Independent Living in New Bern NC: Spring Routines That Support Wellness

Creating a great springtime routine helps you make the most of your independent living in New Bern, NC. Build a routine that keeps you active both physically and socially while also challenging you cognitively. While the weather's nice, take the time to focus on outdoor activities as best as you can before the summer heat forces you back inside!

Have you built out routines that will help you to manage stress and anxiety? As Northwestern Medicine points out, routines can help reduce strain, stress, and anxiety at all ages.

New Bern is the perfect city for living your best life during your retirement. As one of North Carolina's oldest cities, we're proud of our rich history! Whether you're here for our historic downtown districts or for our riverfront attractions, the Athens of the South is here for you.

How can your New Bern senior lifestyle benefit from spring senior planning? If you're curious about brain health in aging, we're here to help. Read on for a quick guide on designing your routine.

Why Use a Routine?

To start, what are the benefits of a routine? It isn't just an organizational benefit!

According to the National Library of Medicine, daily routines help provide seniors with a steadier daily life. Specifically, a daily routine helps to "induce a state of calm and comfort," helping to reduce anxiety and stress in seniors.

Given that life is stressful enough as it is, why not do what you can to keep your golden years calm? Take some time to think of what parts of your day are best scheduled out.

At McCarthy Court, we like recommending that our seniors take time to schedule at least their rest hours and meals. Having your time to sleep scheduled out will help your body adjust to always resting and rising at a set time. Meanwhile, having your three meals a day at relatively steady hours keeps your body focused and healthy.

Designing a Routine

Where should you start, beyond meals and rest hours? We have three primary areas where we like to recommend routine-building: Physical, Social, and Mental.

Here are our main starting points for making a routine for your independent living in New Bern, NC.

Physical Wellness

Are you getting enough exercise in your older age? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that seniors need about 2.5-3 hours of physical activity each week. Your spring wellness starts with making sure you're getting this exercise!

During springtime, try to find ways to stay active outside. A nature walk, outdoor exercise classes, or even some time gardening are all great ways.

You should also be aware of what amenities are on offer from your community. These amenities often include health and wellness perks that can help you build healthy routines.

Staying Active

There's more to staying active than keeping your body moving. Make sure you're building socialization time into your New Bern senior lifestyle!

Your community offers excellent opportunities to start socializing. Do your best to reach out to your community members and neighbors to see what sort of connections you can make.

Here at McCarthy Court, our activity calendar is always full of fun, engaging activities that can help you. From classes on aging with purpose to movie nights, there's always something waiting for you in our community!

Boosting Your Mind

Are you getting enough cognitive stimulation? In today's day and age, it's easy to fill our days with screentime instead of truly challenging ourselves.

Take some time to put your phones, televisions, and other screens away and focus on a physical brain teaser. Maybe you want to start your days with a Sudoku puzzle or the daily crossword! These are great routines to build in spring, as you can engage with them outside and transition them across seasons.

We also love to recommend outdoor activities like birdwatching. These will engage your mind while also keeping you physically active. It's also a social activity, blending all three benefits of a spring wellness routine!

If you don't want to put the screens away, be mindful of what you're putting on them. Start your day with your smartphone, but use that time to complete brain-stimulating apps and games instead of scrolling through social media or the news!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Makes Springtime Good for Routine Building?

Springtime is great because almost everything is available to you. It's the best time to spend a few hours outdoors in North Carolina, as the weather has warmed up without yet being the summer heat that forces you back indoors.

Taking this time to build out your routines makes it so you can easily transition them during the coming seasons. That way, when spring comes around again, you already have a full, tried-and-tested routine!

Is It Dangerous to Change My Schedule?

The only schedule changes that pose any danger are changes to your medical regimen. We do not suggest making any changes to your health and fitness without first speaking to a doctor. Otherwise, no major schedule changes should pose a major threat to your health.

How Can I Change My Routine?

Changing your routine is a mental game at first. It's difficult for us to leave our comfort zones or adopt new behaviors.

Take stock of what you want to add or remove from your routine. It'll take a conscious effort, but with some time, you'll make this new routine a reflex.