages your skin and enhances the look of wrinkles, age spots, and creepy skin. 

With this in mind, work to stop smoking today. If you don’t smoke, be sure to avoid second-hand smoke which can have equally detrimental effects.

6. Laugh as often as possible

Laughter is your best medicine, and maintaining a good sense of humor and lightheartedness can help you age gracefully.

In addition to relieving stress, laughter also helps to improve your mood and make you more approachable, so it can benefit your social relationships while also brightening your outlook – all of which are good for your mental and emotional health during the aging process.

7. Get active on a regular basis

Exercise is critical for staying fit and active as you age, and it’s important to get your heart rate up every day. Regardless of whether you choose to walk, run, or do yoga, getting moving on a daily basis is one of the best defenses against the signs of aging.

8. Get enough sleep

Getting a minimum of seven hours of sleep each night has far-reaching implications for your health. From helping your skin look more youthful to improving your cognitive function and outlook, there’s no question that adequate sleep is truly the fountain of youth. With this in mind, practice healthy sleep habits and prioritize your sleep for better health.

9. Keep a positive attitude

Positivity is paramount for aging well, and people who maintain a positive outlook on life simply age better. In fact, one study reports that individuals who remain positive are 40% more likely to recover from an injury or disability than those who get negative about the situation.

10. Mind your dinner portions

Just like watching what you eat is important, so, too, is watching how much you eat. A healthy diet full of balanced proportions will keep you looking and feeling great for longer.

11. Maintain your social relationships 

Healthy social relationships help people live longer, and keeping up on your friendships, social groups, and volunteering opportunities will give you a leg-up on aging. What’s more, it will also make it that much easier to enjoy your retirement and all of the free time that comes with it.

12. Do away with toxic relationships 

Toxic relationships suck the life-force out of people, and they can make it difficult to stay healthy. With this in mind, allow yourself to walk away from the relationships and situations that no longer serve you or make you happy.

13. Stop multitasking and allow yourself to focus

Multitasking creates stress and stress damages health. With this in mind, concentrate on cutting down on multitasking and sticking to one responsibility at a time. In addition to allowing you to execute your duties more efficiently, this will also make it easier to ensure a job well done, with as little stress as possible.

14. Avoid sweets and consider skipping dessert

While sweets are a heady temptation, excess sugar can damage your health and your appearance. With this in mind, consider cutting sweets out of your diet or, at the very least, avoiding them as often as possible. In addition to helping you stay trim and healthy, avoiding sugar can also keep you feeling and looking your best.

15. Try not to sit for long periods of time 

Sitting for hours on end is associated with a plethora of health problems, and people who get up and move fare better than their sedentary counterparts. With this in mind, take several short walks a day and set timers to get up and move around regularly if you must sit for extended periods of time. This will keep you healthy and lithe and feeling good throughout your golden years.

16. Keep your skin moisturized 

Things like indoor heaters and dry climates suck the moisture out of the skin, which can accelerate the aging process. With this in mind, keep your skin moisturized and avoid the temptation to skip on the skin lotion before bed.

17. Eat a selection of healthy fats

The brain and other vital body organs rely on fat for proper function, so keeping your diet rich in healthy and beneficial fats is key. The omega-3 fatty acids found in things like Salmon and walnuts can benefit your health for years to come, while also keeping you full.

18. Mind your posture

Slouching can contribute to a hunchback appearance that makes you look older than you are. Instead, remember your posture and be proactive about improving it. In addition to keeping your spine healthy, this will also help you appear younger.

The Signs of Aging Stop Here

While it’s impossible to stop the aging process altogether, these 18 tips can help you fight the signs of aging and move through your golden years happily, gracefully, and beautifully.

Helping Elderly Family Members Deal with Depression

Posted on by Martin

When you have an elderly loved one coping with depression, knowing how to help can be difficult. Thanks to a complex mix of factors, older people are at an increased risk of depression, and seniors whose family members understand how to adequately address the problem will fare better than their unsupported counterparts. Because of this, it’s essential for the family members of seniors to understand the risk factors, signs, and treatment options of senior depression. Read on to learn more.

What is Senior Depression?

Depression is a condition that causes an individual to feel sad, hopeless, and lethargic. While it affects people of all ages, classes, and genetic backgrounds, it is especially rampant in seniors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 7 million American seniors (Aged 65 or older) suffer from depressive symptoms each year. These numbers are startling, and it’s clear that senior depression is a real issue facing our older population today.

What Causes Senior Depression?

