Running head: NUTRITION, EXERCISE AND STRESS MANAGEMENT 1

Nutrition, Exercise and Stress Management Counseling

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Introduction

Nutrition, exercising regularly and managing stress are some of the very fundamental

factors that impact positively on the health of not only vulnerable groups but also the general

public (Ackley-Holbrook, Minsoo, and Morgan, 2016). In the case of older adults who this paper

focuses on than the other groups, there are various ways and factors that can be considered and

adopted so as to ensure that they are nutritionally on the right track, they exercise sufficiently

and are stress-free at all times.

Nutritional requirements for older adults

There are certain special dietary requirements for adults especially the ones who are

approaching sixty years of age and above (Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015). A good

interconnected pattern of eating is likely to be beneficial to the people in this category. These

eating patterns should be able to account for all the food nutrients including proteins, vitamins,

carbohydrates and even roughages. This is important because of those nutrients play a vital role

in the maintenance of a healthy body. The presence of a variety of fruits in a diet especially

whole fruits guarantees a boost in the body’s immunity. Furthermore, individual food elements

such as calories, alcohol, and sodium should be very much limited in an older adult’s diet.

Exercise requirements and recommendations for older adults

Exercise is a good practice that is not only significant to older adults but people of all

ages. When older adults participate in regular exercise, they are likely to have substantial health

benefits as a result (Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2017). Since aging, in most

occasions, comes with the loss of fitness there is a need for older adults to engage in regular

physical activities such as walking, swimming, biking, and dancing which help keep the body fit
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at all times. It is, therefore, a recommendation for every adult or anyone from a vulnerable group

to regularly exercise to increase their general good health.

Appropriate food aid programs for referral

There are certain food aid programs that are deemed to be very appropriate for referral to

vulnerable groups. First of all, the nutritious food programs that encourage people to adopt

healthy diets and even at times educate on how to embrace healthy dietary is one of such

programs (Riemer, Mates, Ryan, and Schleder, 2015). There are also the food relief programs

that can be very much beneficial to the older people and people living in poverty as they would

always find food to eat. Finally, the food program that encourages vouchers for people who lack

food is a major boost too and is worth referring to older people and people with financial

challenges.

Stress management and the factors that should be addressed

Healthy diets and exercises are incomplete for healthy living especially of the older

people without including the concept of stress management. This concept simply involves

embracing practices that reduce stress such as having enough sleep, regular exercise, adoption of

relaxation techniques such as meditation and getting help from professionals in extreme cases.

Some of the factors that cause stress such as divorce, loss of job and chronic illnesses can best be

addressed by adopting the above-mentioned practices.

Conclusion

For older people and other vulnerable groups of people to invoke lifestyle changes in

nutrition, exercise and in stress management, then the best strategies are the ones mentioned
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above. It is, however, very important to note that all these should be combined as one for

effective results of healthy living to be realized.

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References

Ackley-Holbrook, E., Minsoo, K., & Morgan, D. W. (2016). Development and Evaluation of the

Walk for Health Program: A Physical Activity Intervention for Adults with Visual

Impairments. Journal Of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 110(2), 103-114.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020. (2015). Table of contents. Retrieved from

https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2008. (2017). Index. Retrieved from

https://health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/

Riemer, H. C., Mates, J., Ryan, L., & Schleder, B. J. (2015). Decreased stress level in nurses: A

benefit of quiet time. 24(5), 396-402.