How Seniors Can Maintain a Healthy Weight

All over America, senior populations continue to grow as older adults are living longer due to advances in medicine. A higher number of seniors are experiencing many of the problems that plague younger generations, including weight gain. Although obesity levels are much lower in seniors, there is a circular relationship between longevity and a healthy weight. As people live longer, their caloric needs change which can put them at risk for overeating. And the more seniors exercise, the longer they live.

The key to balancing a healthy diet with exercise is to find programs that are enjoyable and sustainable.  Here are some tips for senior diets and exercise.

Senior dieting requires more than just calorie restriction

The general rule with dieting is that in order to lose weight, one must create a caloric deficiency. A pound of body fat roughly equates to 3,500 calories. Therefore, in order to lose a pound in a week—which is generally considered a healthy weight-loss goal—a 500-calorie-a-day deficiency is necessary. Senior metabolism is slower than that of a younger person. Whereas a 30-year-old man may require 2,500 calories per day to maintain his weight, at 70 he may only require 1,800 calories. This slower metabolism makes it easier to overeat and harder to create a weight-loss deficiency. In addition, seniors have increased nutritional requirements in order to maintain bone mass and muscle strength. Simply reducing calories can result in malnutrition or injury.

Quality calories are key

Although a balanced diet is required for optimal health at any age, seniors require a high-protein diet that is lower in overall calories. This diet is possible through scrutinizing calorie quality. Empty calories, such as those found in refined sugar, bad fats, and alcohol, do great damage to a senior’s weight management. A good diet, therefore, would include foods that provide nutrition and fiber. Some good senior foods include:

-       High-quality protein, including eggs, fish, lean meats, and beans.

-       Dark, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and cabbage.

-       Good fats such as those found in avocados and olive oil.

-       Reduced amounts of complex carbohydrates including grains and fruits.

Balancing diet with exercise

Since it is difficult to create a calorie deficiency sufficient to lose weight with diet alone, exercise can help. Experts suggest that seniors, even those with healthy weights, get 2.5 hours a week of moderate exercise or 1.5 hours a week of high-intensity exercise. Since high-intensity workouts can cause injury and fatigue, most seniors opt for incorporating some easy exercise, such as brisk walking, to their weekly routine.

If a senior weighing 160 pounds were to walk about 20 minutes a day, they will burn around 700 calories a week. If looking to lose a pound, an easy 20-minute walk already would have shaved off 100 calories each day, making the goal more attainable.

To maximize weight loss, there are other low-impact exercises that seniors can do at home. With a small amount of equipment, such as resistance bands and a yoga mat, you can put together a home gym for less than $100. The key is to find a good spot in your home. You don’t need a lot of space, just space that is comfortable and convenient.

In addition to promoting weight loss, exercise has been shown to increase longevity, with those following the recommended exercise of 2.5 hours a week living an average of 3.4 years more than those who do not.

Senior weight loss can be tricky, due to lowered metabolism, but through exercise and smart food choices, you can get down to a healthy weight.

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A Comforting Presence in a Dark Time: Helping Seniors Cope with the Loss of a Spouse

Profoundly painful. Disorienting. Emotionally devastating. Those are just some of the ways elderly people describe what it’s like to lose a spouse. Helping a senior cope with such a loss can be extraordinarily difficult. For those who have never had the experience, it’s impossible to appreciate how different losing a spouse is from losing a parent, a sibling or close friend. The bereaved person may experience confusion, indecision, or a total lack of motivation. Suddenly bereft of a helpmate and lifetime partner, they need help but may not know how to ask for it. So what can you do?

Listen unconditionally

One of the greatest kindnesses you can perform is to listen. Listen unconditionally and with empathy. Sometimes, encouraging a grieving individual just to talk about their spouse and letting them know you’re there to listen can be therapeutic. Simply allowing a loved one to share thoughts or vent pent-up emotions can be a valuable service. But it does require patience and a sense of restraint. Saying “I know how you feel” can come across as a shallow, patronizing statement if you truly don’t know.

Part of being a good, patient listener is allowing a bereaved senior to grieve freely. They may exhibit depression, remorse, resignation, and a host of other feelings (perhaps even contradictory ones) that may be overwhelming, even startling. Try to remember that this is an important part of the healing process, a sharing of feelings that can make the difference between a debilitating emotional decline and a glimmer of light that brings a little relief and a sense of hope.

Day-to-day coping

Coping with grief often makes it difficult for seniors to perform day-to-day tasks such as paying bills or taking medication. Children can be particularly helpful by supporting a parent in these mundane-yet-important tasks, freeing them to deal with their grief without the extra burden of personal responsibility. Seniors in mourning often find it difficult to stay organized. You can help by offering to help plan a schedule or drive them to appointments.