Depression is a complex disease, and various factors cause it. While it’s impossible to trace any case of depression back to a single causative issue, professionals believe that the following things all influence the presence of depression in seniors:

  • Genetics: There is some evidence to suggest that depression is genetic, and the elderly are more likely to suffer from depression if someone in their family has suffered from it in the past.
  • Stress or loss: Seniors who have recently lost a spouse or are experiencing stress because of a move (to an assisted living facility, for example) or a new life event (a newly diagnosed illness) are at increased risk for depression.
  • Shifting brain chemistry: Brain chemistry is a major factor in senior depression. When certain chemicals are imbalanced in the brain, depression occurs, and since seniors’ brains change markedly as they age, they’re at increased risk for chemical imbalances and depressive symptoms.

What are the Signs of Senior Depression?

Senior depression manifests in many ways. Some of the most common are as follows:

  • The senior may feel sad, hopeless, or empty
  • The senior may experience severe mood swings, and become angry, hysterical, or inconsolable for seemingly no reason
  • The senior may be unable to find enjoyment in pastimes he or she used to love
  • The senior may be unable to concentrate on things like work, friendships, and responsibilities
  • The senior may experience difficult with healthy sleep patterns, either sleeping barely enough or sleeping so much that their daily patterns and responsibilities are disrupted
  • The senior’s eating habits may change, and they may begin to eat more than usual, or stop eating altogether
  • Some seniors who are experiencing senior depression will have suicidal thoughts, and may attempt suicide in extreme cases
  • Physical symptoms are common with senior depression, and affected individuals may experience headaches, vomiting, digestive upset, and pain

If you notice any of the above symptoms in your senior family member, it’s time to get the individual to a medical professional for further evaluation.

Helping Seniors Cope with Depression: 5 Tips

If your family member has been diagnosed with senior depression, it’s natural to feel helpless. You want to provide support, but you’re not sure where to start. You’re not alone in feeling this way – most people who have a family member diagnosed with senior depression experience the same emotions. Luckily, there are things you can do to help. Here are five tips to get you started:

  1. Be available for your loved one

One of the most powerful things you can do for someone who has recently been diagnosed with senior depression is simply to lend a helping hand. For a few weeks after the diagnosis, it’s normal for your loved one not quite to feel like themselves. If they’ve been put on antidepressant medication, their sleep, eating, and daily patterns may be disrupted.

During this time, be as available as you can to the person. Offer to run routine errands or cook some meals to alleviate the burdens of daily life. Alternately, you can simply lend a listening ear. Most seniors feel confused by and afraid of their diagnosis, and the ones who want to talk will appreciate a willing ear.

  1. Get educated

The more you can learn about senior depression, the better. When you have the facts and statistics on your side, you’re better prepared to deal with the ups and downs of the condition. SAVE is a great resource for facts and information on senior depression for those who want online information. It’s also likely that the hospitals, assisted living facilities, and hospice centers in your area offer support groups aimed at helping friends and family members learn about and cope with senior depression. Call these organizations for more information.

  1. Accompany your loved one to therapy

Many doctors recommend therapy as a course of treatment for senior depression. If this is the case, you can help by offering to give your loved one a ride to their therapy sessions and, if they want, accompanying them to the session itself. Be advised that many seniors feel ashamed of the fact that they are attending therapy, and one of the most beneficial things you can do is to normalize the process as much as possible. Provide plenty of reinforcement about the fact that therapy is normal and healthy, and that there’s nothing to feel ashamed of. If it helps, consider supplying the senior with helpful resources on the country-wide rate of depression and the benefits of talk therapy. Knowledge is power, and these resources may help remove some of the stigmas from the process.

  1. Handle household tasks

If a depressed senior has stopped cooking, cleaning, or shopping, rally a team of people to take over these duties. Normalcy is a powerful treatment for depression, and family members who want to lend a helping hand can do so by cooking freezer meals for the senior, pitching in to complete household chores, and seeing after any pets the senior may have. In addition to keeping the senior’s life running, these simple things also help prevent dangerous things like malnutrition from setting in for the senior.

  1. Laugh (when appropriate)

We’ve all heard that laughter is the best medicine, and it can be a powerful treatment for a senior suffering from senior depression. If you feel like your loved one is up to it, consider taking in a funny play or going out to see the grandchildren. Laughter helps restore a senior’s outlook, and can make a huge difference in a person’s perception. Of course, it’s not wise to make fun of a serious situation, but a little bit of well-placed laughter can work wonders for a senior’s well-being.

Senior Depression Affects Thousands, but you can Help

While senior depression is a common condition, there are things you can do to help your loved one. By offering support, taking over household tasks, facilitating appointments, and doing what you can to restore normalcy and joy to a senior’s life, you can help your family member make his or her way through senior depression as gracefully as possible.

 

 

 

 

15 Foods That Can Help You Sleep

Posted on by Martin

When it comes to sleep, we’re willing to try pretty much anything. From breathing exercises to hormonal sleep aids like melatonin and even white noise machines. Did you know, however, that getting to sleep might be as easy as changing your diet?

