10 Ways Seniors Can Stay Healthy At Home

Stay Strong and Healthy

#1 You can work out at home too! 

Start a routine. Here are 7 easy exercises to kick-off your routine. The 7 easy exercises is a routine which helps you to grow stronger, balance better and move with greater flexibility. Do these strength, balance and flexibility exercises at least twice a week! Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity a day.

Some of us might feel stiffness in our joints and feel that exercising will intensify the pain. Quite the opposite, doing the right exercises regularly can help to reduce stiffness. As your muscles strengthen, and your flexibility improves, you will be able to lift your grandchildren and groceries with greater ease; and reach for things in previously hard-to-reach places.

Exercising has plenty of benefits including improving your heart health and blood circulation. You’ll feel more energetic and achieve an improved overall sense of wellbeing. 50? 60? 70? When you exercise regularly, age is just a number.

#2 Sleep Your Way to Better Health

Sleep repairs and restores our bodies and our minds. When you get quality sleep, your overall health improves.

To prepare for a good night’s rest, listen to soothing music to calm your mind and keep your sleep environment comfortable by dimming or switching off the light and using blackout curtains. Here’s another tip: avoid screen time before bedtime!

Here are the Do’s and Don’ts of Sleep.

#3 Embrace Your New Diet

As we age, our bodies change and we will need more nutrient-dense foods.

Here’s a handy Nutrition Guide packed with useful tips. You’ll not only find guidelines on what to eat but also suggestions for meals!

There’s also a Recipe Book with affordable, delicious recipes. Give them a try. Order the ingredients online and cook nutrient-rich mee goreng, laksa fried rice, chicken vegetable stew and more at home. 

Aim to have 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables daily. Fruit and vegetables are essential for a healthy and balanced diet. They are rich in vitamins and minerals – these help to strengthen our immune system, which helps to fight against diseases. They are also high in fibre which helps to lower blood cholesterol and in turn, reduces the risk of heart disease. Fibre also promotes regular bowel movements and prevents constipation.

When it comes to fruit and vegetables, eat a rainbow (a variety). Different colour pigments in fruits and vegetables offer unique health benefits. Together, they provide you with a complete spectrum of vitamins and minerals. Whenever possible, choose whole fruits over fruit juices! The nutritious bits are in the peel or skin. When you eat whole fruits, you’re getting the best of the nutrients and fibres.

Did you know? Frozen fruit and vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh produce.

#4 Spruce and Redecorate Your Space

When you tidy and clean, you’re disinfecting your home and ridding yourself of dust and germs. The bonus is calories burnt. 30 minutes of spring cleaning burns up to 150 kcals. The result is a healthy home and a healthy heart!

Take the opportunity to also declutter your house to enjoy better mental well-being too. Throw things away. Donate whatever you no longer use. The Salvation Army takes donations. As you remove physical clutter, your mind clears and you’ll be able to focus better to get more things done.

When your home is clean and free of clutter, decorate. Add a few things that will uplift your mood. A painting perhaps? Flowers? How about some family photos? Be creative! There is no formula to follow. Whatever reflects who you are or who you’ve become and makes you feel positive about life. A positive spirit is a resilient one.

Stay Mentally Active and Alert

Try the following activities to keep your mind active - it is one of the ways to reduce the risk of dementia.

#5 Play with Puzzles

Challenge yourself with games and puzzles!

Pit your skills and wits against your virtual opponents in a game of cards or checkers. Better still, play with your grandchildren, children or friends online! These games require strategy, memory and problem-solving. When you play, you’re improving your memory skills while reducing the risks of dementia and depression.

#6 Journal or Make a Book of Memories

There are also things you can do alone which will stimulate your brain and improve your memory. Journaling about the past or making a book filled with old photos both work wonders. You’ll be making a family heirloom.

Every project starts with a theme. How about “First Love”? Thinking back might make you blush! Stretch out on your couch and have fun coming up with themes. Let your imagination run wild. Then choose a theme you feel most excited to work on.

As you piece together the past, you’re reconnecting with yourself and also keeping an active mind.

#7 Learn Something New

There is nothing like picking up a new skill to get our brains moving.

How about mastering a new language? Learning a new language can help develop creativity, open-mindedness and inquisitiveness. Pick up Korean to watch K-dramas without subtitles. Have fun practising it with your friends who are also learning the language and practise over phone conversations. The more you practice, the better you’ll get! Attend online language courses and more here.

Want to be more digitally savvy? Pick up useful digital skills. There are free classes to teach you how. Learn how to take better photos and videos and how to get on social media too. Soon you’ll be posting picture-perfect photos and tagging your friends on social media.

Do remember to keep your password safe as it also keeps your devices secure.

#8 Farm in Your Home

Hoping to create a ‘farm to table’ experience in the comfort of your home? Have a go at the farming experience and join social media groups where farmers actively post their harvest and share tips. Being able to eat what you grow – there’s something extremely satisfying about that!

Start by growing plants that thrive easily. Chilli padi, pandan and spring onion are fairly easy to grow! When you’re more confident, try chives, basil and parsley. Herbs flourish with sunlight. Place them along your corridor without obstructing the walkway. If you have a balcony, that will be even better.

As your farm expands, you’ll be seeing and eating more greens, which will make you happy and benefit your health.

Stay Connected with Your Community

#9 Connect without Contact

Even if we stay at home, let’s not lose contact with our family and friends! You can video call your friends and family. On these video calls, show them your recently decluttered home, your newly potted chilli plant or scrapbook. Get your grandchildren to show you their latest creations or your friends to share a new exercise move. 

Camera shy? Stick to voice calls. Start a routine where you call your family and friends regularly. Tried a new recipe? Share the experience with them. Planted some new seeds? Share the joy. Connecting regularly with your loved ones is “chicken soup for the soul”. A ten-minute call early in the day with someone you care about is energising.

These calls are also a good way to remind one another to stick to healthy habits. Not too long ago, we used to ask “Had your meal already?” or remind each other “Don’t sleep too late” to show our love and concern. Now, we can add a few more lines like “Exercise already?”, “Ate your vegetables today?” and “Don’t forget to take calcium”.

Daily check-ins over the phone is a convenient way to stay connected when you stay in.

#10 Seek Out New Connections

Here’s another way you can spend time at home - go online to make new connections. When you step outside your circle, you’ll increase your chances of finding people who have the same passions or interests!

Love to talk about the old days? There are online groups for that! And you can see photos of old Singapore contributed by group members. Want to get into photography with people of your age? You can find several photography interests groups online too.

If you are unfamiliar with the online world, take your time to explore and build new and meaningful connection at your own pace. Widening your social network can have a positive impact on your mental well-being.

Stay Well to Stay Strong

There you have it! 10 activities you can do at home to stay healthy and strong. When you’ve done them all, a quick call to old or new found friends can lead to fresh stay-home ideas.

While staying home, keeping healthy is the best thing you can do to stay well. Staying active, eating healthy and keeping yourself engaged and connected will help you to stay strong.