Spring is a great time for seniors to enjoy the outdoors and engage in activities that promote physical and mental health. As the weather warms up, seniors can take advantage of the longer days and sunshine to go for walks, bike rides, or participate in outdoor activities like gardening.  The season is full of opportunities for socializing and connecting with others, whether it’s attending local events or volunteering in the community. Overall, spring provides seniors with ample opportunities to stay active, healthy, and engaged in their communities.

Read on for 8 ways for seniors to enjoy spring.

Spend Time Outdoors

Spring is a wonderful time to get outdoors and enjoy the weather after being cooped up inside all winter. Here are a couple of ideas to embrace the season outside:

• Take a walk.
• Go for a bike ride.
• Enjoy a picnic in the park.
• Go bird watching with your friends, family or even by yourself!

Gardening

Starting a garden could be a great way for seniors to really enjoy spring, and summer too! You can plant flowers, vegetables and herbs in your own backyard or on the balcony of your apartment building.

Tend to a flowerbed. If you don’t have space for a garden, consider taking care of someone else’s–it will give you something productive to do while getting some fresh air and sunshine!

Take Up a New Hobby

Hobbies are not only a fun way to spend your time. There is research to suggest that hobbies may also help prevent chronic illness like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.

• Painting: If you’re the artistic type, consider taking up painting as a hobby. You can paint landscapes or still life, or even try your hand at abstract art. It’s a great way to express yourself and enjoy something that has always been interesting to you.
• Learn a New Language: Whether it’s Spanish or French or Italian–or even Japanese–learning another language is always fun! You’ll be able to communicate with people in their native tongue without having to rely on Google Translate (which doesn’t always work anyway).
• Pick Up an Instrument: If music is your thing, find out if there are any local music groups that meet up during the spring months (or any other season). You may discover something new about yourself by playing alongside others who share similar interests with you!

Explore Local Attractions

Spring is a great time to explore local attractions. One idea could be to explore a local museums in your area–many have special exhibits during springtime that will give you a new perspective on art and culture.

If music is more your thing, head over to a concert hall near where you live! There are often free concerts held throughout the season.

Volunteer

• Volunteer at a local charity.
• Help out at a nursing home, or mentor a student in your neighborhood.
• Tutor children who need extra help with their homework, or even just read to them!

Socialize

• During the winter months, we tend to stay home doing solitary tasks. Spring is a great time to join a senior center and meet new people, or volunteer at one of the many events they host throughout the year. Community events like art fairs and festivals, which are often free or low-cost for seniors.
• Meet up with friends in person instead of communicating via email or phone calls, which can be isolating.

Stay Physically Active

Studies show that the more you move, the better for your brain and your heart. Spring brings many new beginnings, perhaps it’s a good time to start a new exercise regimen.

• Go to the gym.
• Take a dance class.
• Do yoga.
• Swim laps at your local pool, or even just walk around it if you don’t want to get wet!

Take Care of Your Mental Health

Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth, which can be a great opportunity for seniors to take care of their mental health. Here are some tips for keeping your mind healthy this spring:

• Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is essentially paying attention to what’s going on around you in the present moment. It involves being aware of your thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations without judging them as good or bad. If you’re having trouble practicing mindfulness on your own, consider joining an introductory class at your local community center or library- or even taking up meditation!
• Journal regularly about what’s going well in your life so far this year (and why). This helps reinforce positive thinking patterns by keeping track of all the good things that have happened recently instead of focusing solely on negative aspects that may have occurred recently but don’t matter as much over time.

Stay Home with Senior LIFE

At Senior LIFE, we know that most seniors value the independence they at home, and would like to avoid nursing home placement if possible. We work with seniors and their families to keep seniors comfortable at home, all while getting the services they need to maintain their health for as long as possible.

Through the Senior LIFE Program, members have access to all the healthcare and supportive services they may need. And as their health needs change, so does their care plan to continue to provide and offer the additional services essential to their care. What is even more impressive is that most of the members in the program don’t anything for Senior LIFE services.

For a full list of services available to members to meet their needs, please visit our services page.

For more information on the Senior LIFE Program, and to find out how it could help you or a loved one, please contact us today by email info@seniorlifepa.com or call the location nearest you to learn more.