New Year’s Resolutions for Seniors

Often people make New Year’s resolutions, only to keep up with their goals for a couple of months. This year, if you are a senior planning to embark on a healthier lifestyle, you should focus on setting realistic goals that you can maintain. Use this checklist to determine if you are setting realistic goals for your life, and if you are putting in the effort to keep up with your plans.

• You have talked to a medical professional in order to make sure that your plans are safe for your health
• You have time in your schedule to keep up with your exercise and nutritional routines
• You will ask for help if needed to establish and maintain your plans
• You will set a minimum amount to exercise each week – at least 4 days a week for 30 minutes and will not make excuses to get out of it
• If you find it challenging to motivate yourself to exercise, you will join a class that focuses on providing exercise for seniors
• You know that your meals should include fresh ingredients, like fruits and vegetables, and will have a family member or professional help with meal preparation if it is too challenging
• You will take supplements for fiber, vitamin D, and calcium to maintain good health, especially if you are not getting enough of these vitamins and minerals through your diet
• You are intrinsically motivated and really want to keep up your goals
• Your motivation is not to lose weight or meet a societal requirement, it’s because you want to live a long happy, healthy life