Stay Healthy All Season in Our Retirement Communities in Massachusetts

Simple adjustments to your daily routine can keep you in top shape

The weather is changing, and many of us may have already been affected by seasonal colds and flus. But there are still some simple habits you can adopt to keep you healthy for the rest of the season and into spring. By including some dietary adjustments, vaccines, and adding movement, you can keep yourself and your loved ones as healthy as possible. The expert team at our Sunshine Retirement Living communities in Massachusetts are pros at helping seniors thrive in every season. Check out some of our suggestions for staying healthy as the chilly weather changes:

Vaccinate

It’s not too late to get a flu vaccine or a COVID booster – in fact, if you haven’t gotten either, you can even get them at the same time. Boosting your immunity with science is one of the best ways to minimize your risk of illness. For those hesitant to receive the flu vaccine and others, you can read more about the benefits of the vaccine to help ease your mind!

Get Moving

Exercise is one of those incredibly underutilized tools for staying healthy, both physically and mentally. While physical benefits are obvious, exercise also boosts your immune system by mobilizing your immune system cells – allowing them to fight harder against pathogens – an immense benefit to all!

Not only is it good for your physical well-being, but exercise has been known to improve your mental health. Many of us have heard that exercise produces endorphins (one of our happy hormones), but it also releases a protein called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, or BDNF. BDNF has been known to boost brain cell development, particularly in the hippocampus. If you want to learn a little more about this protein, read a little more about the studies highlighting this awesome little protein!

Wash Your Hands

Our favorite nugget of immunity boosting advice will always be the simplest one: washing your hands. One of the most common ways that germs are spread, our hands touch everything from door handles to tabletops and dripping noses to loved ones’ arms. And then when we touch ourselves, particularly our faces, we transfer all of those germs. We all know that washing our hands is a great way to prevent spreading the germs that cause illness, but many of us either don’t do it enough or don’t do it properly. You can brush up on your handwashing by checking out the official instructions and the handy infographic! At our Massachusetts retirement communities, not only do we encourage frequent and thorough hand washing, we also have upgraded cleaning protocols to ensure that frequently-used surfaces are as germ-free as possible.

Eat Your Vitamins

Anyone can take supplements to help their daily vitamin intake, but one of the most effective ways to stay healthy is to eat delicious fruits, veggies, and hearty meals. We all know the classic immunity boosting foods: citrus with its Vitamin C, fatty fish with their Omega 3s, and dark chocolate with its antioxidants to name a few. But there are so many other fantastic sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can be added to any meal. Some of our favorites include garlic, matcha green tea, acai berry, and warm, cozy root vegetables like carrots and beets. Try adding some garlic, carrots, and beets to your salad for lunch, or acai berries in a warm bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. Some little adjustments to your daily meals can be both delicious and nutritious!

From our independent senior living in Massachusetts, we hope you found some of these recommendations helpful for you and your loved ones. Should you want to schedule a tour or learn more about our amazing senior living in MA, please give us a call!