Are you in your 40s or 50s? Have you ever decided to make a healthy lifestyle change, but quickly given up feeling that it’s too late to get started? If you think this way, you’re probably lying to yourself. Research has proved that starting to eat well, quit smoking and excessive drinking, or exercising regularly can have a significant impact on your health even after the age of 40 or 50.
If you have smoked for years or been an addict of burgers and french fries in your 20s or skipped your exercises in favour of the couch, you might regret it. But the question is, Can you reverse years of bad eating? Can you undo the damage? The answer to both these questions is YES. Yes, you heard it right. It’s never too late to make a healthy diet and lifestyle changes. Starting healthy lifestyle habits doesn’t have a deadline. Furthermore, you’ll start feeling better quickly.
For example, if you have been smoking for years your body will start showing healthy changes within a few days of quitting. The following healthy lifestyle tips from Fine Fettle will not just help you stay healthy, but also slows down the process of ageing, inside and out.
1. Watch What You Eat
As you age, the changes in your metabolism might need you to make changes to your eating habits. You need to follow a healthy, balanced diet that brims with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. A Mediterranean-style diet that is rich in Colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy with vitamin D, fish, eggs, and no processed foods is highly recommended by nutrition experts. Eating nutrition-rich foods can help in reversing the damage already done.
2. Be More Active
Exercising regularly can lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other problems that are more common in older adults. Exercise helps prevent losing muscle mass, helps burn calories, and prevent debility. Even if you haven’t had an exercise routine until your 30s, it’s not too late to start a regular exercise routine. Ensure that you consult a physician about exercise that is apt for you based on your physical fitness and health condition.
3. Quit Smoking
As already stated, even if you have been smoking for years, quitting smoking for a day can reduce your risk of having a heart attack. Stopping smoking can lower the risk of cancer and stroke, improve lung function and heart health, thereby increasing your lifespan.
Next time when you crave a cigarette, do exercise or go for a walk or bike ride instead of a smoke. This can help you combat smoking cravings. If you still struggle to give up smoking, get your doctor’s help.
4. Get Quality ZZZs
The older you get, you may find that you are sleeping less. But, getting 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep is a must. Lack of quality sleep can result in various problems, both physically and mentally. It can have a greater impact on your memory, concentration, emotions, and even your appearance.
You can enjoy quality sleep by exercising regularly, avoiding TV and smartphone 1 hour before your bedtime, following a sleep schedule and routine, and practising relaxation techniques.
5. Challenge Your Brain
Staying intellectually active is as important as staying physically active. Your brain needs exercise too. You can do simple tasks like reading, learning a new language, taking a new route to your office, trying your hand on a different hobby, or playing games with friends. All these can improve your cognitive health. Make it a goal to update your knowledge and acquire new skills as you age.
6. Make More Friends
Apart from staying physically and mentally active, being socially active is also important to have a healthy living. Several studies have found that having more friends can lower the risk of dementia, depression, and anxiety. As a result, people are likely to have a stronger mental ability, better quality of life, and longer lives. Furthermore, improving your social health can help you recover faster from your illness.
Older adults are more likely to have fewer friendships due to their health conditions and the demise of their family members. To get more friends, find out the social activities you enjoy, and meet more like-minded people.
7. Contemplate Preventative Health Care
Once you hit your 40s ensure that you know your family health history to find out if your genetics increase your risks for diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. If your family has had a person with a serious health crisis, get regular screenings to find out problems early instead of waiting until the disease becomes critical.
A Word From Fine Fettle
Is it too late to get healthy? Definitely not. Even if you’ve been poor when it comes to your health habits in the past, changes in lifestyle habits can quickly improve complications and health risks. It’s never too late to get healthy. Now is the time to start working towards good health. These 7 healthy lifestyle tips are just a few steps to make a decent sprint towards a better life.
