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January 27, 2021 By Swati Savla Leave a Comment

Nutrition Guidelines For Seniors During Winter

Maintaining immunity during winter is imperative, especially for seniors. It’s quite crucial to take care of their nutritional needs as they face the greatest risk of cold and flu viruses and issues like joint pain, hypothermia (which may also lead to stroke or heart attack), dry skin, aggravation of asthmatic attacks or respiratory problems. With this pandemic, seasonal challenges are all the more exacerbated. So, let’s look at some nutrition guidelines for seniors during winter!

Nutrition Guidelines For Seniors

Some daily dietary nourishment tips that can help seniors tackle common winter problems include:

Omega 3 fatty acids: Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds and avocado are some excellent sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are beneficial in reducing inflammation especially in arthritis, curbing heart disease and they also play a role in cognitive development in elderly.
Seasonal fruits and vegetables like all the leafy greens, berries, citrus fruits, root vegetables like beetroot, carrots and sweet potatoes. All of these are high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber which help easing the bowels.
Winters mean less exposure to the sun which may be a reason for Vit.D deficiency and impaired calcium absorption which affects bone health further. Hence, Vit.D fortified cereals, egg yolk, milk and milk products need to be a part of the diet regularly.
The cold climate leads to less water intake due to the urge to urinate frequently which can act as a hindrance to our elders to maintain optimal fluid intake. Inclusion of warm soups, decaffeinated beverages, warm milk, vegetable juices, citrus fruits and gourd vegetables help them in maintaining the hydration status. A well hydrated body aids good digestion, helps in transport of nutrients and also improves the performance of joints and muscles.
Habituate elders to have 5-6 small but frequent meals. It is essential for improving metabolism, regulating insulin levels and improving calorie intake in older individuals who face a diminished appetite.

Apart from good nutrition, maintaining some basic physical activity within the vicinity of the house is equally important to reduce joint pains and muscle stiffness by improving blood flow to all parts of the body and aiding better digestion and good metabolism.

We hope these nutrition guidelines for seniors during winter helps you take care of the elderly in your family and around you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more on healthy living for senior citizens, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by our experts on GOQii Play.

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August 21, 2020 By Madhu Soni 2 Comments

Health, Fitness and Nutrition For Senior Citizens

Does old age mark the end of physical fitness? If you retire from work, with reduced responsibilities, does it mean you can retire from exercise as well? At any given age, physical fitness and exercise play a crucial role in leading a healthy lifestyle, especially for senior citizens. Whether you’re young or old, working out and keeping yourself active shouldn’t stop as exercise is important even when you’re a senior citizen.

Here are a few benefits of working out for Senior Citizens

Prevents Diseases & Chronic Conditions: Being regular with any kind of physical activity helps keep away diseases like diabetes, heart ailments and cancer.
Reduced Risk of Fall: With old age, the risk of falling increases, which can have a disastrous effect on being independent. Exercise improves the strength and flexibility of the body and as a result, it improves balance and coordination.
Improved Mental Health: Exercise induces endorphins – the happy hormone, which helps to feel good and keeps stress away .Exercise has a direct impact on sleep. Insomnia and disrupted sleep patterns which are common aspects with senior citizens is taken care of with regular exercise.
Social Engagement: Responsibilities reduce with age and so does the social life. Being regular with any kind of activity, be it yoga or a laughter club, helps to interact with people of the same age with similar problems. Now, they have their own tribe and this brings in confidence as it deals with depression and loneliness.
Better Cognitive Function: Fine-tuned motor skills improve cognitive functions which lower the risk of deteriorating memory, thinking, behavior and the ability to perform daily activities.
Keeps Weight in Check: Metabolism slows down in old age and as a result, losing weight becomes a challenge. Regular exercise helps in increasing metabolism and losing weight.

Get Started With an Activity

Walking: Be it brisk walking or a stroll in the park, walking improves stamina and makes you feel good!
Yoga: It helps in improving flexibility and mental health.
Workout at Fitness Studios: Use body weight to keep fit and meet like-minded people!
Swimming: Ideal for those having aching joints as it is not weight bearing. Swimming will help you tone your body and improve stamina.
Cycling: Low impact sport which is good for the cardiovascular system.
Resistance Bands: Improves muscle strength, balance, coordination and range of motion.
Laughter Clubs: Laughter is the best medicine. Visiting laughter clubs will help you stay positive and stress-free.

