Enhance the gift of healthy eating by presenting your pop with a starter gardening kit for his own homegrown herbs and vegetables. Gardening is also relaxing. (Have you ever seen someone angrily tending to their herbs?) If he doesn't want to raise anything else—he already did that with you—buy him a share in a community supported agriculture (CSA) project. These are local farms that distribute fresh, seasonal produce to members. Alternatively, buy your dad a fruit-of-the-month gift to ensure that a steady supply of healthy snacks stands between him and his stash of junk food.
[See: Best Diets for Healthy Eating]
5. Make him move."Few factors contribute as much to successful aging as having a physically active lifestyle," according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
If your dad seems to have become one with the recliner, do all you can to get him moving. And don't forget strength training. "While aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, or swimming has many excellent health benefits—it maintains the heart and lungs and increases cardiovascular fitness and endurance—it does not make your muscles strong," states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends two and a half hours of physical activity each week. "Studies have shown that lifting weights two or three times a week increases strength by building muscle mass and bone density." Strength training can also help relieve arthritis pain, improve sleep, boost mood, improve cardiac health, and reduce the risk of falls.
[See: How to Avoid Losing Muscle as You Age]
But even walking for 15 to 20 minutes each day lowers the risk of diabetes or dying from a heart attack or stroke, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
Give your dad a set of sessions with a personal trainer to teach him the right way to pump iron. Find him a workout or walking buddy to make sure he gets moving. Even better, join him yourself for a Father's Day hike. Your companionship is likely the best present you can give. And while you're at it, tell a few jokes along the way.
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