How to Stay Healthy in 2026 and Live Your Best Years Yet
The New Year gives us the best possible motivation to get those healthy habits in for the year ahead. Whether you’re looking to get fit and strong with exercise, follow healthy aging tips or enjoy nutritious meals, live your best life during your golden years.
It’s important to get healthy before you retire so you can thrive and enjoy retirement to its fullest. As we’re living longer, making the right choices today ensures you live better later. HSL chairs are backed by science with proven benefits to help your health, from the Clever Comfort that provides postural support to improved blood pressure, reduced heart rate and better mobility. Pair your chair with these tips below and you’re ready to live out your go-go years on the go!
How do you stay healthy as you age?
1. Movement that matters
Keep your body moving. Physical activity and regular exercise improve your mobility, stability, strength and balance. According to the CDC, it can reduce the risks of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, lowers the risk of 8 cancers and improves bone strength. Exercise is healthy for the brain, lowering the risk of depression and anxiety.
Functional fitness, such as squats and step-ups, are the perfect daily activity to continue to thrive. Functional fitness, like these from AgeUK, focuses on movements that build your strength, stamina and mobility so you can perform day-to-day activities.
Low-impact exercises, such as yoga, Pilates and swimming, allow older adults to stay physically active whilst being enjoyable and safe. Low-impact exercises are a great way to build strength, improve flexibility and build cardiovascular fitness without placing excessive stress on joints.
To make sure you do something active every day, create micro-goals with movements like 10 minutes of mobility every morning or an afternoon walk.
2. Nutrition and diet
Having good nutrition is important no matter what stage in life you’re at. Your diet gives you the energy to live day-to-day and can help prevent some diseases, including osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.
As you get older, it’s important to focus on foods that can help you live a better life in the long run. These include foods that are packed with nutrients but are lower in calories, like fruit and veg, seafood and eggs.
It’s important to include foods that are low in cholesterol and fat, like yoghurt, and avoid saturated fats that can be found in things like fried food.
High protein foods are good for muscle maintenance, can improve your mood and boost your resistance to stress, anxiety and depression. Fibre can lower your risk of heart disease, strokes and diabetes.
Remember to stay hydrated. Drinking water and eating water rich foods, like cucumbers and melons, helps your body function effectively. Making sure your body stays hydrated avoids headaches, dizziness and improves focus.
3. Practice mindfulness and mental wellbeing
Now that you have more time on your hands, looking after your mental health is very important. Ensuring your brain stays stress-free and engaged can prevent issues later in life. Mindfulness is all about living in the present moment, appreciating the here and now, and not dwelling too much on the past or future. According to Mind, practising mindfulness can help manage mental health problems, and making it part of your daily routine is beneficial for your overall wellbeing.
Managing stress levels is an effective way to keep your brain happy. Enjoying hobbies like crafts, journaling and scrapbooking are all ways to decrease stress levels, maintain focus and create something unique.
Looking after your cognitive health can prevent the risk of dementia and other conditions as you get older. Carrying out everyday activities can be effective for your ability to think, learn and remember clearly. Take up completing your favourite puzzles, learning a new skill and staying social to help keep your cognitive functions healthy.
Our HSL Chairs can help improve your mental wellbeing. Have a space for mindful relaxation whilst you complete your hobbies, experience reduced physical discomfort and mental fatigue with the Clever Comfort and ergonomic designs and use your chair to wind down to experience better sleep.
4. Future-proof furniture
Replacing old furniture with new means that you’re not only refreshing your home for a vibrant new look going into 2026, but you can future-proof your home with a chair or sofa that’s beneficial for you now. HSL Chairs are ergonomically designed with Clever Comfort in mind, so you’re not only able to relax in style but your body will embrace the health benefits from our furniture.
Our chairs are handcrafted in a range of sizes with soft cushioning, meaning the chair you choose is made for you. Each piece is approved by our independent Occupational Therapist, Julie Jennings Dip COT HCPC and we have paired with Leeds University’s Dr Andrea Utley to prove our worth.
With health benefits including mobility improvement, improved blood circulation, lowered blood pressure, decreased fatigue and more, our chairs are the best way to succeed during your golden years.
Staying healthy during 2026 isn’t about quick fixes, it’s about building habits that support your body and mind for the years to come. With daily movement and balanced nutrition to future-proofing your home, every choice you make today shapes the quality of your tomorrow. Prioritising your wellbeing now means that you’ll not only enjoy a vibrant, active lifestyle but also sets you up for a fulfilling retirement with a high quality of life.
Enjoy your golden years with confidence, energy and joy, and the comfort of your HSL Chair. Start living your best life, today.
For more wellness advice and ideas, check out our Feel Good Hub. Why not read these related articles?
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