Points to be Kept in Mind:

Get a clearance from your Doctor about your fitness regime
Start with warm ups and end with cool down to prevent injuries
Always start slow and gradually increase the intensity
At any point if discomfort or pain is felt, stop immediately and consult your Doctor

Nutrition for Senior Citizens

Eating the right food in old age is very important as weak bones, lower immunity, poor digestion are all a part of the routine. Hence, eating healthy is very important.

Tips for Healthy Eating:

Have five to six small meals during the day to help in better digestion and absorption
Since appetite reduces with age, care should be taken to include sufficient proteins like whole grains, eggs, milk products, chicken, fish, etc.
Eat a good amount of fruits as they are rich in antioxidants
Including salads helps to keep constipation at bay due to their fiber content
Stay hydrated with sufficient amount of water.
Avoid processed food

Eating right and exercising can help you stay youthful and active even in old age! We hope this article helps. Leave your thoughts in the comments below! You can also join our Fit India Active Sunday sessions at 8 AM and 8:30 AM on GOQii Play every Sunday!

Want to know how our senior citizens are keeping fit? Check out the GOQii India Fit Report 2020 released earlier this year: http://indiafit.org/

Wish you all a Happy and Healthy Senior Citizens Day!

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May 11, 2017 By Farida Gohil 2 Comments

Nutritional facts to help preserve muscles in Seniors

As you grow older it become imperative to work towrads building strength. The elderly need strength training more and more as they grow older to stay mobile for their everyday activities. The less active a person’s lifestyle, the earlier age-related changes will manifest.

According to International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), Nutrition working Group examines role of Nutrition in Sarcopenia, with focus on protein, vitamin D and B, and acid-based diet.

Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, is a natural part of aging. An article published in Harvard Health said that after age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade. Sarcopenia is a common consequence of aging, and poses a significant risk factor for disability in older adults. As muscle strength plays an important role in the tendency to fall, sarcopenia leads to an increased risk of fractures and other injuries.

Quoting from an article in Harvard Health, according to Dr. Thomas W. Storer, director of the exercise physiology and physical function lab at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, just because you lose muscle does not mean its gone forever. The elderly can increase muscle mass lost as a consequence of aging. “

The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Nutrition Working Group has published a new review which identifies nutritional factors that contributes to loss of muscle mass, or conversely, are beneficial to the maintenance of muscle mass. The Group reviewed evidence on worldwide studies on the role of nutrition in sarcopenia, specifically looking at protein, acid-base balance, vitamin D/calcium, and other minor nutrients like B vitamins.

The most obvious intervention against sarcopenia is exercise in the form of resistance training. However, adequate nutritional intake and an optimal dietary acid-base balance are also very important elements of any strategy to preserve muscle mass and strength during aging.

The review discusses and identifies the following important nutritional factors that have been shown to be beneficial to the maintenance of muscle mass and the treatment and prevention of sarcopenia:

Protein: Your diet also plays a role in building muscle mass. Protein is the king of muscle food. The body breaks it down into amino acids, which it uses to build muscle. The authors of the study propose an intake of 1.0-1.2 g/kg of body weight per day as optimal for skeletal muscle and bone health in elderly people without severely impaired renal function. .”While food sources are the best, supplemental protein can help if you struggle with consuming enough calories and protein from your regular diet,” says Dr. Storer.
Vitamin D: As many studies indicate a role for vitamin D in the development and preservation of muscle mass and function, adequate Vitamin D should be ensured through exposure to sunlight and/or supplementation if required. Vitamin D supplementation in seniors, and specially in institutionalized elderly, is recommended for optimal musculoskeletal health.
Avoiding dietary acid loads: Excess intake of acid-producing nutrients (meat and cereal grains) in combination with low intake of alkalizing fruits and vegetable may have negative effects on musculoskeletal health. Modifying the diet to include more fruits and vegetables is likely to benefit both bones and muscles. Emerging evidence also suggests that vitamin B12 and/or folic acid play a role in improving muscles function and strength.

The Review discusses non-nutritional interventions such as hormones, and calls for more studies to identify the potential of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in the prevention of Sarcopenia.

Strategies to reduce the numbers of falls and fractures within aging populations must include measures to prevent sarcopenia. At present, the available evidence suggests that combining resistance training with optimal nutritional status has a synergistic effect in preventing and treating sarcopenia.

