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Health, Fitness and Nutrition For Senior Citizens

senior citizensDoes 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!

For more on healthy living, check out Healthy Reads. To get the right tips and guidance from an expert, subscribe for GOQii’s personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Wish you all a Happy and Healthy Senior Citizens Day!

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Nutrition Guidelines For Seniors During Winter

nutrition guidelines for seniors

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 ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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Nutritional facts to help preserve muscles in Seniors

senior-citizen-exercise

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.

 

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Poulomi Bhattacharya Loses Weight, Gets Active & Fit With GOQii

Poulomi BhattacharyaImagine having a good work-life balance and then a sudden change at work derails your otherwise active lifestyle. You begin gaining weight and that invites a host of other complications you would have not imagined! Our Player Poulomi Bhattacharya faced something similar. Here’s how her Health Story unfolded.

All Work and No Play

Based in Delhi, Poulomi Bhattacharya is a high flying senior hospitality professional. For the longest time she worked in the operations side of the Hotels business where she had a hectic but active life. Then, around 2005, she moved to the HR front in the Learning & Development side. This took a toll on her health in terms of gaining weight. “In Learning & Development, there is not much scope to be active,” she said. She led an inactive lifestyle and to further add to the already inactive lifestyle, was a slip disc that she suffered from.

This kind of inactive lifestyle was coupled with bad eating habits. Due to her hectic schedule, she was eating 3 meals a day at odd hours. During these years, she also traveled a lot and moved between different locations such as Goa and Bengaluru. In 2014, she began gaining weight and also developed Blood Pressure issues. She was on medication to control her BP. She suffered from menstrual issues.

In 2019, she moved back to Delhi for a new job and here, she used to travel approximately 20 days. This kind of fast-paced, on-the-go work environment gave her little scope to rectify her health issues or even be active. Her stress levels were high and thanks to the lack of a work-life balance, she decided to introduce some changes and lead a healthy lifestyle.

In Feb 2020, when she checked her weight, she weighed 71kg. She said that it’s the highest she’s hit in her life. “I realised that I had to find time to do something about it,” she said. Initially she started going to the gym and walking on the treadmill but in March 2020 when COVID struck, she was homebound. 

While she indulged in all household chores, she had developed a terrible pain in her arms. The pain was due to lack of calcium. She says her calcium absorption was less and hence, she had to take injections. Her BP was also  low and her doctor suggested that she walk for 20 minutes daily. 

Making A Lifestyle Change With GOQii

After going through all these issues, her husband began looking for a fitness tracker that could also measure BP on a continuous basis. He came across GOQii and Poulomi decided to try it out. When subscribing for personalised health coaching, her goals were simple – to lose weight, be fit and active.

Initially, she was assigned Dr Naina Sudharshan. Poulomi Bhattarcharya says, “She guided me so well that she became my best friend.” Slowly and steadily, Poulomi started following all the habits set by the coach. Getting active was one of those habits coupled with a nutritarian diet that places emphasis on fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts. Poulomi was also asked not to skip any meals.

She didn’t have a regular exercise routine but she began following live coaches on GOQii Play and GOQii Pro, and now, it has become a part of her daily life. She follows Coach Neha and Coach Anushka’s Yoga classes and they have helped her improve her mental health and strength. She also follows Coach Arooshi’s classes for tips on Nutrition.

For her pre-workout nutrition, she consumes lemon juice with chia seeds in it – as this has the ability to promote a feeling of fullness and also has great antioxidant properties. For the remainder of the day, she consumes a balanced diet that provides energy and nutrients to her body.

Meditation is something that she has introduced to her routine as well. This has helped her with her anger issues as well as helped her normalise her sleep. For meditation, she follows Coach Rounak on GOQii Play.

Some Changes Poulomi Bhattarcharya Experienced…

Since joining GOQii, Poulomi has reduced her weight to 56.4kg and her target weight now is 55kg. She said that she feels much lighter, has more energy and is more positive than she was before. She has completely stopped her Blood Pressure medication as well.

She recently spoke to our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal on an episode of GOQii Health Stories. You can hear her speak about her entire journey in detail here: 

Her current Coach Sheena Nambiar says, “Poulomi Bhattacharya is a very committed person who really wanted to develop her health and fitness levels day by day!” 

Did this story inspire you? Do you want to manage a medical condition or simply lose weight? Let our Coaches and Experts help you make a lifestyle change. To write your own Health Story, subscribe for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring Health Stories, check out Healthy Reads and let us know your thoughts in the comments below! 

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