| Healthy ageing in retirement means looking after our | | | | exotic foods, meeting new people, etc, will give your |
| physical and mental health the best we can. We hear | | | | morale a big boost. |
| a lot about living a healthy lifestyle, but how do we | | | | |
| go about doing it? | | | | Mental Health |
| Quite understandably, some may be concerned that | | | | A good mental health is also essential to enjoy |
| their retirement income may not stretch far enough | | | | healthy ageing. |
| to allow them to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. This is a | | | | * Daily meditation helps to calm the mind and reduces |
| myth. You don't need to be rich to enjoy a healthy | | | | the stress level. Panic attacks are less likely to |
| lifestyle. However, you do need a bit of discipline and | | | | happen as meditation lowers the level of blood |
| patience to follow your health plans. Your progress | | | | lactate. |
| may not be as rapid as you would like but please be | | | | * We often hear that “laughter is the best |
| patient and persevere with it. | | | | medicine”. Share a joke with your family and |
| Physical Health | | | | friends and have a good laugh. Laughing lowers blood |
| In order to enjoy healthy ageing, it's important to | | | | pressure and reduces stress hormones. |
| maintain a good physical health. | | | | * Helping others in need will help us forget our own |
| * Daily exercise is essential to good health. Regular | | | | problems. By helping others, it gives us the |
| physical activity of moderate intensity, such as brisk | | | | confidence to tackle our own problems. |
| walking, can bring about major health benefits. | | | | * Daily workout of the brain helps it to stay sharp. |
| * Maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Eat plenty of | | | | After reading your daily newspaper, try the |
| fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. | | | | cross-word puzzle or sudoku sections. |
| * Sleep is essential for healthy ageing and the | | | | * Go on the internet and play online games and |
| well-being of an individual. A good night's sleep keeps | | | | quizzes. Play online memory games to improve |
| your heart healthy and lowers your stress hormone | | | | memory |
| levels. | | | | * Playing darts or snooker with your friends will help |
| * Quit Smoking. We all know smoking is bad for our | | | | with mental arithmetic |
| health. It increases the risk of developing serious | | | | * Other useful mental games include mahjong, |
| disease and health problems. | | | | chess and bridge. |
| * Excessive consumption of alcohol causes alcohol | | | | |
| related diseases (particularly liver disease) and can be | | | | If you have a health insurance, it is advisable to |
| fatal. Drink sensibly during celebrations and avoid | | | | review its adequacy on a regular basis. |
| having a massive hangover the following day. | | | | Make an appointment with your doctor for an annual |
| * Obesity affects the enjoyment of healthy ageing. | | | | medical check-up. A clean bill of health is good news. |
| Obesity, if not properly managed, can lead to a lot of | | | | If not, at least the health problem is detected early |
| health problems that may later evolve into life | | | | enough for some medical treatment to be |
| threatening diseases. | | | | administered. Keeping your body and mind healthy will |
| * Take short break away from the daily routines. A | | | | ensure that you enjoy healthy ageing. |
| new environment, seeing new things, trying out | | | | |