The prospect of aging is not something anyone really wants to face, but the fact remains, every day we’re getting a little bit older. The things that once came to us with ease now presents a much more difficult hurdle, especially if we haven’t taken the necessary maintenance steps to keep our bodies in peak condition. The truth is, we need to do everything in our power to maintain our health on a daily basis. In order to age as gracefully as possible, there are a number of things we can do to ensure we retain our health and quality of life as we get older. Here are a number of things you can do to feel young as the years pass by from your Denver physical therapist.

Get Off the Couch and Get Moving

As we age, the allure of the couch or a comfortable chair can become increasingly appealing as time moves on. It can be difficult to avoid the urge to rest our bones and bodies by lounging and binge watching our favorite shows and movies. While there certainly is a place for entertainment, rest, and relaxation in our lives, too much time spent sitting in one place can have profoundly negative effects on our health.

Getting off the couch in favor of movement doesn’t need to mean running a marathon or doing some form of extreme physical activity. Often, it can mean simply going for a walk or bike ride as a way to get the blood pumping. The benefits of exercise are plentiful and can positively impact a person’s body as well as the mind, both of which are critical to maintaining as we get older. Staying physically fit is a fantastic way to maintain our health and it’s essential for not falling into a health hole that becomes more and more difficult to get out of as time goes on.

Take An Exercise Class

Motivating yourself to move can be a difficult task, one that lacks accountability mechanisms outside of your own personal willpower. By signing up for an exercise or yoga class, you’ll be much more committed to following through with your given physical activity. Participating in an exercise class can be a fantastic way of keeping yourself on the path to working out. If you have a friend or loved one that is interested in joining you, it can increase the chances that you will follow through, as you will have an accountability buddy to further motivate you.

Depending on your age and current level of physicality, you can look into classes that are age-specific and are catered towards your specific conditions. Many health clubs and gyms have classes which are specifically tailored towards older individuals. Participating in a class where you are surrounded by younger individuals can be intimidating and make it less likely to show up for class. Seek out classes that have a large percentage of your peers enrolled can be a helpful mechanism to keep you dedicated to exercising.

Find Strong Social Outlets

Maintaining relationships and creating positive social networks is incredibly important to keep our mental health in a positive state. Isolation and excessive solitude can be a huge factor in our health declining as we get older. The benefits of having consistent social interaction as we get older become absolutely essential to increasing our longevity. Without any substantive relationships, mental and physical health can rapidly decline, as loneliness can lead to depression and feelings of worthlessness.

Finding an outlet to maintain our social life is incredibly important in the fight to maintain our health as we age. Whether this means joining a social group at a local community center or simply volunteering as a way to socialize, we need to find ways to keep ourselves socially engaged. Self-esteem can decrease massively with age, a factor which can rapidly decrease our overall level of health as we get older. Although discovering and seeking out new social networks can be an intimidating process, the importance of fostering these connections far outweighs the anxiety that can accompany such a process. Remind yourself of the plethora of benefits associated with socializing and realize that any potential risks are far outweighed by the benefits.

Try Doing Yoga

As we age, our bodies become much less flexible and more prone to injury as a result. Yoga has massively increased in popularity in recent years because of the many health benefits that come with a regular yoga practice. Yoga has the ability to improve mobility and flexibility, two things that older individuals certainly need to focus on whenever possible. Yoga also can improve a person’s muscle strength, improve their respiration, and increase their overall energy level. Increasing your energy level is an essential component to remaining young and increases the chances that you’ll be physically active and mobile.

A yoga practice will improve your balance and stability, as various poses focus on improving these factors. Falls are a very common way in which seniors become injured and finding ways to improve balance are critical as we grow older as a result. Increasing your personal strength and mobility as you age is important for improving and reducing recovery time, which can become a major hindrance as we get older.

If you looking to improve your physical health situation and are in need of physical therapy, or have questions about what physical therapy consists of, contact Peak Physical Therapy and Wellness today. We have an extensive team of qualified physical therapists and specialists who care deeply about their clients and go above and beyond the call of duty to provide the highest quality treatment in the industry. If you are looking for a therapist who will carefully assess your individual needs and formulate a treatment plan that is specifically tailored to your needs, Peak Physical Therapy and Wellness is your preferred choice for the physical recovery process.