Diet And Exercise For Physical, Mental And Social Well Being
You don’t have to be a scientist to realize that regular exercise and fitness will help you live longer. This goes for people of all ages across populations. Something we often overlook is the profound need for nutrition and physical activity behaviors in older adults. Thats right. We have to get grandma and grandpa on the treadmill and eating all-natural fruits and veggies between exercises. Paired with the complexities of older adult physiology such as declining muscle mass and reduced energy requirements, nutrition-dense foods become increasingly important. Countries all over the world are experiencing exponential growth in populations aged 65 and older due to advances in medicine. One of the most important things we can do to insure physical, mental and social well-being for people of all ages is to promote healthy lifestyles.
“Increased physical activity is a potentially important strategy among older adults for maintaining functional status and independence” (McNaughton et. al., 2012). Adults in this life-stage are confronted with major transitions the lead to changes in lifestyle. Some of the common social and physiological factors that older adult face include loss of partner, relationship breakdown and changing household structure. After all the kiddos have flown the coop and your left tired and bored; nutrition and physical activity may be the last thing on your mind. But, exercise might be a great way to stay on top of your health as it is often helpful in combating depression in people of all ages.
For the well being of our old-timer population, we must consider the positive impacts of diet and exercise. “A life-course approach to prevention is necessary to develop interventions that are relevant to each stage of life” (McNaughton et. al.,2012). For more information on studies conducted on older adults check the references below. BEE Well Everyone!!!
References:
McNaughton et al. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2012, 10:109 http://www.hqlo.com/content/10/1/109
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