Blog Layout
Realistic Goals for 2018
Lisa Reisman • Aug 28, 2019
How can we help you today?
Realistic Goals for 2018
The year 2018 is upon us and with the start of every New Year comes unrealistic expectations of that ultra strict, healthy lifestyle we fought so hard to keep strong before mashed potatoes and pies. We all need to give ourselves somewhat of a break, right? The holidays are for good food with even better company, but now that they’re over, it’s time to get back to our daily routine of staying active and having a balanced diet. Being healthy doesn’t have to be boring; in fact, it can be motivating and help you live longer. Here are some simple ways you and your loved one can start your new year off right.
Find your Motivation
What is your motivation to have a healthier lifestyle? Are you doing it to look or feel better? Have more energy? Feel better in your clothing? Whether your goals are centered around losing weight or becoming more active, making small changes to your lifestyle to can be a great way to start. Get a clear idea of why you’re making these changes and use that to inspire you throughout your journey.
Have a Plan & Make Goals
Create a timeline or plan to achieve your goal. By creating a plan, you can set realistic goals for yourself. For example, before you sign up for a weight loss program recommended by a friend, do your research on the program, including diet and exercise. Perhaps that specific program doesn't work well for people with low blood sugar, or requires types of exercise you can’t commit to. Before January 1st arrives, outline the changes you want to implement. Writing them down in your schedule to see how they’d fit into your day-to-day schedule could be helpful. With health and lifestyle changes, it’s better to take small steps to see success rather than trying to tackle everything at once. Additionally, having attainable goals is important so you’re not too hard on yourself if you don’t see progress right away. Set mile markers along your scheduled changes to track progress appropriately and remember, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Stick to your List: Meal Prep
We’re all busy, but setting time aside to plan your meals for the week allows you to eat appropriately and prevents your groceries from going to waste. At the beginning of each week, make a grocery list for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners you want to eat and stick to your list. A good idea is to prepare several of these dishes and pack them into Tupperware, labeled for days you know you’ll be on the go or won’t have time to cook. Depending on the food, you can also freeze the proportioned meals to take out and defrost for days you didn’t have time to shop for. Nothing is worse than throwing away moldy bread, or old asparagus wilting in the fridge—in reality what you’re throwing away is money you could have saved. The Motley Fool website tells us that according to a survey by the American Chemistry Council, the average household throws out $640 of food each year. Furthermore, 76% of Americans admit to throwing out leftovers on a monthly basis. Understanding what days you’ll be home to eat your groceries and what days you’re eating out will save you calories and money.
Make Time to Exercise
This can easily go along with planning out your goals and looking at your schedule; however, making time to exercise is something Americans don’t do enough of. We all let life get in the way, but exercising isn’t just for our waistline, it’s for our hearts. Exercise has so many benefits like lowering cholesterol, increasing energy, and it allows you to be more social if you’re exercising in a class. With today’s diversity in exercise classes, there’s a class for everyone. Just make sure you’re paying attention to your body; if you have a history of knee problems, getting back into jogging may not be your forte.
Say Adios to Bad Habits
Whether you’re 65 or 85 years old, a healthy lifestyle is important. Take a look on years past and recognize what has held you back from living your best life. If you’ve been a cigarette smoker for 30+ years it’s understandably going to be challenging for you to stop that habit as an older adult. However, it could be the change that improves everything about the state of your mind, body, and health. Sugar, caffeine, and prescription pills are other common addictions that fall into the category of bad habits, and a lot of the time we’re turning to them because of issues going on inside ourselves. It’s never too late to get to the root of bad habits with therapy or counseling. Make an appointment with a local therapist if you think there are things you need to discuss about your life that are the reasons behind certain bad habits that you can’t seem to break on your own.
Learn about the common symptoms of COVID-19, reasons why older people have a wide variety of symptoms & how to spot early signs of COVID-19 in the elderly.
Learn about the symptoms of COVID-19 & how it spreads. Know the difference between asymptomatic & symptomatic.
Learn why the elderly have a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 & why the risks are higher when they have underlying health conditions.
