Taking Preventative Measures Ensures a Long, Healthy Retirement

Take a look at your lifestyle and see where you can improve. A proper diet is essential and getting the proper vitamin and minerals can go a long way towards preventing illness and disease.

It all boils down to preventative maintenance in order to enjoy a long, healthy retirement. Being proactive about your health includes regular health screenings for cancer, high blood pressure and cholesterol. Your lifestyle such as diet, exercise and sleep habits also play a huge part in staying healthy.

So what exactly do you need to do in order to maintain your health and enjoy life to the fullest? Let's find out:

Lifestyle Choices

Take a look at your lifestyle and see where you can improve. A proper diet is essential and getting the proper vitamin and minerals can go a long way towards preventing illness and disease. If you haven't already, keep your salt and fat intake to a minimum. Eating plenty of dark leafy vegetables, fibrous fruits, low fat dairy, lean meats and fish and whole grains will definitely go a long way in maintaining a healthy body.

Exercise is essential. If you are overweight, you need to adopt a healthier diet and incorporate exercise such as walking, a great cardiovascular activity. Yoga, Pilates and strength training are definite body boosters. If your budget allows, consult with a personal trainer or get a gym membership as an incentive to stay fit. Join a walking club or exercise class.

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Drinking in moderation and abstaining from tobacco products is a definite health positive. Smoking is linked not only to cancer but also to high blood pressure and a number of other health risks.

Regular Dental and Health Check-Ups

Poor dental health leads to a number of health risks, so be sure to schedule regular maintenance check-ups for teeth cleaning and yearly x-rays. Fillings, bridge work and other dental devices should be regularly maintained as well. Gum disease and tooth decay are major contributors and indicators of something more serious.

Keep up to date on vaccinations and flu shots. Many seniors die every year from the flu because they did not get the flu shot. By becoming vaccinated, you can greatly build your resistance against this debilitating illness. Also, keep in mind that tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations should occur every ten years. In certain areas, you may also need the hepatitis vaccine as well. Make sure that you stay up to date on these inoculations.

Yearly physicals are also essential. At these check-ups you will want to inquire about the preventative screening for cancer. In addition, there are blood tests to determine diabetes, anemia, cholesterol and more. In order to stay healthy, these screening should be done as a preventative measure. If you catch an illness early, there is a greater chance of overcoming it. Don't neglect your eyes either. Some illnesses have been caught early and cured due to regular eye exams.

Don't be afraid to seek counseling with various experts in case you have any non-life threatening health issues like impotence, depression or menopause. Sometimes, you just need a helpful push in the right direction with guidance from a nutritionist, personal trainer or even a homeopathic physician. By being proactive in your health, you can ensure that your retirement years are truly golden.

Living a Healthy Retirement

05/11/2008
Here's a Quick and Easy Way to Find High Quality, Low Cost Health Insurance (Richfield Reaper)
(ARA) - As we approach the end of another year, now is a good time to take a close look at household expenses to see if there are places you can cut back and save. If you're like most people, one of your biggest areas of concern is what you're paying for health insurance.

Here's a Quick and Easy Way to Find High Quality, Low Cost Health Insurance (Richfield Reaper)

05/11/2008
U.S. manufacturers spend twice as much on health care as competitors (Lincoln Journal Star)
U.S. manufacturers that provide health insurance spend an average of $2.38 per worker per hour on health care — more than twice as much as the their foreign competitors pay, an analysis released last week concluded. found.

U.S. manufacturers spend twice as much on health care as competitors (Lincoln Journal Star)

05/10/2008
Trading down in homes after retirement often makes sense (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
QMy husband and I are both 71. We own our home. He has Type 2 diabetes, and I have had cancer three times but am in good health. My husband has a part-time job and, with the diabetes, is tired all the time. I do not work.

Trading down in homes after retirement often makes sense (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)

05/11/2008
City squeezed by health care (Sheboygan Press)
Relentlessly rising health-care costs are making public employee benefits an increasingly significant piece of the budgetary pie, forcing area municipalities to find new solutions or begin pondering layoffs, local officials say.

City squeezed by health care (Sheboygan Press)

05/11/2008
City squeezed by health care (Sheboygan Press)
Relentlessly rising health-care costs are making public employee benefits an increasingly significant piece of the budgetary pie, forcing area municipalities to find new solutions or begin pondering layoffs, local officials say.

City squeezed by health care (Sheboygan Press)

05/11/2008
Here's a Quick and Easy Way to Find High Quality, Low Cost Health Insurance (Richfield Reaper)
(ARA) - As we approach the end of another year, now is a good time to take a close look at household expenses to see if there are places you can cut back and save. If you're like most people, one of your biggest areas of concern is what you're paying for health insurance.

Here's a Quick and Easy Way to Find High Quality, Low Cost Health Insurance (Richfield Reaper)