Is Slowing Down Inevitable As You Age?
As we move through life’s different stages, we encounter new opportunities and challenges along the way. The average life expectancy has been on the rise, and is now age 80 for men and age 84 for women. Have you considered how to pack the most possible life into your years?
Most of us consider aging and think about slowing down. That we won’t be able to move around as well, or enjoy the activities we love as more candles gather on each birthday cake. Some may have already experienced that their activities of daily living have been influenced by issues commonly associated with the aging process, such as a lack of mobility and flexibility.
With these issues often come a feeling of isolation, as if you’re held back from participating fully in your own life. That’s a reality nobody wants to face. Our focus should be on getting the most out of our golden years, rather than accepting a slow decline in our wellbeing.
So, What Can You Do About It?
There are a couple of key ideas to follow. The first is simply trying to reduce the amount of time spent in a sedentary state, which means when you aren’t moving around much. For example, if you typically spend a good amount of your day behind a desk or on a couch, you could set an alarm every 20 minutes to get up and stretch, or take a walk around your house (outside or inside, which means you can do it all year round!)
If you have a clean bill of health to increase your activity level, then by all means, focus on more vigorous forms of exercise, such as strength training, biking or swimming. But for those who are limited in what they’re able to do, there is good news: even standing up instead of sitting is considered a non-sedentary activity!
Apart from building more movement into your day, there are other measures you can take, such as increasing your water intake, or optimizing your sleep, which will enhance your overall health.
Where Does Chiropractic Fit Into the Picture of Healthy Aging?
At first, you may not see a connection between seeing a chiropractor and feeling good as you age. But consider this: when you age, you may find that you’re more susceptible to aches, pains and injuries than you were before.
Chiropractors seek to help you reduce the risk of an injury setting in, or to decrease the effects of it once you’ve already experienced an injury. The initial consultation you get with a chiropractor includes testing your overall function by looking at your balance, strength and mobility.
Once these are evaluated, your chiropractor can make recommendations based on their findings and the information you’ve provided, putting it together to create a full picture of their recommendations. Chiropractic is noninvasive and drug-free, designed to relieve pain while improving your overall function.
The conditions we can address include back pain, neck pain, arthritis, injuries and certain types of headaches–many of which people find they’re affected by as they age. The end goal of care is to make sure that you live a pain-free, active life!
The Secret to Keeping Your Resolutions
Happy 2023! When you think of the new year, what comes to mind? Is it celebrating with friends and family? Looking back on the last year over all you’ve encountered and accomplished? Or is your focus more on what you’d like to achieve in the upcoming year? While both are worth considering, there is a lot of negativity associated with a traditional part of New Year’s Eve: making resolutions.
This negativity comes from the fact that New Year’s resolutions are often forgotten or left behind before long. Sound familiar? If so, leave the guilt trip behind. While you can’t change the past, what you can do now is focus on your present.
Let’s talk through some strategies and tips to make sure your New Year’s resolutions stick with you now, and in the future.
- Stay realistic. While there are likely plenty of aspects of your life you might want to work on, it’s a good idea to focus on one, single goal instead of a long list. By focusing your energy, you’ll be more likely to reach your end goals. If you set your sights too high or on too many resolutions, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
- Be specific. “Lose weight” or “be more productive” might sound good, but the problem is that they’re not very specific. If you want to lose weight, for example, you might say that your goal is to walk a certain distance each day. To be more productive, you might want to have a pad of paper on your desk where you can write down what you need to accomplish each day and commit to doing so each morning before your day begins.
- Make a plan. Invest some of your time into the planning process. Choosing your goal based on having thought about it extensively, then planning on how you can go about getting there, is essential to your success. Brainstorm the steps involved each way, why it’s important to you and how you’ll plan on keeping yourself on track. Consider, too, what you’ll do if your plans get derailed.
- Track your progress. Think about getting a notebook or journal where you can record what you’ve been doing, what has been working or how you might avoid or get out of the potential pitfalls along the way. You can also periodically write down why you’re working to achieve this resolution, so that when you lose motivation, you have something to remind you.
- Find support. Accountability is key, as well as staying motivated. Be sure you explain to your family or close friends what your resolution is and why, and accept any help they can offer along the way.
- Stay motivated. If you go to the gym, you may notice it seems busier in January and February, but the traffic drops off not soon after. That’s because right after making a resolution, you feel a higher level of motivation and confidence. There likely haven’t been too many setbacks or challenges early in the process. But those will occur, and that’s when focusing on your “why” comes into the picture, keeping your motivation going in the tougher times.
Looking forward to helping you be even healthier in 2023!