As the beautiful, crisp air begins to blow through the trees, the leaves begin to fall, and all the delicious food comes into play (i.e. pumpkin pie, hot chocolate, holiday cookies, mashed potatoes, and everything else that is calorie laden, decadent, and delish), we need to start prioritizing our fitness and activity levels. Every year, it’s easy to begin slipping into plush, comfy sweaters and sitting around indulging in all the yummy treats fall brings.
We totally get it – staying active during this time can be extremely difficult. Why? Well, first off, there simply aren’t as many places to go and things to do. So, snuggling up and getting comfy on the couch seems like a pretty sweet option. But at Argent Court, we’ve made it our mission to keep our residents healthy and active, providing a plentiful spread of fun community activities to help one beat the urge to simply sit inside while sneaking slice after slice of pumpkin pie.
So, what’s on our fall agenda? Let’s take a look at how you can stay fit, active, and fabulous this fall at Argent Court.
Begin with Stretching
Stretching feels simply delightful, now doesn’t it? We all know that one of the most important parts of staying healthy and fit as we age is staying limber. We encourage daily stretching time for our residents, so their muscles stay awake, their joints remain limber, and they understand their bodies better.
Stretching is important for everyone, whether it’s a simple 15-minute stretch in the morning to awaken those sleepy muscles or an hour-long yoga session a few times a week to increase strength and flexibility. The goal isn’t to strain, over-extend, or damage your muscles but rather to release any tension or soreness your body is holding.
Stretching can increase mobility and help you have a more fun, activity-friendly, and injury-free fall. So, begin your day with some simple stretches coupled with a little prayer or meditation to awaken your body, mind, and soul.
Dancing It Out
Who doesn’t love to dance? Another great source of physical exercise is dancing, and at Argent Court Assisted Living, our senior community simply loves it. Everyone loves music, and dancing isn’t something that you need to “learn” how to do. Instead, you can simply do whatever feels right while moving to the beat – sit and dance, just bob your head, move your arms, waltz, or freestyle. If you’re in a large group, everyone has their own dancing style and can safely incorporate some active movements into their days while also having a little fun doing it!
Even better, dancing can burn more calories than you think even though it doesn’t even seem like a strenuous workout. Music also helps to keep your brain active. So, join us for some dancing fun, as we all stay fit this fall together!
Mental Fitness is Key
Mental fitness is important for everyone of all ages, and for seniors, it can prove even more vital than physical fitness in many cases. As we age, our mental acuity can begin to slide, and we may have difficulty remembering things. Keeping yourself mentally fit is important, and there are many ways that you can do this. At Argent Court, we help our residents stay mentally fit by encouraging interactive gameplay, book reading, and group trivia sessions.
We also keep our residents active with fun, fresh daily activities, so no one is simply going through motions. We celebrate fun holidays (like National Beer Day) and even organize exciting trips. Staying mentally fit has never been this much fun!
Let’s Roll with the Changing Times
Cold weather causes some seniors to want to hibernate. And we totally get it – fall and winter are some of the hardest times of the year because of the time changes. Sometimes, our bodies don’t really adjust well to the changing amounts of sunlight that we get. But that’s ok because together, we can make this the best fall season yet! You simply need to think ahead and adjust your activity levels, food intake (and eating times), and maybe even the setup of your room and curtains to create a more upbeat, cheery environment for yourself. While you may have to roll with the changing clocks, it’s possible to lessen the impact by staying active and jumping into some of our “on-the-go” fun!
Take Care of Your Skin
Dry skin and chapped lips? No thank you! The cool temperatures of fall can make your skin dry, and as the elderly are prone to dry skin already, they need to be diligent about increasing their moisturization regimen. Adding more lotions to your daily routine, ensuring that shower and bath waters aren’t too hot, and keeping any cuts or scrapes moisturized can help alleviate the dry and dreadful problems that plague our skin as the fall winds blow into town.
Of course, it’s important to use lotions, creams, and moisturizers that are all-natural and won’t cause more damage to your skin. We’ll help you get your glow on this fall!
Connect with Others
Everyone needs an active social calendar. So, let us help you fill yours with some fall fun! One great way to keep your body active and fit is to connect with others around you. Having a group of friends that will take walks together, play games, and simply keep each other moving and motivated is so important to both your physical and mental health. As we age, it can be difficult to stay gregarious and form these friendships, but it’s essential to do so. Having friends who genuinely care and encourage you can help prevent you from staying in and snuggling up with a box of snickerdoodle cookies and Hallmark movies three days in a row! But don’t worry, we have movie nights too!
Eating Well Fuels Your Body
Let’s face it – fall foods are just fun! We all have that natural inclination to fuel our bodies with heavy, creamy, decadent foods during this time of the year. Is your mouth watering right now too? But the fact is that we’re not bears who need to hibernate, so let’s choose fun, fresh, healthy foods to stock up on this fall!
Don’t get us wrong, there’s a time to indulge (life wouldn’t be worth living without some great fall treats), but you also need to keep those fruits and veggies flowing. Maintaining a balanced diet can help your body handle those sweet treats, longer days, and colder temperatures.
Fight the Cold & Depression with a Sense of Community
As we age, our bodies have trouble adjusting to different times of the year as our Circadian Rhythms, diets, and lifestyles are thrown just a little off kilter. For seniors, these subtle changes can make it even more difficult to stay happy, healthy, and perform activities of daily living. In fact, depression and physical decline occur more often during these cold fall months than during the cheery days of spring and summer. But at Argent Court, you or your loved one will never feel isolated or alone.
If you are worried about your parents or grandparents during the upcoming fall months, it may be time to consider moving them to a vibrant senior living community that can help them live every day to the fullest. And that’s where we come in! Our amazing team of friendly and loving caregivers is dedicated to packing our activity schedules with engaging daily activities to keep our senior residents happy, healthy, fit, and active all year round!
Choose Happiness. Choose Argent Court.
Let’s Stay Fit This Fall Together!
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