One major factor for living a long life is a healthy lifestyle. And yes it is true that being healthy is important. But according to research having active hobbies that can help you stay socially active seems to be equally just as important. Mental and social activities are a must and need to be combined with physical activity in order to be able to create strong foundations for the elderly to become active members of society,

From a certain point after, it is reasonable to assume that elders find themselves feeling alone and unproductive. They are not as active for society as they might want. And that alone is enough to cause trouble for their mental and physical health. By involving themselves in active hobbies that promote physical, mental and social activity, the results are going to be amazing. After all hobbies, a social network and leisure activities are enough factors to help elder people avoid isolation and of course live a lot longer.

But what kinds of activities are the best for older people to help them get physical and mental expertise and at the same time become socially involved? The fact is that there are many options but not all of them are appropriate for everyone. Here is a list of the most popular option for active hobbies for the elderly.

• Caring for a pet

There is nothing that can give more comfort to anyone that a loving pet. It is scientifically proven that pets produce a chemical reaction in the brain that can actually help people drop their anxiety levels. An elder taking care of a pet has a much better mental health than one that does not. Taking care of a pet requires physical exercise and can lead to a lot of socializing.

• Getting creative with an art/craft

What better way to stimulate your brain than to actually get yourselves involved in a little bit of Art Therapy? This is an especially pleasant thing to do. It evolves physical and mental expertise and, depending on the art or craft, little to a lot of socializing. Truly a great hobby for everyone and most importantly the elderly.

• Physical exercise: Dancing

The best way to get physical exercise through a hobby is to simply make physical exercise your hobby.  And one more, by choosing a physical exercise that needs concentration you will be training your brain as well. Now the only thing left is social interaction during this particular hobby. By taking all of these factors into account there is on particular physical exercise that comes to mind and that could be perfect for every elder, Dancing. It is fun, easy, very uplifting and everyone loves it. The perfect place to socialize and get exercise is the dance floor.

• Volunteering

There is nothing that can get you close to the community than actual volunteer work. Volunteering can be one of the most satisfying things a person can do. Devoting your time to help other without an ulterior motive can be very fulfilling. And in the case of older people, it can be an amazing way to stay involved with the society, socialize every single day, improves their mental health and, depending on the volunteer work, get physical exercise.

These four hobbies are the most popular choices among the elderly. They can help them stay physically and mentally active and at the same time maintain a rich social network that will keep them socially active. Longevity is going to be a natural outcome after this. Help the elders close to you become active members for the society and themselves but getting them engaged in these amazing activities.

The European Union believes in the involvement of elders in society. Through the implementation of big EU Projects like for example the Colabor-Active project, European organizations aim at creating the perfect environment for elder people to feel comfortable and start becoming productive members for the society but most importantly, themselves!