Once you get on the wrong side of forty, you become aware of the body clock ticking. The energy levels don’t remain the same. One look at the mirror and you see those worry lines appearing, grey hair peeping from the temples and the eyes showing some fatigue. People react differently to this reality. Some take it hard and are ready to give in to the ravages of time. Others try to find ways and means to stay healthy and fit. The second lot lives a better quality of life. How do they do it?
Healthy Diet
First and foremost, what you eat is what reflects in your health. More junk food with saturated fats and processed meat piled up with sugar rich desserts and aerated drinks will result in more flab and an impaired metabolism. These are more likely to lead up to metabolic disorders like diabetes and high blood pressure and digestive diseases like colitis and kidney ailments.
Eat your meals regularly; skipping a meal and overstuffing when you eat are things to be avoided. Quick fix dieting is also harmful for the body. “As weight settles on, the natural reaction is to starve your body of food with the aid of a quick-fix diet. Initially, after look-good results, a nasty, self-defeating cycle of yo-yo dieting can kick in with time, depleting the body of lean muscle mass,” says Jamie Baird, a fitness trainer from UK. A balance diet should have more of fresh vegetables and fruits, less of red meat and lots of fiber rich foods. Water is the best drink to have, drink at least 8-10 glasses daily. High sugar content fruit juices available from stores should be cut down considerably.
Daily Exercise
To be fit and healthy, the main mantra is exercise. After forty, the body tends to become less flexible. Keep your flexibility intact with regular exercises. Aerobics alone won’t help people over forty. Stretch exercises and weight training are some sure shot ways to increase flexibility and tone the muscles. “We’ve taken people in nursing homes that are extremely weak and frail and put them through a strength training program with very little injuries,” says William J. Evans, PhD , director of the nutrition, metabolism, and exercise laboratory at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. He further adds. “It had a greater effect on bone density than aerobic exercise and remarkably positive effects on bone density at every level.”
Choose an exercise pattern that you are comfortable with. After all, every person is different and has a different lifestyle. What holds good for one may not have the same effect for others. Taking to an active sport is also a way to work out for the whole body. Don’t put the beginning of your exercise regimen for later. Start now.
Stress management
Life today makes too many demands of the body. The physical strain, psychological tension and emotional stress that a person undergoes mirror in the state of his/her physical and mental health. If a person has poor stress management techniques at his/her disposal, it takes its toll on the body and fastens the ageing process. Yoga is a good way to be in control of the mind and body. It relaxes and rejuvenates the whole body to meet everyday challenges in a positive manner. In a study published in 2013, the results of a study find that cognitive performance after the yoga exercise bout was significantly superior (i.e., shorter reaction times, increased accuracy) as compared with the aerobic and baseline conditions for both inhibition and working memory tasks. Yoga also increases brain power in the aged. Other stress busters include having quality time with family and friends. Spending some time outdoors, rediscovering oneself in the lap of Mother Nature and having active entertainment are some other ways to deal better with tensions and stress. Avoid too much time indoors and take breaks from repetitive jobs.
Health Check
Doctors highly recommend undergoing Health Checks at regular intervals after the age of 40, even if you are perfectly healthy. Governmental health agencies promote it. Anyone can develop heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes or certain types of dementia. A Health Check will help you identify your risk earlier. Being aware of one’s health helps to plan diet and exercise accordingly. Health checks are seen as the best preventive measure to keep at bay many lifestyle diseases and disorders. As we age, our hormone patterns change and these tick off some health problems. In many women, menopause creates problems like osteoporosis which may be asymptomatic in the early stages. With proper treatment, the degeneration process can be slowed down effectively. Thyroid function may also be irregular. Also, the screening and health checks help diagnose some conditions like cancer or kidney failure in the early stages and increase the probability of restoration of complete health.
Some of the more common Health Checks:
- Cardio Function Test: To test for blocks and cardiac function
- Renal Function Test: To test Liver and kidneys function
- Blood Sugar Test: For Hypoglycemia and Hyperglycemia
- Women Special Test: Includes Breast and Ovarian cancer screening
- Men Special Test: Includes Prostate Cancer, Testicular Cancer screening
- Neuro function test: Tests for possibility of developing dementia or other neurological disorders
Healthy lifestyle
Sedentary lifestyle is one of the main culprits for failing health as we age. Get into active mode and regain fitness. Being obese or overweight is also open invitation to health problems. A healthy diet has to be adopted with thrust to fresh foods. Unrealistic goals set us to overwork ourselves to become highly strung individuals. Be realistic in goals and accept the present as it is. A Sanskrit shloka from Gita may be the guiding principle,” Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshu kada chana” which when translated means – Do your duty and think not of the fruits of effort. It will come your way in time. If followed, this timeless philosophy eases the mind and relaxes you to make better decision in life.
Follow the above and make a new beginning. Life begins at forty.
- February 05, 2017
- Nattura Biocare Private Limited
