One of every parent’s fear is that they will get sick and will be unable to care for their kids and family when they are still very much needed in their lives. It’s very much common knowledge that our chances of getting sick get higher when we age, so is there anything we can do to minimize this risk?
Maintaining a healthy diet, eating right, and exercising regularly may be important throughout every stage of our lives. And it becomes even more so as we age, because all of these can help minimize age-related concerns that involve our memory, safety, and personal care. All can also help keep age-related sicknesses at bay, such as sarcopenia.
Sarcopenia refers to age-related slow and progressive loss of muscle mass and muscle strength. Studies show that adults lose 3% to 5% of lean muscle mass each year once we hit our 30’s. With muscle strength declining by around 12% to 15% per decade. These drops are more significant among people who do not eat healthily nor exercise regularly.
Loss of muscle mass can lead to a higher risk of falls, decreases our ability to recover from injuries and illnesses, and increases our risk for other illnesses such as osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.
So the next question is, how do we include exercising regularly in our already full lives as parents? A good way to do this is by exercising as a family. Aside from getting that much needed physical activity for yourself, you can also boost your kids’ motor skills, get them into the habit of exercise early on, and bond as a family. Here are several ways and ideas to exercise as a family.
1. Go for regular walks.
You can schedule regular family walks in your nearby park or even neighborhood streets. Including it in your daily schedule, such as doing it every after dinner or meryenda will ensure that it would not get put off. And once you’ve already done it and settled on the routine after a few weeks, you can even upgrade it into family runs — a lot of toddlers and kids love running about, so you will have no problems letting them do so with you or you can alternately push them in their stroller.
2. Make a game of it.
Kids love, love, love playing games, so why not make it a family exercise routine? You can use their toys such as their Nerf guns and declare a Nerf fight. Decide on the rules of the game — whether it’s as simple as each hitting a target to win points or an all-out gunfight. The important thing is to clearly set the game’s rules and objectives, including a “task” that family members must do once they’re “out,” such as a number of jumping jacks or pushups.
3. Dance it off.
Never underestimate the fitness powers of a good dance routine, so crank up that music, make space, and dance it off with your kids. Whether you dance it out freestyle or use one of those dance video games, doing it for an hour or two is better than not having any physical activity at all. You can even include a few aerobic or Zumba dance steps for an all-out exercise routine.
4. Sneak workouts into chores.
Workouts can take a lot of time, household chores are the same. Why not hit two birds with one stone along with the help of your kids by including a bit of workout into your chores. The old school pagbubunot ng floors is a good workout and can be fun for kids as well, and although bunot might not be as readily available nor needed these days, you can still do the routine with your kids using floor mops. You can even schedule a half a day cleanup per week with the entire family — a clean home and a day’s workout, who can resist?
5. Sign up for a family fun run.
Runs are the in thing these days and runs with kids or even family runs are also slowly becoming a norm. You can sign your family up to one fun run per month — the whole family gets a bit of exercise in preparation for the run and could also enjoy a day of family bonding on the actual day of the run.
Aside from maintaining a fitness routine with your family, another way that can minimize the risk of sarcopenia is by drinking a glass of Ensure Gold everyday. Ensure Gold is an adult supplement nutrition drink that contains Triple Protein Blend — a combination of Whey, Soy, and Casein, making it effective in preventing muscle mass loss. It has a well-balanced proportion of macronutrients — protein, carbohydrates, and fats that are all within the recommended range on the Dietary Reference Intakes for adults. Ensure Gold can also be considered as the best nutritional supplement for parents in the market thanks to the fact that it contains 28 vitamins and minerals including an excellent source of antioxidants: Vitamins C, E, and Selenium that supports normal immune function, prebiotic FOS that promotes the growth of good bacteria and supports gut and immune health, plus the FOS also helps absorb calcium and magnesium that also boosts bone health. At the same time, Ensure is gluten and lactose-free, so its safe for adults who are lactose intolerant.
Busy parents can now easily get their supply of Ensure Gold anytime, anywhere, thanks to Lazada. Just sign up, log in, and cart your nutritional drink via the Lazada site or Lazada app, and your Ensure Gold will be delivered straight to your doorsteps.
*All content in this article should be taken as for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice.
Published with Ensure Gold.
References: WebMD, ShareCare, EatingWell, Parents,Wellness Mama