It makes sense that certain foods can help us sleep. After all, certain foods boost our energy, enhance our focus, and fill us up with healthy fats, so why shouldn’t they also lull us off to dreamland? If you’re having trouble sleeping, consider filling your plate with the following fifteen foods.

15 Foods That Help Us Sleep

  1. Almonds

Almonds are a wonder food – rich in minerals like magnesium, which is critical for helping us get to sleep and stay asleep longer. In fact, one study published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine found that magnesium levels are directly linked to poor sleep quality and a less restful night. With this in mind, consider eating a fistful of almonds as a post-dinner snack to help you drift off to sleep.

  1. Walnuts

Walnuts are famous for their high tryptophan content – an amino acid that’s widely known to promote feelings of sleepiness. It’s the same thing that makes you feel drowsy after eating a big turkey dinner on Thanksgiving. What’s more, walnuts stimulate the production of melatonin, which is a powerful natural sleep aid produced by the human body.

  1. Cheese

At some point or another, most of us have drunk a glass of warm milk to get to sleep, but the fact is that any number of dairy products will do the trick. Because dairy products are high in calcium, and because the brain needs calcium to produce melatonin, dairy products are ideal for helping us get to sleep peacefully and stay asleep longer. As a bonus, calcium helps to regulate the movements of the muscles, which can decrease jerky, startling sleep movements and help you sleep soundly.

  1. Romaine Lettuce

Leafy greens are good for all sorts of things, but they’re also a powerful sleep aid. Lettuce, in particular, contains high levels of lactucarium. Commonly called “lettuce opium,” this powerful substance is a sedative that helps promote feelings of relaxation and sleepiness. With this in mind, focus on including salads in your dinnertime routine if you’re having trouble sleeping. The sedative properties of lettuce, combined with a good bedtime routine, may just work wonders for your sleep patterns.

  1. Corn Chips

While corn chips are a bit less healthful than the other foods on this list, they have a powerful place in the world of sleep-inducing foods. This is because corn chips have a very high glycemic index, which essentially means that the human body burns through them quickly. This causes a sudden spike in blood sugar, which then results in a dip in energy. While eating high-glycemic index foods is not recommended for stable mood and energy levels, it can be a helpful way to nudge yourself over the edge and into sleep.

  1. Salmon

Salmon is a rich source of vitamin B6, which is essential for healthy sleep. While vitamin B6 plays several roles in the human body, one of its most critical is to regulate sleep and help metabolize tryptophan. If you’re not a salmon fan, you can get the same vitamin B6 boost from tuna, halibut, garlic, and even pistachios.

  1. Jasmine Rice

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2007, people who ate a meal that included a healthy portion of jasmine rice fell asleep faster than individuals who ate any other type of rice. Because jasmine rice has a high glycemic index, it works much the same way corn chips to do re-wire your body’s priorities and help you drift off to sleep more quickly.

  1. Cereal

Cereal is a surprising power food when it comes to getting to sleep. Because it combines protein in the form of milk and high-glycemic carbohydrates from the cereal itself, it appeals to two of the main things your body needs to drift off easily.

  1. Tart Cherry Juice

If you’re struggling to get to sleep, forget the nightcap and reach for some tart cherry juice instead. According to a study conducted by Universities of Pennsylvania and Rochester scientists and published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, a glass of tart cherry juice has sleep-producing benefits that can help battle the symptoms of insomnia and restless sleep. Just make sure the brand of cherry juice you buy is unsweetened since a large dose of sugar could throw off the benefits of the cherry juice itself.

  1. Teas

Chamomile, passion fruit, and mint teas can all be helpful to relax the body and help you get off to sleep. This is because these teas contain high levels of glycine, a sedative chemical that relaxes the body and helps you get off to sleep easier.

  1. Wildflower Honey

Honey is a rich source of natural sugar and, if you’re looking for help sleeping, it may be just the thing. Unlike processed, white sugar, honey raises the body’s insulin levels while also allowing tryptophan to work its magic on the body. For best results, mix a tablespoon of honey into a cup of mint or chamomile tea and sip in the thirty minutes leading up to bedtime.

  1. Kale

While romaine lettuce is a powerful sleep aid, so is its healthful companion, kale. Kale and other dark green vegetables are packed to the gills with calcium. Also found in dairy products, calcium makes it easier for the body to make and use melatonin and can help promote a restful night of sleep. To get the most out of your green leafy vegetables, whip up a salad that includes a mixture of spinach and mustard greens, as well.

  1. Lobster

While it may not be the most cost-effective pre-bedtime food, lobster is a fantastic source of tryptophan, which can help lull you into a restful sleep. If lobster isn’t in your taste or budget, reach for shrimp or other crustaceans instead.

