{"id":1478,"date":"2021-10-05T07:57:32","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T07:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/?p=1478"},"modified":"2021-10-05T07:57:32","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T07:57:32","slug":"stay-at-home-health-tips-for-aging-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/stay-at-home-health-tips-for-aging-adults\/","title":{"rendered":"Stay-at-Home Health Tips for Aging Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The COVID-19 quarantine makes staying active a little more complicated, but it\u2019s far from impossible. Consider taking these steps to boost your mood, reduce stress, and support your mental wellbeing such as establishing a Brain fitness routine suggested by Dr. Krystal Culler.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Businesses and schools all over the country have shut their doors in an attempt to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep Americans safe. More recently, state and local governments have issued stay-at-home orders and encouraged <a title=\"Maintain a 6-Foot Distance in Public\" href=\"https:\/\/seniorlifeadvisor.com\/explain-like-65-social-distancing\/\">social distancing<\/a> efforts. <a name=\"section2\"><\/a>For seniors, this poses a number of mental and physical health challenges. We spoke to several health and wellness experts and got their recommendations for staying mentally and physically healthy during these uncertain times.<\/p>\n<h4>Physical Health Tips<\/h4>\n<p>The COVID-19 quarantine makes staying active a little more complicated, but it\u2019s far from impossible. Seniors have a number of options for getting daily exercise both inside and outside of their homes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Get Online:<\/strong> If you\u2019ve got internet access, you\u2019ve also got access to countless low-impact exercise programs for seniors. Jessica Ruiz, a certified fitness instructor at <a title=\"Fitness Ideas for Seniors\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fitrated.com\/\">FitRated.com<\/a>, suggests the following search terms, \u201cbodyweight exercises, tai chi, yoga, senior chair strategies, and chair workouts.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Go for a Walk: <\/strong>Stay-at-home orders don\u2019t mean you\u2019re literally stuck in the house. Senior fitness experts like Dr. Scott McAfee of <a title=\"Physical Therapy Tips\" href=\"https:\/\/movement-x.com\/\">Movement-X<\/a> suggest at least 30 minutes of outdoor walking for healthy seniors. McAfee acknowledges both the physical and mental benefits of a short stroll. \u201cGetting outdoors, soaking up some sunshine, and saying hello to neighbors,\u201d he says, \u201ccan give both your mind and body the boost they need.\u201d He reminds seniors that they should keep a safe, six-foot distance between themselves and others while walking.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay in for a Walk:<\/strong> While it\u2019s important to get fresh air and sunshine when you can, you don\u2019t need to head outdoors to get a walk in. Ruiz notes that you can \u201cwalk a mile\u201d with just 15-20 minutes of walking in place. <a name=\"section3\"><\/a>You can even do it while you watch TV. There are plenty of other ways to improvise exercise routines around your home, too. Ruiz recommends doing calf-raises during standing activities like washing dishes, brushing your teeth, or preparing dinner.Mental Health Tips<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Staying in the house all day can be lonely and even depressing. That\u2019s not to mention the added anxiety that comes with living through a global pandemic. Consider taking these steps to boost your mood, reduce stress, and support your mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Establish a Brain Fitness Routine: <\/strong>Your brain needs exercise just as much as your body. Dr. Krystal Culler, an Atlantic Fellow with the <a title=\"Mental Health and Wellness\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yourbrainhealthmatters.com\/\">Global Brain Health Institute<\/a>, encourages seniors to establish a daily workout routine to keep their minds sharp. She writes, \u201can exercise should be new, novel, and offer an appropriate level of challenge.\u201d This can be as simple as reading something with the intention of sharing it. \u201cYou will process the information differently,\u201d and potentially boost your memory and reading comprehension skills. <a title=\"Keep Your Brain Sharp During Isolation\" href=\"https:\/\/www.drreginakoepp.com\/\">Dr. Regina Koepp<\/a>, an Assistant Professor at Emory University, suggests adding activities like crossword puzzles and chess to further promote mental stimulation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Meditate: <\/strong><a title=\"Mental Health Tips\" href=\"https:\/\/www.haleyneidich.com\/\">Haley Neidich<\/a>, a practicing psychotherapist, is particularly concerned by the potential mental health impacts of loneliness and isolation. She urges seniors to work meditation and mindfulness exercises into their daily routines. \u201cThe Calm app,\u201d she remarks, \u201cis a great tool for beginners.\u201d Alternatively, seniors can start meditating by simply \u201cclosing their eyes and taking 5 slow, deep breaths while seated.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay Connected: <\/strong>Social distancing is absolutely essential for keeping yourself and your loved ones safe. \u201cThe downside of social distancing,\u201d Dr. Koepp writes, \u201cis that it increases the risk of loneliness and isolation among older adults.\u201d <a name=\"section4\"><\/a>She encourages seniors to check in with loved ones over apps like FaceTime, WhatsApp, and Skype. When it comes to the news, however, she discourages seniors from getting \u201ctoo\u201d connected. She advises everyone to limit their media intake as much as possible and stick to credible sources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The COVID-19 quarantine makes staying active a little more complicated, but it\u2019s far from impossible. Consider taking these steps to boost your mood, reduce stress, and support your mental wellbeing such as establishing a Brain fitness routine suggested by Dr. Krystal Culler. Businesses and schools all over the country have shut their doors in an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180,179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-memory"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/w.jpg","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1478\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}