Over 55, bored/lonely? A tad unhealthy?

 We are, in my opinion, exceptionally fortunate to be alive in the internet age.

 There is simply no need to feel alone if you’re a little internet savvy. For example, you could consider joining 'Oddfellows' https://www.oddfellows.co.uk/ a low cost organisation that offers meetings, help and support, that has local groups but also online Zoom (great app) meetings for all.

 There is 'Meetup' https://www.meetup.com/find/united-kingdom/ where you can meet with people that share your interests. There is Age-UK https://www.ageuk.org.uk/ events.

 There is Silverline for support https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/. 

If you can’t get out and about it’s worth searching your local 'befriending' schemes for that as they will visit you. You can keep up with neighbourhood events at nextdoor.co.uk. 

There is 'Discord' https://discord.com/ for good chats and Reddit.com (or the app) for enlightening discussions. There’s some good quiz chatrooms there too. 

It’s worth considering that perhaps you could be simply bored rather than lonely? There’s some great free courses at Alison.com and also to help keep the brain in fair shape, try learning a new language for free with Duolingo.com (there’s a paid version of the app for very ambitious learners) 

You could potentially make a few quid if you open your own online store inexpensively or for free as Ebay, ebay.co.uk, is now free to sell things (and Royal Mail will actually collect your parcels from your home for a reasonable fee too, see 'click and collect' at Royal Mail) Vinted is fair as well. 

You could have a clear out and give stuff away on your Olio app, or at Freecycle. 

To help boost your brain cells, you may want to invest in some supplements that are known to help, a few (not an exhaustive list!) are; green tea extract, tumeric (curcumin from that is very beneficial) and fish oil among others (but always discuss with your health care provider before taking anything and be sure to use the correct dosage) Exercise (usually) helps in numerous ways. If you have mobility issues there is a great Youtube channel called 'ImprovedHealth' that provides exercise you can do whilst seated, Youtube has thousands of great exercise vids if you can’t get to a gym, you could invest in your own treadmill to begin (not that expensive!)

For food intake, with a view to optimal health generally, it’s worth trying to stick to the Mediterranean diet. Go sugar-free wherever possible, use natural raw fruit and vegetables whenever possible in order get optimal nutrition, not just for the vitamins but *enzymes* and other compounds you only usually get from fresh raw produce (better than taking most supplements!) Always see a dietician or nutritionist if you have diet or digestive problems.


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