  1. Chickpeas

A staple of middle eastern foods, chickpeas are rich in tryptophan and can help facilitate a healthy night of sleep. For best results, enjoy a few tablespoons of homemade hummus with hearty, whole-grain crackers about an hour before trying to fall asleep.

  1. Elk Meat

Elk meat is rich in tryptophan and, while it may be difficult to come by, is one of the most effective foods for falling asleep fast and staying asleep all night. For best results, pair it with a carbohydrate dish (like a pesto pasta) to ensure that the tryptophan moves through the brain as easily as possible.

Falling Asleep is Now Easier Than Ever

While falling asleep can feel stressful, these fifteen foods can take the edge off. By supplying the body with the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids needed to promote healthy sleep, these delicious and nutritious treats have carved out a critical place for themselves in the diets of people struggling to sleep better and enjoy more restful nights.

 

Seven Online Tools That Help Make Retirement Savings Last

Posted on by Martin

If you’re planning for retirement, it’s likely that you’re interested in tips and tricks to make your efforts more efficient. It’s no secret that retirement planning has never been easy – past studies have revealed that only 18% of seniors expect to be better off in retirement than they are now. While preparing for and living well during retirement requires discipline, careful planning, and plenty of foresight, today’s innovative online tools can help make the process more intuitive. From tracking your investments to helping you budget your monthly expenses, today’s web-based tools are a fantastic way to make retirement planning just a bit easier. Here are seven of our favorite online retirement tools:

  1. You Need a Budget

Even if you’ve saved hard throughout your life for retirement, the only way to make those funds last is through careful money management tactics. You Need a Budget is a budgeting tool that offers educational videos, a user forum, and plenty of tutorials to help you learn to manage your money better. The tool offers a free trail month and then costs $60 after the 34-day trial period is over. While this may seem like a big investment – it’s worth it. Available on Windows, OS X, iOS, and Android, the app plugs in to your financial information and helps you keep track of your spending by importing information from your checking accounts, credit cards, retirement funds, and various other financial platform.

What’s more, the app isn’t complicated, which is surprising for one that does so much. It’s easy to use, offers mobile apps for all devices, and can help you manage your money and learn to make your retirement savings last.

you need a budget retirement savings

  1. Personal Capital

Personal Capital is a free investment tracking tool that’s popular among people planning for and living in retirement. In addition to tracking the performance of your investments, Personal Capital provides an easy-to-understand asset allocation breakdown and syncs with data from both tax-advantaged and taxable accounts.

People love Personal Capital for its easy chart and graph displays and simple retirement planning tool, which allows users to adjust their investment strategies, analyze the performance of current investment portfolios, and keep tabs on their overall net worth. Additionally, Personal Capital offers a simple cash flow analyzer, so you can keep track of your daily, weekly, and monthly spending, as well as an innovative fee analyzer that helps prevent seniors from paying too much in fees on broker accounts, including mutual funds and retirement and investment accounts.

personal capital retirement savings

  1. Moneydance

Moneydance is a simple personal finance platform that allows users to manage any currency from one simple online platform. Moneydance is available on Linux, Windows, and OS X and offers complete, integrated support for online banking. Depending upon what users prefer, Moneydance allows financial transactions to be uploaded manually or for the platform to connect with your financial institution to import transactions automatically. The home dashboard acts like an electronic checkbook ledger and displays every transaction you make, so you always know where your funds are being allocated.

Additionally, Moneydance allows users to set up automated transactions for things like monthly payments, which makes financial management easier and less stressful. Despite the fact that it does so many things, Moneydance is simple, streamlined, easy to use, and amazingly flexible. Moneydance offers a limited free trial (usually about 100 transactions), after which users will need to pay $50 for full access to the app.

moneydance personal finance retirement savings

  1. BlackRock Portfolio Analysis

Unlike the other tools mentioned so far in this article, BlackRock’s Portfolio Analysis isn’t so much a tool as it is a page. Hosted by reputable financial agency BlackRock, Inc., this page offers several helpful tools and resources that can help you get a handle on your retirement savings and learn what you can do to help them stay healthy. The page includes things like a tool that can provide side-by-side comparisons of five closed-end or open exchange-traded funds, mutual funds, or indices. The page also features a hypothetical portfolio tool which can help users understand how acquiring new funds will allow the portfolio as a whole to perform.

