By the time you are clocking 50 years, you have obviously accomplished most of your goals. However, that’s exactly when your health starts to deteriorate. This happens because your body is getting worn out by all the things that you have endured as you age gracefully. In fact, your health tends to suffer more than other areas of life. As age finally catches up with you, your immunity declines fast, which puts you at more risk of contracting certain conditions, especially terminal illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis. The good thing is that there are things you can do to counter these dramatic changes. Here is a list of the things to keep your health in tip top shape before turning 50.
1. Exercise Regularly
You might think that it’s necessary to workout at the age of 50. On the contrary, you should hit the gym as usual. In fact, you should workout for at least 30 minutes every day. This will help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid getting lifestyle related conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. When you hit the gym, you will be able to keep your calories in check before they become one too many. However, you should avoid engaging in high intensity workouts as they increase your chances of getting injured, particularly in the joints. The logic behind this argument is that the tolerance of your bones and muscles diminishes with age. It’s therefore recommended you stick to light workouts. If the gym is not your thing, why not try walks or hikes? These are low to medium intensity workouts depending on how steep and how long they are. In addition, they can offer you the chance to be active in beautiful surroundings. Check out this list of hiking essentials as you would not want to get injured or into trouble in your older age.
2. Go for Annual Physical Checkup
As mentioned earlier in the article, hitting 50 means that your health will start declining gradually. And since health conditions don’t just happen overnight, you should consider going for regular medical checkups. The advantage of this routine checkup is that it will be easier for doctors to identify health issues at an early stage and offer appropriate treatment. For instance, when you go to The Memorial Hospital, you can get a full body examination that can help in unmasking conditions at their initial stages. Research actually shows that most conditions can be remedied or managed successfully when detected early. To get started, simply go to the nearest health facility that’s listed by your insurance provider.
3. Avoid Stress
Stress can really rob you of your happiness. The worst is that it increases chances of getting high blood pressure, depression and diabetes. And that’s not all. It lowers your productivity and also affects your relationships negatively. If you have an issue that’s really weighing on you, it’s important you find a way of focusing your attention elsewhere. You can achieve this by engaging in a new hobby such as tending to plants, hiking or going for fishing escapades among other things. If this doesn’t seem to work, you should seek help from a professional counselor. Once you learn to cope with a crisis, you will be able to enjoy a more meaningful life without worrying about the future.
4. Eat Well
This one goes without saying. In fact, the life you live after clocking 50 largely depends on what you eat. If you have been eating junk food, it’s high time you ditched them. You might not see the consequences now, but they will surely manifest themselves with time. The problem of eating junk stuff is that they rarely contain the essential nutrients that are needed by the body. This means that they don’t offer any health benefits apart from making you feel full and gain unwanted weight. At 50 years, you need to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. This is due to the fact that they play a major role in repairing worn out tissues and boosting your immunity. Besides that, they also help in flushing out toxins that you might have ingested as you take medication. You should actually cut back on carbs because they are not much needed for the generation of energy. However, you should consume foods rich in fiber such as beans as they help in aiding the digestion process. Last but not least, you should indulge in foods that are rich in iron and calcium because they help in strengthening bones.
5. Get Quality Sleep
You probably never imagined that sleep is crucial to your health. In fact, sleep affects all the other areas of life such as your level of concentration and performance. When you go to sleep, your entire body gets an opportunity to rest. It is actually during sleep that the body repairs itself so that you are able to wake up the following day feeling ready to face what life throws at you. The brain also utilizes such an opportunity to store the logics and concepts that you might have acquired during the day. For you to be able to sleep without difficulty, you should aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time. You should also avoid drinking alcohol as you will keep visiting the toilet to relieve your full bladder.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.