Most people hope to live to old age, but not everyone makes a plan for navigating those years. However, healthy aging largely depends on having good self-care habits, including getting enough exercise and eating nutritious food. Whatever age you are right now, it’s not too late or too early to improve your vitality and lower your chances of developing health problems.
A recent study by the Gerontological Society of America found that motivation is the key to staying healthy as you grow older. That means overcoming short-term pleasures like over-indulging on sweets or napping instead of taking your daily walk. Seniors in assisted living in Orlando, Florida, may have an easier time staying motivated, as many communities provide health-boosting activities.
Understanding Your Motivation
Some motivation is external. Many people get up in the morning and go to work because they are motivated to keep their jobs and make their house payments. But getting up an hour earlier to exercise requires internal motivation. There’s no immediate consequence if they don’t do it. In fact, staying in bed for an extra hour may even be seen as a reward.
If you don’t know what your goals are or how to achieve them, it’s almost impossible to activate your internal motivation.
Setting Goals
Staying “healthy” is a somewhat ambiguous goal, especially because there are many factors you cannot control when it comes to health. For example, one of the biggest contributing factors to health is genetics. It may be more helpful to create specific goals, such as, “I want to stay healthy enough to play with my grandchildren.” That goal requires you to stay flexible, maintain bone and muscle strength, and have enough energy to remain active for 30 minutes or more.
If your goal is to stay healthy enough to travel, you might focus on taking long walks to build your stamina.
Stay Adaptable
Healthy aging doesn’t mean you will never face a health challenge. Adapting to your new normal when challenges come is part of staying mentally healthy. Being open to assistive devices or medical interventions that can make life easier will help you meet your goals. Accepting help when it’s needed can make it easier for you to maintain your health.
When asked, most seniors say they want to remain in their own home, but upon further examination, their ultimate goal is to remain independent. Moving to one of the independent living facilities in Orlando, FL, can increase your level of independence, not hamper it. Having easy access to wellness programs, nutritious food, and social activities could improve your health and help you reach your goals.
Can Assisted Living in Orlando, FL, Help You Stay Motivated?
Too often, people think of moving into a senior living facility as the end of something, when it can be a fresh new beginning. With amenities like housekeeping, a fitness center, a computer center, and plenty of opportunities for socializing, living in an assisted living community can increase your motivation to stay healthy. When life is filled with new experiences and friends who are living life to the fullest, staying motivated to meet your healthy aging goals may be easier than ever before.