Ideal for seniors who have extensive investment platforms and want to ensure that they continue to perform well and provide a constant stream of income during retirement, BlackRock’s Portfolio Analysis page is a great one-stop-shop for investment advice.

blackrock portfolio analysis retirement savings

  1. My Calculators

One of the simplest tools on the list, My Calculators offers a selection of pared-down financial calculators, including savings and investment calculators, 401k calculators, retirement calculators, and rate and yield calculators. With this selection of calculators, it’s simple to determine how long your retirement savings will last with monthly withdrawals. The calculators factor in inflation and available Social Security payments and give users an idea of their after-tax withdrawal rate.

my calculators app retirement savings

  1. Budget Simple

Yet another online budgeting tool, Budget Simple allows users to focus on their personal finances and ensure that they’ve developed a budget that works well for them. The tool helps users analyze finances, spending, and saving, and create a budget that allows them to meet financial or investment goals. The tool works by analyzing a user’s finances and then creating personalized suggestions on areas where money can be saved, how a user can plan better for set financial goals, and how to make retirement savings last. Budget Simple is a fantastic way to make developing and maintaining your retirement budget easy and the tool offers a simple, approachable, user-friendly dashboard and platform. Ideal for seniors who want to make a budget but aren’t comfortable with complex tools or involved online platforms, budget simple is a great way to manage money without feeling overwhelmed.

budget simple app retirement savings

  1. Mint

Mint is a comprehensive online financial tool that allows users to build budgets, keep tabs on credit scores, and gain access to customized financial tools and tips. The service plugs directly into a bank account and offers users alerts if any unusual account charges pop up. The service also encrypts all financial information for maximum security.

mint app retirement savings

Conclusion

For seniors who need help budgeting their retirement funds, these seven innovative online tools are a fantastic place to start. From building monthly budgets to tracking funds and getting on-the-go account notifications, these tools can make planning for and living well during retirement easier than ever.

Seven Tips to Help You Care for An Ill Spouse

Posted on by Martin

Caring for an ill spouse is always a difficult process, but it’s especially trying for seniors. In addition to coping with their own aging process and potential health issues, seniors who are caring for ill spouses must also contend with the emotional and mental strain of watching their loved one become ill and die. This can be exhausting and can easily have an adverse impact on the health of the surviving spouse. Fortunately, there are many ways to make caring for an ill spouse just a big easier for seniors to manage.

1. Ask For Help 

One of the most important things seniors caring for their ill spouses need to remember is that it is okay to ask for help. Often, spouses feel the need to provide for their sick husband or wife’s care all on their own. While this is a valid feeling, the execution of it often leads to seniors who feel overwhelmed, get injured, or become ill themselves. Fortunately, you can avoid this by asking for help. Asking for help is a pivotal part of providing quality care for your aging spouse. With this in mind, consider asking an adult child or a neighbor to assist you with tasks that are physically challenging for you (lifting heavy objects, for example) or hiring a housecleaning service to lighten your load. In addition to allowing you to focus more fully on your spouse’s care, these steps can also go a long way toward helping ensure you don’t feel overwhelmed or chronically stressed.

2. Know Your Limits

It’s difficult to provide quality care if you’re injured, ill, or disabled. Because of this, it’s important to know your limits well enough that you won’t push yourself past them in an effort to care for your spouse. This means not doing jobs that are too difficult for you to manage and not sacrificing your health to look after your spouse. While it can be difficult to know your limits and set boundaries surrounding them, it’s an important aspect of providing quality care for an aging spouse.

3. Find A Home Care Agency 

For a senior that’s been attempting to provide a spouse’s care all on his or her own, finding a quality home care company can be a lifesaver. Contrary to what many people believe, hiring a caregiver doesn’t mean you have to relinquish responsibility for your spouse’s care entirely. It simply means that you can share the burden of round-the-clock care with someone else. In-home caregivers can assist you with daily activities like helping your spouse bathe or get dressed while also helping to manage things like medication schedules, doctor appointments, and chores like house cleaning and cooking. While many seniors are reticent to hire an in-home care aide, doing so can be a huge help.

While it’s difficult to care for an aging spouse at any point in life, it’s especially difficult when the healthy spouse is older than 60 and not as physically able as they once were. Because of this, hiring in-home care assistance can be a great way to safeguard your health while also providing your spouse with the care he or she needs.

4. Make A Choice About Your Attitude 

While caring for an aging spouse is a difficult process, it’s also a continuation of the vows you took when you married. By remembering this and seeing your care as an act of tenderness toward your spouse rather than a burden you must cope with alone, you can make a conscious choice to be happy and to care for yourself well throughout the entire process. There are many trying aspects of caring for an aging spouse, and making a choice to maintain a positive attitude and be happy throughout can impact the care you’re able to give and help enhance your satisfaction and mood. If you need help looking on the sunny side of things, consider joining an online support group or seeing a therapist.

