By Kathi Niccum Ed.D, Education Director
Healthy aging is important for all age groups. It includes all aspects of your life, including both physical and mental health. Healthy aging is especially important when you live with a chronic illness. It is all too easy to become overwhelmed and neglect other aspects of your health. So celebrate healthy aging month by setting or reaffirming personal goals and engaging in activities promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Here are some examples of what you can do to promote a heathy lifestyle:
1. Stay active
Exercise is important for maintaining both physical and mental aspects of health. Select activities that you enjoy doing. Establish an exercise routine. Find an exercise buddy to keep each other motivated. Keep a chart of your progress. Start with small manageable activities. If you go to a dialysis center, ask if they offer stationary bikes or pedals to use during treatment. Go for walks, even if just around the house or down the street. Check out an exercise DVD from the library. Use the Wii or Xbox for active games or dance routines. Learn yoga or Tai Chi. Join a fitness center or take an exercise class.
Remember to check with your physician before beginning any exercise program.
2. Socialize
Staying socially active is both mentally and emotionally uplifting. Call a friend just to chat. Make plans to get together with family members or friends. Join a club. Volunteer at an organization near you. If you go to a dialysis center, introduce yourself to a fellow patient and ask a question to begin a conversation. Smile at people. Talk to others in the waiting room. Combine social and physical activities. For example, play a round of golf with friends.
3. Eat healthy foods
High blood pressure and diabetes are two of the causes of kidney disease. Maintain a diet that will help keep those two conditions in check. If you are on dialysis, eat a kidney friendly diet and keep your fluid intake within the recommended guidelines. Learn which restaurants serve healthy food and what the best foods to order are. Exchange healthy recipes with others. Order kidney friendly cookbooks. Ask the dialysis dietitian for tips to eating well with kidney disease.
4. Have a positive attitude
Find the good in your life. What makes you happy? For what are you grateful? When you feel like complaining, give yourself a time limit and then purposely turn your mind to other things. Choose friends who see the goodness in life. Keep an Attitude of Gratitude Journal. Learn to meditate. If you go to a dialysis center, you can talk to the social worker if you feel down or depressed. Counseling can also be helpful as you learn to live with kidney disease.
5. Pay it forward (give back to others)
Too often we feel powerless in the face of chronic illness. Paying it forward reminds us that we have a lot to give and offer others. Give someone a compliment. Hold a door for someone. Speak to one another with gentleness. Offer to do caregiving for a few hours. If you go to a dialysis center, offer peer support. Become a Dialysis Patient Citizen (DPC) Ambassador. Share information about kidney disease with family and friends.
6. Laugh more
Norman Cousins demonstrated the health benefits of laughter. Remember the things you enjoyed in your past and what made you laugh or smile. Seek those moments out. Share them with a friend or loved one. Watch a funny movie. Read a humorous book. Listen to someone laugh (it’s contagious). Watch a baby or children play. Watch a funny dog or cat video on YouTube. Dare to be silly.
7. Listen to music
Different types of music can have different effects. Music can decrease stress, increase energy, and bring a sense of joy, peace and comfort. Make a playlist of music for different occasions or choose different CDs or records for different tasks or moods. If you are on dialysis, you may want to listen to music during treatment. Join a drumming class. Exercise to music. Dance. Sing. Hum.
8. Set realistic goals
It takes effort to be healthy and as you age, you will probably need to devote more time to “being healthy.” Start with small, easy to reach goals and then add to them. Be specific in what you want to achieve, how you will achieve your goal and a timeline to reach your goal. You may want to reward yourself as you reach your goals to help you stay motivated. If you go to a dialysis center, you can participate in setting goals at your care plan meeting.
During the month of September, try at least one new activity to benefit your health. Remember that every day all of us are aging. Likewise, the population over 45 years of age continues to rise. And the number of people with at least one chronic condition also is on the rise. Let’s each do our part for our own healthy aging!
