Tag: healthy living

Advice for Older People, Age Friendly Advice

A Month of Wellness: Celebrating Wellbeing, Self-Care, and Healthy Habits

5 tips on finding the right homecare provider

A Month of Wellness: Celebrating Wellbeing, Self-Care, and Healthy Habits

Did you know August is National Wellness Month. This means focusing on self-care, managing stress and creating wholesome habits in your lifestyle for the month of August.  In this blog, we will discuss the importance of Wellness and why we should be making our wellbeing a priority this month and all year round.

What Is Wellness and Why Is It Important?

Wellness involves practicing healthy habits on a daily basis for better physical and mental health.

Why should we focus on our wellbeing? Because when we are well, we are able to show up as our best selves in all areas of our lives. When we feel good mentally and physically, we have more energy to put towards our relationships, careers and hobbies.

One way is to focus on healthy habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and managing stress effectively. Another way is to make time for self-care activities that help you relax and rejuvenate.

Types of Wellness

There are different types of wellness that we should all strive to maintain. These include:

-Physical Wellness: This is our body’s overall condition and includes exercise, nutrition and sleep habits.

-Mental Wellness: This is our state of mind and includes our thoughts, feelings and emotions.

-Emotional Wellness: This is our ability to cope with life’s challenges in a healthy way.

-Spiritual Wellness: This is our sense of purpose and connection to something larger than ourselves.

-Occupational Wellness: This is our satisfaction and engagement with our work.

Making Wellness A Priority

Now that we know what wellness is and why it’s important, let’s talk about how we can make it a priority in our lives. Below are some tips on making wellness a part of your everyday life:

-Schedule time for yourself: Make sure to schedule time each day or week to do things that make you feel good. This could be anything from reading, taking a bath or going for a walk outdoors.

-Create healthy habits: Habits are easy to form and hard to break. So why not create ones that will benefit your wellbeing? Try swapping out unhealthy habits with healthier alternatives like meditation or journaling.

-Find a balance: It’s important to find a balance between work and play, rest and activity. When we have too much of one thing, it can lead to burnout. Make sure to schedule time for both work and leisure activities so you don’t get overwhelmed.

-Connect with others: Social connection is so important for our mental health. Spend time with loved ones or join a club or group that shares your interests. Take 10 minutes out of your day to call someone that makes you happy.

-Nourish your mind and body: Eating nutritious foods and exercising regularly are great ways to nourish your mind and body. To help nourish your mind, find things that make you happy and do them often.

–Exercise: We know how difficult it can be to gather the motivation to exercise, but even 20 to 30 minutes of exercise can make a positive impact on your mood. Start of small by taking a brisk walk after work or use the stairs instead of opting for the elevator.

Commit to making small changes that will lead to big improvements in your wellbeing.

Remember, it’s never too late to start taking care of yourself. Your wellbeing is worth the effort.

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Health & Nutrition Advice

Obesity in middle age increases risk of dementia

Conditions such as Alzheimer’s is almost four times as likely to affect people who are obese in middle age, new study shows

People who are obese in middle age are at almost four times greater risk of developing dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease in later life than people of normal weight, according to a study released today, May 2nd.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, examined data on more than 8,500 people over the age of 65. Of the sample, 350 had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia and a further 114 had possible dementia.

Scientists used records of the participants’ height and weight in the decades before and found that those who had been overweight in middle age had a 1.8 times (80%) higher risk of being diagnosed with dementia in later life. But for obese people, classified as those having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, the risk soared. People with midlife obesity had an almost four times (300%) higher risk of dementia.

Currently, 1.6 billion adults are overweight or obese worldwide and over 50% of adults in the US and Europe fit into this category.  The research suggests that controlling body weight or losing weight in middle age could reduce your risk of dementia.”

Obese people are classified as those with BMI greater than 30, overweight people are those with a BMI between 25 and 30. Between 20 and 25 is classified as normal. Almost 30% of those in the study, 2,541 in total, had been either overweight or obese between 40 and 60 years of age.

The research shows that if you pile on the pounds in middle age, your chances of developing dementia are also increased. By eating healthily and exercising regularly, you can lessen your risk of developing dementia. Not smoking and getting your cholesterol and blood pressure checked regularly is also very important.

Healthy living in middle age can help to reduce a person’s risk of developing dementia in later life, a person’s experience of education also played a role in the rate of decline of the brain. based on this data, every one year in higher education is associated with about 10% reduced risk of overweight and obesity, and 8% decreased risk of dementia.