AUSTIN (KXAN) — September is Healthy Aging Awareness month. It is a time to remind ourselves as we get older to take care of our overall mental and physical health.
KXAN’s Will DuPree and Sally Hernandez spoke with Teladoc Health coach Amy Dice, who highlighted the importance of focusing on healthy habits.
Will DuPree: How important is it for everyone to just pay attention to healthier habits, even right now?
Amy Dice: So when we’re looking at healthy aging month, I think it’s really important that we’re looking at how our healthy habits today are really going to shape how well we feel tomorrow. The focus is not just on avoiding illness, but taking straw, being strong, sharp and active long term, and those daily choices do really add up over time.
Sally Hernandez: What are some easy choices that we can take in order to live a healthier lifestyle?
Dice: One of the biggest things is focusing on diet — our nutrition. When we’re looking at it, food is fuel, and nutrients impact our energy, mood, heart and brain health. And so when we’re focusing on balanced nutrition, we can help in preventing chronic conditions that can also limit our independence later.
Small changes in our diet today can make a big difference long term. So when we’re focusing on things like leafy greens that support brain health and bone health, berries that have a lot of antioxidants for memory and cell repair and healthy fats like salmon and nuts that have omega-3 for heart and joint health, also working on exercise. Exercise is another big, important factor. It can improve our sleep and our energy. And sleep is important because it repairs our cells, strengthens our immunity and really supports our overall memory long term.
DuPree: Amy, I want to focus on exercise specifically right now. So that may come as a hindrance from people. They may feel like they can’t really get started with that again. So what’s your suggestion with that for people to kind of get over that hump and get that into their schedule more regularly.
Dice: Definitely. Movement is medicine. Strength and balance exercise really help keep our muscles strong and can prevent falls long term. And so starting small, you know, easy starts like chair squats, daily walks, light resistance bands, those are small, easy steps that we can incorporate in that can make it easier to add into our daily routine without feeling that overwhelm as well.
Hernandez: We talked about physical health and exercising. I think another thing is sleep health that a lot of us don’t really think too much about, or at least want to, especially if we’re on an early shift like I am. But tell me a little bit of how important it is that you have a sleep healthy lifestyle.
Dice: Yeah, sleep does play a huge impact in our overall health. While we’re sleeping, it’s regenerating. We’re repairing cells, we’re strengthening our immunity and it does support better memory. So when we’re looking at sleep it’s recommended seven to nine hours per night. And I think one of the biggest things is keeping consistent bedtime routines, and also limiting screens about an hour before bed. Those blue lights can really trigger us not to want to go to sleep. So putting down the phone, stopping the TV an hour before can really help in making sure that you get not only that quantity, but quality sleep as well.
DuPree: It seems like some of those things are easier said than done, but it does give us a reminder about maybe things to change for the future, but Amy, is there anything else you would like to add before we wrap up everything we’ve kind of touched on the points we wanted to discuss with you?
Dice: Yeah. So it’s important to realize that Teladoc Health, we’re here to support you through your entire health journey whether it’s for a quick 24/7 care visit or through our primary care, mental health or cardiometabolic care programs.
Visit Teladochealth.com to learn more about its program
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