5. Don’t Forget To Care For Yourself 

Caring for an ill spouse can be all-consuming and many seniors get so wrapped up in the tasks at hand that they forget to eat, drink, and exercise as they normally would. While this is a normal response to the extraordinary burden of caring for an aging partner, it’s also a dangerous place to put yourself. If you’re not healthy, you can’t provide quality care, which does nothing for your spouse. Keep yourself in good health by eating well, sleeping enough, drinking enough water, and getting some exercise in on a daily basis. While it may seem like a small step, these things can have a huge impact on your ability to provide quality care. One of the best things you can do while caring for your spouse is to set aside some time – even if it’s only ten minutes – each day for “you time.” This can help safeguard your mental health and ensure that you’re getting the respites you need to stay healthy and happy.

6. Safeguard Your Mental Health 

Spouses caring for their ill husbands or wives are at a high risk for depression and anxiety. Because of this, it’s important that you safeguard your own mental health while caring for your loved one. Consider seeing a counselor or therapist or simply making time each week to meet with a trusted group of friends or confidants. Having space to vent your frustrations, sadness, or difficulty is incredibly healthy and can help ensure that you don’t go crazy while attempting to care for your spouse.

7. Know Your Options

While spouses caring for sick husbands or wives often feel alone, there are dozens of community and local organizations that can often offer a helping hand. Depending upon your unique situation, things like Meals on Wheels or an adult daycare program may be appropriate. You may also have access to free assistance from a church or community group. If you’re struggling to care for your spouse on your own, don’t be afraid to explore the options available to you in your local area. This can help relieve some of the burden you feel surrounding your spouse’s care and may make the entire thing more bearable for you.

Conclusion

While caring for an aging spouse is a difficult experience, there are many things seniors can do to make the process easier, less stressful, and more manageable on a daily basis. From enlisting the help of friends and family members to hiring an in-home caregiver, seniors aren’t as alone as they may think. Additionally, seniors can safeguard their physical and mental health by ensuring that they’re sleeping enough, eating well, drinking enough water, and exercising daily. Some seniors may also benefit from seeing a therapist or counselor to cope with feelings of grief, anxiety, or depression. These measures can go a long way toward ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of the spouse providing the caregiving in order to make sure that the ill spouse gets all of the care he or she so badly needs.

 

 

The Ten Biggest Fears of Senior Living, Resolved

Posted on by Martin

If you believed everything that society told us about senior living, you’d think that senior living is a place the elderly go when they have no more options and can no longer care for themselves. How dismal! Fortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many of the often-perpetuated myths about senior living are false. By debunking these myths, seniors can understand more fully what senior living means and how it can benefit them.

What is Senior Living?

Senior living facilities are places where seniors can live with as much or as little assistance a they want or need. While senior living facilities do indeed provide a whole host of essential care services, they also provide fun, companionship, stimulation, and exposure for active seniors from all walks of life. Options included in most senior living facilities include independent living, assisted living, nursing care, rehabilitation, and more!

The Ten Biggest Fears About Senior Living

While many seniors appreciate the benefits offered to them by senior living, not everyone fully understands these facilities or what they offer. If you or your loved one has concerns about moving into a senior living facility, read on for our answers to the top ten concerns about senior living:

  1. Senior living means I’ll lose my independence

Many people believe that moving into a senior living facility is akin to giving their freedom away on a silver platter. Fortunately, this isn’t true. There are many different options available to seniors who chose to move into a senior living facility. People who choose the assisted living option, for example, will get help with cooking, cleaning, laundry, or whatever else they may need.

Seniors who choose independent living will enjoy their own apartment with no help, unless they need it down the road. The entire goal of senior living is to support seniors at all life stages. Because of this, the assistance offered ranges from light cleaning to intensive rehabilitation care. Older people in senior living will never receive help they don’t need and won’t have to worry about being infantilized or coddled.

  1. Senior living is lonely

One of the biggest myths surrounding senior living is that it is an isolating experience. People worry that moving to a senior living facility means that they’ll sacrifice all of their relationships and lose interaction with their friends and family. While this is an understandable fear, it’s not altogether rooted in reality. Senior living facilities support interaction with friends and family and provide a whole host of opportunities for new relationships to form.

Seniors living in senior living facilities will enjoy community events, classes, social hours, and educational opportunities that allow them to meet other seniors while also enjoying a comfortable living space where they can entertain their pre-existing friends and family. While seniors worry about isolation in senior living, many people find that their social lives become more active when they move into a senior living facility.

  1. Senior living is unaffordable

It’s true that senior living can be a large financial burden. It’s also true that there are dozens of financial options to help seniors afford senior living. From Social Security to VA benefits, there are scores of ways to make the cost of senior living more manageable. Additionally, seniors can choose from a variety of senior living programs – some elaborate and some more simple – to fit their budgets and their lifestyles. While senior living is often regarded as the most expensive care option, it’s important to consider that, in many cases, it’s less expensive than staying at home and hiring full-time in-home care.