Maintaining a physical presence can be important because bereavement may produce powerful emotional responses at unpredictable times. Something may trigger a memory that produces a sudden crying spell or proves temporarily incapacitating. Having a loved one nearby who can do the driving, clean the house or wash dishes is not only emotionally supportive but can help prevent injury at a time when your parent or relative may be distracted and inattentive. 

Time to downsize?

For seniors who suddenly find themselves alone, taking care of a house as well as themselves can be daunting. There are belongings to go through, legal matters to attend to, and more. The stress of keeping things clean and organized may become too much. If this is the case, it might be time to consider downsizing to a smaller home, where your parent would have far less they are responsible for. To keep the process manageable, Angie’s List suggests creating (and sticking to) a moving schedule, decluttering and getting rid of items no longer needed, and starting small by packing closets first.

For certain seniors, an assisted living facility may be a better option. Here, your parent would receive physical assistance, emotional support, and social stimulation every day. It can be a difficult matter to bring up, especially for someone who’s used to being independent, but the benefits of assisted living can truly make a difference for an elderly person dealing with loneliness and depression for the first time. Many facilities offer temporary stays, during which individuals can get a feel for whether assisted living is for them.

Losing a spouse and lifetime companion is an inevitability for which no one is ever really prepared. Those who suffer such a loss may have needs they themselves don’t understand. Relatives and friends can provide a comforting presence just by being near, lending a loving ear or offering a helping hand. 

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Holistic Healing: The Benefits of Yoga and Meditation for Seniors and Caregivers

Medical science has embraced yoga and meditation for the benefits they confer on seniors and their caregivers. Doctors in increasing numbers are recommending yoga to their patients over 50 to help reduce blood pressure, relieve pain, and improve balance. Seniors who are initially skeptical often find the benefits of yoga and meditation can help them in ways they never imagined. Older adults frequently find yoga improves muscle and joint flexibility, enhances their mood, and alleviates stress and anxiety. And while elderly bodies aren’t always up to the physical discipline of yoga, its tremendous mental and emotional value can still be derived from classes adapted to the physical restrictions that often limit a senior’s movements.

Consult your physician

Always use common sense if you’re a senior getting started with yoga. Consult your physician if you’re a cardiac patient, have undergone surgery, or are taking medications. If you have osteoporosis, be aware there are certain yoga movements you shouldn’t attempt in order to avoid fracture.

Broad appeal

Older adults are sometimes put off by images of young, lithe people bending their bodies into pretzel-like shapes. But yoga is gaining broad appeal as more elderly people find that it isn’t just for the young and flexible. Yoga, even a few minutes a day, not only improves physical flexibility, it enhances cognitive functioning, bolsters cardiovascular health, and can even slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Seniors with a limited range of movement have been known to make remarkable improvements and gain an amazing degree of flexibility.

Find a yoga that suits you

There’s no one uniform version of yoga, but different kinds from “hot” to “gentle.” If your doctor has prescribed yoga, it’s important to begin by speaking with an instructor to determine what level of intensity is suitable based on your overall condition and physical fitness. Bear in mind that “chair” yoga and other low-impact versions are very popular with seniors and offer the same benefits as “traditional” forms.

Meditation

The benefits of meditation mirror those of yoga, which is, to a large extent, a mental discipline as well as a series of physical poses. It’s especially valuable for caregivers because meditation offers invaluable mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits that can alleviate the stress under which caregivers labor. Find a space that relaxes you and offers solitude—a haven where you can focus your thoughts, free of distractions. It should be a meditation room where light can be kept to a minimum and where you’re able to fully relax. Light scented candles and play soothing music to maximize the effect. 

More than a workout

Yoga is much more than a physical activity: It’s a holistic form of mind-body medicine that improves mood and overall health—a combination of poses, meditation, and deep breathing that combine to integrate the mind, body, and spirit. And that’s the essence of yoga. Its ability to fuse one’s being lies at the heart of its ability to heal and enhance your sense of well-being. Yoga isn’t a workout activity like weightlifting or a cardio exercise where you push yourself past discomfort to achieve more and more. Yoga should never hurt; if it does, tell your instructor.

Yoga and meditation are tremendously effective healing disciplines that offer seniors and caregivers a great many physical and mental benefits. Medical science has increasingly turned to these disciplines to help older adults and their caregivers achieve a level of health they couldn’t attain otherwise and for good reason.

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