Learn about the signs when your loved one faces comprehension difficulties. Know how a cognitive impairment disease can affect you & your loved ones.
You’ve heard the name many times by now— Coronavirus (or COVID-19) is a disease that’s become so deadly it’s spiraled us into a global pandemic. For those unfamiliar with how it got its name, in COVID-19, 'CO' stands for 'corona,' 'VI' for 'virus,' and 'D' for the disease. According to the CDC, “coronavirus” is actually an umbrella term for a family of viruses that can cause illness in animals or humans.
No matter what age, we all have moments of confusion. But when your elderly loved one is consistently exhibiting these signs, it might be because s/he is undergoing cognitive impairment. Having difficulty comprehending is a common sign these problems; however, it is often brushed aside as "old age." The person experiencing these difficulties may make excuses: the TV shows today are too complicated, their family members talk too fast, the lights are too dim to read. Ignoring the signs of comprehension difficulties, though, just make life harder for everyone involved. Comprehension and Confusion Comprehension is the opposite of confusion. Comprehension is a complex process in the brain through a system of nerves and chemicals, and it involves language, recognition, and function processes. Cognitive impairment disorders like dementia and Alzheimer's disrupt those complex processes. It can manifest as sudden memory loss, impaired motor coordination, and other more subtle thought processes that we will discuss. When someone has difficulty with comprehension, s/he has trouble putting together the various actions needed to perform a task. For example, your mom might need a cup from the cupboard. In order to do so, she must first decide she wants the cup. Then she might need to get out of her chair, walk across the kitchen, raise her hand, open the cupboard, and take the cup out of the cupboard. If she has difficulty with comprehension, she will have a hard time putting all of these elements to work to achieve her goal, which might result in several different outcomes: she could fall, break the cup, or just forget what she was doing before she reaches the cupboard. She knows what she wants to do but has trouble making all the connections necessary to get there. How Cognitive Impairment Affects Your Loved One Difficulty comprehending is frustrating for your elderly loved one and for you, but the first step toward helping your loved one is understanding what s/he is experiencing. Here are some examples of how someone with dementia or Alzheimer's disease might have trouble comprehending everyday situations. TV/books: Someone with dementia might not be able to follow a basic storyline and could not tell somebody else what is going on in the TV show or book. Social situations: Someone with dementia might see two children playing and interpret that they are fighting or vice versa. The person with dementia may step in and try to resolve the situation without realizing what is actually happening. Conversations: As with the TV/book example, someone with dementia can't follow an everyday conversation . S/he doesn't know who or what is being discussed and especially cannot tell when the subject matter has changed. Time: Someone with trouble comprehending will have difficulty telling time and might not know whether it is day or night. How Cognitive Impairment Affects You Because of these comprehension difficulties, the person experiencing dementia or Alzheimer's disease will rely on the people around him/her to tell him/her what is going on. For instance, your loved one may constantly ask you to repeat yourself. S/he may also have trouble following instructions. These situations can be aggravating for you, particularly if they are new, however it is important to understand that your loved one is not trying to bother you by failing to follow directions or asking you to repeat information over and over. These are symptoms of cognitive impairment , and neither you nor they can control it. If your family member begins to exhibit any of these signs, take him or her to your physician with a description of the comprehension difficulties you've noticed so that s/he has plenty of information for a cognitive function assessment. If the doctor diagnoses dementia or Alzheimer's, ask specific questions about treatment so that you can do your part to serve your loved one despite mild cognitive impairment. It is important to get help for your loved one, and there is no reason for you to care for your loved one alone. Caring for an aging relative requires time, patience, and expert care. Complete Care At Home can help you create a customized plan to meet the unique needs of your loved one with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Contact us today for an expert assessment.
Learn about aggression, dementia & how you can cope with people experiencing those illnesses through home health care services by Complete Care At Home.
Alzheimer's and dementia are debilitating diseases. Learn more about the differences and signs of dementia and Alzheimer's disease from normal forgetfulness.
Learn about the Elderly Loved One Being RepetitiveComplete Care At Home has a team of experts to take care of elderly family members.
Learn about the signs your loved ones might need home care services & how complete care at home services can help your loved ones to live safely.