  1. Senior living will make me age prematurely

While many people worry that moving to a senior living community makes them “old,” the opposite is often true. Between the activities available at a senior living community to the customized care intrinsic in the structure of these facilities, it’s completely possible to look and feel younger than ever while also enjoying the enhanced ease, social activity, and free time a senior living community offers. Senior living facilities aren’t a trap for the aging – they’re a way to increase a senior’s quality of life across the board.

  1. I can’t trust the senior living staff

Many seniors considering senior living worry about the competence and trustworthiness of the staff. They may also worry that their children will just drop them off in this strange place and that their care will be totally unmonitored from then on out. Fortunately, this isn’t true. The fact of the matter is that senior living facilities are meant to make seniors comfortable. If you’re not comfortable with your caregivers, something is wrong.

Good senior living facilities are run by professional senior care personnel that care deeply about the health and well-being of the residents and legitimate senior communities pride themselves on improving the happiness and quality of life for their residents. Seniors who are concerned about the staff at a new facility should make this clear to their family members, and close contact should be maintained during the first few weeks of care.

  1. I won’t have control over my own life

Many seniors confuse the schedule of a senior living community with that of basic training or boot camp! While it’s true that there are plenty of activities to take part in, it’s important to remember that they’re all voluntary. Nobody is going to force a senior at a senior living facility to take part in arts and crafts if they don’t want to and many seniors live in senior living communities while maintaining the patterns and habits of their regular lives.

As a senior ages, it’s possible that their need for care will increase. In this case, a senior living facility may be the best choice for both the senior and his or her family. It’s important to remember, however, that senior living facilities respect the autonomy of their clients and aren’t on a mission to force people into abandoning their daily routines and habits.

  1. I’ll be bored

While many seniors worry about being bored in a senior living facility, they need only to talk to the people who already live there to understand this isn’t a genuine threat. Senior living facilities take the happiness of their residents seriously, which is why they offer such a wealth of activities. It’s not uncommon for a senior living facility to provide field trips, hair salons, language classes, social hours, games, cooking classes, or therapy animal sessions. More likely than note, a senior living facility exposes seniors to more activities then they’d have access to in their own homes!

  1. Family won’t visit in a senior living facility

While many seniors worry that their friends and family will forget about them in a senior living facility, the opposite is often true. The fact is that older people in assisted living communities often have more time on their hands and enjoy more time with their friends and family than they did before. Plus, many senior living facilities do special family days that encourage a senior’s children, siblings, or other family to visit and participate in fun activities.

  1. Senior living means I’ll have to give up my taste

Many seniors worry that living in a senior living facility means they’ll have to renounce their ability to decorate or manage their own homes. While additional assistance is available to those who need it, the purpose of a senior living facility is not to rob a senior of his or her personality or style. Seniors are encouraged to decorate their living spaces they way they’d like to and are encouraged to continue participating in the things they love.

  1. I’ll have a hard time integrating into senior living

Many seniors worry that they won’t make friends or fit in in a senior living community. While adjusting to a new way of life can be difficult, many seniors find that they enjoy a senior living community and become more comfortable with the new pattern over time. While it’s unfair to say the transition will be seamless, most seniors find actually enjoy living in a senior living facility.

While seniors may feel many fears surrounding the concept of senior living, many seniors truly enjoy their transition to a senior community. From providing assistance with daily chores to helping seniors meet new friends and be more active, there are many benefits to senior living facilities and many seniors find that these communities improve their happiness and quality of life.

 

12 Secrets to Living a Long, Healthy Life

Posted on by Martin

Most people visualize themselves aging gracefully and living a long, healthy life filled with good friends, family, and plenty of activity. While this is something that many people dream of, it’s far from being a fantasy. The fact is, many seniors do it. So what’s their secret? How do these people enjoy all of the benefits of old age while maintaining good health and a happy state of mind? Here are their top twelve secrets:

1. Avoid Stress

Stress is a common factor in dozens of chronic diseases and conditions. According to a 2015 study conducted by the University of California – San Francisco, women suffering from chronic stress have significantly depleted levels of Klotho, a hormone that can help protect the body and brain from aging.

An earlier study, published in the British Medical Journal in 2012, found that people who are under lots of stress are at a 20% increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Because of this, avoiding stress as much as possible is one of the best ways to live a happy, healthy life for many years. While it’s impossible to cut stress out of life entirely, it is possible to cope with it better by learning stress-management techniques, like meditation, and doing healthy things like going for a walk, cooking, or meeting with friends when you feel stressed.

