Five Tips To Change Bad Habits

Pulse

oi-Staff

By Staff

Thursday, March 4, 2010, 12:18

There are many bad habits that may take a toll on our lives. The health aspects can be improved to a grater extent by cutting down some bad habits. Here are five tips to cut down the bad habits.

Change the food choices: A change in the food choice will enable you to have a healthy living. Substituting good carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, wheat bread, brown rice) for bad carbohydrates (white potatoes, white bread, white rice) and adding lean proteins, while limiting foods with high fat and sugar contents, will help seniors maintain a healthy weight.

Don't be couch potatoes: The old saying states that “ An idle mind is a devil's workshop." This goes very well in old age. There are a variety of activities seniors can do to keep their minds focused and sharp, including word puzzles, interactive games, joining a book club or participating in other social and volunteer activities.

Adjust your medications: To help keep medications organized and alleviate frustration, seniors should use weekly or monthly pill boxes and have a family member or friend help them fill pill boxes on a regular basis or make a colour coded chart to help keep track of their pills and the times they need to be taken.

Engage in exercise: Keeping physically active is integral to keeping the heart, mind and bones healthy. For some seniors, physical restrictions make exercise a challenge, but there are still small ways to incorporate physical activity into a daily routine, such as parking further away from the store to get in a short walk. And, programs such as yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi can help with balance and weight loss and can be adapted to all levels of physical ability.

Reduce your addictions: Smoking and excessive alcohol intake is proven to have negative health effects on a person at any age, but seniors who smoke and drink regularly increase their chances of more advanced medical problems. The effects of many medications are altered when mixed with alcohol, which can pose serious health risks, especially for seniors taking multiple medications.