Keep Active! Promote Healthy Aging!

Lack of activities can hinder you from living healthy. When you don’t enjoy activities, you may feel fatigue or find it difficult to sleep at night. When you awake in the morning, you may feel tired until you finally fall asleep. As we age, our body changes, and we have to make changes to accommodate our lives.

Having a good night sleep makes the mind think more clearly. A good night sleep also boosts your energy while controlling your weight. You can also make decisions with less stress. Sleeping well at night makes our immune system stronger to keep us healthier. Researchers have proven that a good nights’ sleep is necessary for our health. Researchers have found that lack of sleep decreases the growth hormones in our bodies, since it changes muscles to fat. Sleep overall is most important, yet it stands behind activities. To improve your health, try something as simple as walking daily.

Walking will help to loosen our muscles, reduces stress, and depression along with anxiety. By reliving these things, it will help us to sleep for a longer and deeper period. So, when we wake up in the morning we feel happier and more rested.

When you exercise, you get a good night sleep, which promotes metabolism. Without the right amount of sleep, our bodies crave energy. Our body will release insulin or glucose into the bloodstream, which slows down metabolism. This action causes the body to gain weight, rather than control weight.

When a person feels exhausted, they will feel weak and repressed from enjoying activities. This leads to additional problems. Sleeping right balances out our bodies giving us, more energy leading to more activities that will satisfy our sleep needs.

To rest proper and feel active you need to reduce your intake of caffeine, nicotine, harmful chemicals, such as over-the-counter medicines that keep you awake, alcohol, and so on. The chemicals and substances will keep you awake. Try to avoid drinking anything after 8 p.m. in the evening. Nicotine should be avoided if possible, yet if you must smoke try to avoid smoking after 8 p.m.

Start a walking program in the morning to help wake you up, while boosting your energy. You will feel better since the joints will feel flexible enough to move freely. In addition, walking will help you burn fat and calories. You’ll notice a big change in how you feel the rest of the day. Start out walking at a slow steady pace for as far as your comfortable. Each day pick up the pace a bit and walk a bit further. Just remember when walking that you want to work up to a steady brisk walk to make you sweat but not out of breath. Take a short walk before and after meals to calm your nerves, and burn calories, too. It will give you energy, relieve that stress from the long day, and help you sleep.

If you start a walking program for yourself, it is a lot more fun if you have someone to walk with you. Talk to that neighbor you don’t know, and maybe they’ll walk with you. Just think about it; you’ll be acquainted with someone new, talk about new things. You will relieve stress and get in your exercise as well.

After walking that brisk walk you’re doing be sure to cool down. When walking at a brisk pace your heart rate will go up and it needs to be back to normal. Just walk a bit slowly and relax until you’ve cooled down.

If you can’t go to sleep at night instead of getting up and turning on the TV try pacing around the house. Do some stretching and shake your arms and legs. Even walking around the house can relax you especially when everyone else is in bed and you can relax more.

As with starting any exercise program, consult your physician first.

Ms. Davis is a veteran educator, promoting natural health and wellness products for children and adults.