2. Maintain a Healthy Social Life

You knew that your friends made you feel happy, but did you know that they can help you live longer, too? Multiple studies have found that being alone as you age is a significant risk factor in everything from premature death to heart disease and stroke. Because of this, it’s wise to ensure that you maintain a healthy, active social life as you get older. Doing this will not only protect you from depressive symptoms – but it will also help guard your brain against symptoms of cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

3. Exercise

If there were a fountain of youth, it would look a whole lot like a daily walk or run. Exercise is one of the best ways to keep your body and mind fit as you age. In addition to helping you avoid chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, daily exercise can also help increase mood-boosting hormones in the brain and will contribute to keeping your body fit, healthy, and capable throughout your golden years. Additionally, exercise is a fantastic way to meet new people, stay engaged in a community, and continue learning new things.

4. Volunteer

Volunteering is one of the best ways to make a difference in your community and give back to a cause that you believe in. It’s also one of the best ways to ensure that you enjoy your golden years as much as possible. Studies have shown that people who have a higher sense of purpose – either through faith, religion, or community service – live longer than people who don’t.

While there are no “one-size fits all” rules for determining how and when you give back, it’s clear that getting involved in something bigger than yourself is one of the best ways to stay active, engaged, and passionate as you age.

In light of this, it’s wise to get involved in something you believe in. It doesn’t matter if this is a church, a volunteer organization, or a faith-based community. Simply pick something you’re passionate about and dedicate some time to it. While this may not seem like it has a direct correlation with your longevity and happiness, it’s more important than many people believe.

5. Find Someone to Love

Did you know that being half of a partnership can help you live a longer, healthier life? Whether you’re married or you simply have a sweetie you enjoy spending time with, finding someone to love can significantly reduce your risk of premature death.

A 2013 study conducted by Duke University Medical Center and published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that of 4,802 people, those who were married were far less likely to die prematurely. While researchers still aren’t exactly sure why this is true, many believe that having a partner helps reduce stress and provide a source of support, which makes life more enjoyable.

6. Eat Well

It’s impossible to be truly healthy unless you eat a healthy diet. People who eat ample amounts of wheat, rye, barley and other whole grains enjoy longer lives than those who don’t. The reason for this is that these foods offer nutrients called polyphenols, which can help reduce the risk of early mortality, protect brain health, and decrease the possibility of cancer, heart disease, respiratory illness, and diabetes. To ensure maximum health, ensure that you’re eating a proper mix of nutrients, including plenty of leafy greens, vegetables, protein, and fiber.

7. Sleep Enough

Sleeping well is associated with much more than just waking up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed – it’s also related to living a long, healthy life. According to one study conducted by the University of California – San Diego, people who sleep seven hours each night lived significantly longer than people who slept less than five hours or more than eight hours each night.

Because of this, it’s wise to prioritize sleep in your quest for overall well-being. In addition to helping you feel healthier and more alert, getting the right amount of sleep each night will help protect you from early death and can contribute to guarding against cognitive decline and other age-related symptoms.

8. Participate in Something Bigger Than Yourself

Time and time again, studies have found that people who have a sense of spirituality or faith live longer than those who don’t. While you don’t need to pray your way to longevity (if that’s not your thing), it is healthy to participate in a cause you believe in – be it a church, spiritual community, or volunteer organization. These things can all go a long way toward decreasing depressive symptoms, mitigating the risk of chronic conditions, and helping people feel more connected to and happy within their communities.

9. Avoid Overeating

In addition to helping you avoid dangerous weight gain, avoiding the temptation to overeat can also help you enjoy a longer, healthier life. According to a 2008 study conducted by University of St. Louis researchers, eating until you’re roughly 80% full can help you age slower. The reason for this is that limiting calories, even moderately, helps decrease the production of a thyroid hormone known as T3. This boosts your metabolism and slows down the aging process.

10. Stay Away from Too Much TV

Watching too much television is a surefire way to suffer from decreased health and limited longevity. According to one 2010 study, people who watch more than four hours a day of television are 46% more likely to die from any cause than their counterparts who watched less than two hours each day. With this in mind, pick up a good book rather than tuning into re-runs the next time you have a quiet day.

11. Wear Sunscreen

In addition to helping you avoid the risk of skin cancer, avoiding excess sun can help keep your skin looking young and healthy. While enjoying the sun is an important part of a healthy life, be sure to slather on the SPF the next time you hit the beach with your family or friends. Even if you’ve never been a sunscreen wearer, it’s never too late to start adopting good habits.

12. Enjoy Limited Amounts of Alcohol

While there’s no question that consuming too much alcohol can have disastrous health effects, studies have found that small quantities of alcohol can actually have protective health benefits. One drink a day (an 8 oz. serving of wine or beer) can help keep your heart healthy and your brain sharp. With that in mind, don’t be afraid to enjoy a nice glass of vino with dinner.

A long, healthy life is something that virtually everyone wants and, fortunately, it’s not that difficult to obtain. By practicing good habits in diet, exercise, and sleep and maintaining an active social and community life, you can ensure that you enjoy your golden years from a standpoint of good health and longevity.