Check with your doctor before embarking on any kind of strength-training routine. Then have a well-qualified personal trainer to help set up a detailed routine and supervise your initial workouts to ensure you perform them safely and in the best manner.

July 6, 2021 By Premlata Sharma Leave a Comment

Coronavirus Prevention Tips For Older Adults

We are well aware of how contagious COVID-19 is. Research has found that the coronavirus creates inflammation in the body. Inflammation has been connected to most of the major diseases of our time and over half of us are living with chronic inflammation driven by diet, stress and lack of sleep. According to the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases, older adults are considered to be at high risk as compared to others because their immunity weakens as they age. The risk increases with 50+ and those who are 85+ are more vulnerable to severe infection. WHO has provided guidelines and coronavirus prevention tips for older adults to manage themselves during this pandemic.

Coronavirus Prevention Tips For Older Adults

Some of the basic guidelines suggested by WHO include:

Washing hands frequently with proper hand wash
Avoid touching eyes, nose and ears with unwashed hands
Wear a mask when going out
Clean frequently touched surfaces with disinfectants
Avoid going out if you are sick
Cough or sneeze into your flexed elbow to avoid spread of the virus
Maintain social-distancing of about 6feet (1meter)
Do not go out in public places even if you feel healthy, if important follow all the instructions given by local authorities
Socialize over the phone with friends and relatives
Avoid unnecessary traveling

For Adults With Health Conditions

Older adults with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, BP, cholesterol, thyroid, kidney problems, asthma etc. should avoid going out. Do not visit the hospital unless necessary.
Take precautions if you suffer from respiratory disorders
Monitor your health via devices to avoid panic. You can use the GOQii Smart Vital to measure your blood oxygen levels (SpO2), body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. You can also use the GOQii Vital ECG to check and detect issues such as arrhythmia and other abnormalities in heart rhythm.
Prefer online consultation and purchase medicines online too.
Plan 2 weeks in advance and purchase daily requirements online
Get vaccinated as soon as you can. For now, this is the best preventive measure you can take.
Forego vices such as smoking, alcohol and consuming tobacco products as they may deteriorate or worsen health conditions.

Some Health Tips You Can Follow

Switch to a healthy diet: Include whole grains, cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts.
Maintain healthy weight: If overweight, try to reduce your weight gradually in a healthy way. Your GOQii Coach can help you with this!
Reduce stress: Don’t panic in critical situations and don’t over stress as this can lead to low immunity levels.
Sleep well: Proper and timely sleep is very crucial in maintaining health. The quality of your sleep also matters. Read more about sleep in our Sleep Series: https://goqii.com/blog/?s=sleep+series
Keep yourself hydrated: Have at least 3 liters of water everyday. Should be adjusted according to individual needs.
Exercise regularly: Even mild exercise such as walking or yoga accompanied by pranayama can go a long way in keeping you healthy!
Boost your immunity: Immunity of a person can be boosted in many ways through nutrition, exercise, etc. It is believed that acquired immunity can be made strong by following a healthy lifestyle. Get some immunity boosting tips here: https://goqii.com/blog/?s=immunity
Avoid processed and packaged foods: They are high in fats, sugar and salt. Preservatives present in these items lower our immunity.

Foods That You Can Eat

Dark green leafy vegetables: Such as spinach, methi etc. are rich in vitamins and minerals.
Fruits: Especially citrus fruits like orange, strawberry, sweet lime, lemon etc.
Unsalted nuts and seeds: Flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc. provides good fats.
Fatty fish: Salmon, sardines are rich sources of beneficial fatty acids and omega 3.
Olive oil and coconut oil: Prefer cold pressed, virgin, double filtered and filtered ones.
Millets and whole grains: Ragi, oats, barnyard, little millet etc. as they provide more fibers compared to refined products.
Green tea: Rich in antioxidants and flavonoids, green tea helps in boosting immunity.
Herbs: such as ginger, garlic, turmeric pepper corns, cinnamon, giloy, tulsi, etc. helps in boosting immunity.
Probiotics like curds, ACV etc. keep the gut healthy!

We hope these immunity boosting coronavirus prevention tips for older adults help you stay healthy and active! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! For more on the health and wellness of senior citizens, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to classes on GOQii Play.

To get more tips directly from your GOQii Coach, sign up for personalized coaching now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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