Start the New Year Off Right!

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday surrounded by the friends and family you hold dearest. Taking some time off at the end of the year is very important, as it allows us to reset our minds and bodies for the year ahead.At Seniors Speak Out, we like to focus on ways to stay healthy as seniors both physically and mentally. Research shows that setting New Year’s resolutions is actually beneficial to seniors’ mental health. The reason for this is that resolutions provide a sense of purpose and a desire to achieve, which keeps our minds sharp, and is a valuable aspect of living a healthy lifestyle. There is even evidence that those with a greater sense of purpose are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.While many of us make New Year’s resolutions, how many of us actually keep them? Often, people set goals for the year ahead that are unrealistic for their lifestyles, leading to overly ambitious or unsustainable eating or fitness plans. The key to making, and more importantly, keeping New Year’s resolutions is to make sure they are reasonable, straightforward, and achievable!Small, incremental life changes that improve your health are the best ways to start the New Year off right.  These changes can be as simple as committing yourself to walking 30 minutes each day or replacing your usual dessert with fruit or a sugar-free option. Whatever you decide to focus on, setting small, attainable goals provide us with a sense of accomplishment that helps us maintain and build off of these changes throughout the year. If you need help finding the right goal for you, some achievable new year’s resolutions can be found here, and specifically focus on small ways to live a healthier and happier life.We are excited to see what great things 2019 has in store, and want to hear from you about how you plan on setting and achieving your resolutions! Let us know how you are starting the new year off on the right foot by connecting with us on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Happy 2019!