Enjoyable Activities Can
Help You Live Longer and Healthier!
If you have leisure time and wonder how to fill it, take some time to reflect before taking action. Give yourself permission to do things just for you, things that keep you engaged and make you happy.
- Think of people whom you know and see as active and involved. Use them as role models. What do they do that appeals to you? If you have a spouse or partner, include them in this process.
- Some activities we do alone and others we share with friends and family:
- Reading or listening to books on tape may be something you do alone or you may want to ask friends to join in a book discussion group if you have similar interests
- Listening to music at home offers comfort to people and attending concerts is a way to share this interest with others
- Art and craft projects use your hands and stimulate creativity
- Crossword puzzles, Sudoku or games stimulate your brain and can be done alone or with others
- Writing letters, poems or in a journal can be personally satisfying and a way to connect with others and can be savored over and over
- Take a class or join a group - we are social beings and need human contact to thrive
Volunteer! People who volunteer one or two hours a month not only help others and their communities but also experience better health in later years, whether in terms of greater longevity, higher functional ability, or lower rates of depression. Even if you have physical limitations there are still many opportunities for volunteering from your home (checking in on others by phone, knitting for an organization, writing notes etc.) or at a senior center where transportation may be provided.
And LAUGH… Remember: You don't stop laughing because you grow old… you grow old because you stop laughing!
For more information, call Peg Mikkola, R.D.,
Healthy Aging Coordinator at 781 221-7018
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