For many veterans, keeping up the fitness regimen of their past days in the military can be very difficult, to say the least. Yet beyond the extreme physical endurance tests, there are many aspects to military health and fitness that are equally as important to an older veteran as they were in younger days. Below are a few ways you can maintain critical parts of your military regimen now:
Keeping Up a Reasonable Exercise Routine
Every veteran knows how grueling the physical fitness trainings or tests can be, but that’s certainly not the level you need to maintain as you age. What is important about the military fitness regimen is the regularity of it: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults over the age of 65 keep up a moderate level of activity of at least 150 minutes per week for a healthy level of exercise.
Regular exercise can help prevent the atrophy of your muscles as well as help maintain a healthy weight for your age. All in all, regular exercise as a veteran helps you ensure physical strength and vitality at any age.
Maintaining a Healthy Diet
The military teaches all of its members the importance of a nutritious and well-balanced diet. The significance of a healthy diet doesn’t change as you age; in fact, it may become even more important as you work to reduce discomfort or prevent illness.
Eating colorful meals and staying hydrated, among other healthy diet attributes, are easy ways to help support good health in the long term. These habits can help prevent chronic health issues such as high blood pressure, and heart disease. In addition, it can also help you maintain a healthy figure for your age that can help support your joints as well as your overall strength and endurance.
Getting Regular Check-Ups
The most important health habit instilled in the military may just be the regular check-ups military personnel receive. These physical fitness tests as well as physician appointments were meant to make sure each soldier could endure harsh conditions in many different scenarios. Yet regular check-ups with your doctors as you age serves another incredibly important purpose: catching health issues and illness as early as possible.
Checking in with your doctor as you age should happen just as regularly as if you were still in the military. Having at least an annual visit when you’re 65 or older can ensure that the status of your health is current, and you are set up to receive the best care for your present needs.
Every veteran has habits they picked up in the military: From making your bed neatly every morning to checking in with regiment friends. Make sure to make the health habits you learned in the military a regular part of your current life, too.
