September is here. It’s time to prepare for a new season with cooler temperatures, and don’t forget to celebrate Healthy Aging Month!
While genetics play a factor in our health, our choices and lifestyle do, too. When retirement closes the door to busy schedules and commutes, another door opens to hobbies and free time. It’s a great opportunity to have the time and attention to improve habits and adopt healthy activities.
Here are ten ideas to kick off Healthy Aging Month:
1. Take Control of Your Health
From reducing stress to improving the numbers in your medical chart, it’s never too late to begin managing your mental and physical health. Doing so will help you maintain your independence, greatly impacting your quality of life as your years begin to add up.
Healthy aging is a balancing act: too much of anything isn’t good for you. If you have habits to change or complex emotions to regulate, your doctor’s office is the best place to start so you can find activities that will suit you best.
2. Do Some Gardening
Whether you’re foraging the last of your summer veggies, pruning your shrubs, or planting a beautiful display of tulips, gardening can be done at whatever pace you find comfortable. It’s great exercise; it gives you a reason to be outside, and if you’re planting something for springtime, it can help you get excited about what will pop up.
3. Play Pickleball
This one is sweeping our nation by storm. Although it’s been around longer in some communities, many rural areas are improving their parks and recreation options by adding pickleball courts. When you partake in a game, you also open the door to social opportunities.
4. Travel
Seeing new places, faces, and nature scenes can help nourish the soul. Visit that friend from college you lost contact with or long-lost relatives in other cities and states. See as much as possible and take all the photos to remember your adventures.
5. Be a Local Tourist
List the nearby attractions you haven’t had a chance to enjoy and visit! Have you longed to visit the arboretum, museum, or community theater? Are you driving near beautiful waterfalls every day that you’ve only heard about, or perhaps there’s a famous landmark nearby that you’ve never seen?
6. Check out Book Clubs
It’s important to keep learning. If you can join an established book club, that’s great, or you can start your own based on topics and books that interest you the most.
7. Do Some Cleaning
Whether your junk drawer needs a good once-over or you could really benefit from downsizing your closets, garage, or entire home, this project is a gift. You can see what you have and what you need, and it helps you think about eliminating what you don’t. Have a rummage or estate sale for a bonus activity that puts money in your pocket!
8. Take a Class
From dancing to knitting to social media and pottery, community education classes are typically low in cost and high in satisfaction. They’re also offered at varied times during the year so participants can attend in a season that works best.
9. Spend Time Outside
Nature is great for the soul! Hiking, biking, or walking along public trails can help improve your mood and well-being. Even a picnic in the park with family helps you socialize, get fresh air, and, if you’re lucky, get a dose of vitamin D from the sun.
10. Volunteer
Find an organization that speaks to your soul and volunteer your time for those who need it in your area, or check with us at CaringEdge. Our hospice patients benefit greatly from our kind, compassionate volunteers who help with everything from washing dishes to sitting on the front porch enjoying coffee.
If you’re interested in learning how to help as a volunteer?
