We love talking about ways you can stay healthy as you age! Today we're sharing some tips on forming healthy habits from @aarp in honor of #HealthyAgingMonth.
Fitness breaks. Instead of skipping your workout to do work, turn your coffee breaks into fitness breaks. Every few hours, I do exercises such as push-ups, squats and planks. If your work environment is a little more formal or public, get creative by taking short walks, either inside or outside, or spend five to 10 minutes of every hour standing up while you work.
Switch up your snacks. Instead of denying yourself treats, switch up your snacks. Dark chocolate (the kind that’s at least 70 percent cacao) helps lower your blood pressure naturally. Milk chocolate doesn’t. If you love frozen yogurt, try stirring a bit of honey and 2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder into some Greek yogurt.
Choose healthy fats. Instead of eating low-fat foods, choose healthy fats in small amounts. Concerns about dietary fats have led many of us to switch to processed low-fat foods, which are often full of sugars, starches and additives. Instead, go for modest levels of beneficial fats such as olive oil and avocado, to add flavor to meals. If you’re a bacon or cheese lover, buy the real thing but use just a bit.
Beef up your brain. Instead of vegging out after dinner, beef up your brain. Although cat videos may be addictive, they don’t improve your focus the way puzzles or knitting or woodworking projects can. And if you don’t have the energy to do more than watch TV, stream an online course or TED talk — to feed your mind.
And on that note, we recommend Ping Pong! It has endless benefits for your brain, body and mood!