7 Ways to Stay Healthy After 40
Age 40 is a milestone
when the risk of many health conditions increases. This makes the birthday a
perfect time for taking stock of your health, experts say.
Whether
people have demanding jobs, aging parents, growing children or all of the
above, it's easy to put health aside. But 40 is the time to evaluate your
wellbeing, and to plan for the long-run.
"Forty
is a good time to take a deep breath, and, although you have a lot of other
things out there, do a little introspection and say, 'OK, there's some things I
need to do to make sure I stay healthy,'" said Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, an
internist at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.
And
if you're not there yet, there's no reason to wait, said Dr. William Zoghbi, professor of medicine at
the Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center in Houston and president
of the American College of Cardiology.
"It's
not like people are going to wake up and say, 'I'm 40, I'm going to change
everything I'm doing to get healthier,'" Zoghbi said. Instead, "the
earlier they can start, the better it is for them."
Here
are seven ways to stay healthier when you are nearing or turning 40:
Keep your eyes open for vision problems
At
age 40, vision can start to worsen, so have your eyes checked out, Fryhofer
said. "You need to be able to read the fine print on medicine labels, and
lots of different labels. If you don't have reading glasses and you can't read
the fine print, you might miss some important information," Fryhofer said.
She
also suggested wearing sunglasses to prevent further damage. "Too much sun
exposure can increase cataracts, so sunglasses are a good idea," Fryhofer
said. "Make sure they have the UV-A [and] UV-B protection."
A
diet high in fruits and vegetables – which are full of antioxidants, vitamins
and minerals – may slow vision loss, added Heather Mangieri, a spokeswoman for
the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The leading
cause of blindness in the elderly is a condition known as macular degeneration. It
affects 9.1 million Americans
over age 40. "Macular degeneration tends to be genetic, but we can use
nutrition, a diet rich in lycopene (found in red fruit and vegetables) and
antioxidants to slow down that vision loss," Mangieri said.
Know your numbers
Age
40 is a good time to look into your numbers
for blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar and body weight. "People need
to know what their cholesterol level is and if they haven't checked before age
40, they should," Zoghbi said.
When
you visit a pharmacy, take time to get your blood pressure measured, and visit
your doctor to get a simple blood sugar test, he suggested. Knowing these
numbers will help you and your doctor identify potentially hidden disease risk-factors.
For
example, people with higher blood pressure are at higher risk of heart disease,
stroke and kidney failure, Zoghbi said.
Explore your family history
During
your fifth decade, it's time to look carefully at your family tree to find out
if your genetics increase your risks for diseases such as cancer or heart
disease. "Once you hit 40, when things go wrong, you have to think of the
C-word and that's cancer, because you're no longer a kid," Fryhofer said.
"That's a good time to make sure you understand your family history."
For
example, those with a family history of colon cancer may want to get a colonoscopy at age 40,
instead of waiting until age 50, Fryhofer said.
The
same goes with heart disease: a calcium test can help determine whether your
arteries are starting to harden, and if you need major lifestyle changes or
medications. "People get by with a lot until they hit 40, but then when
you hit 40, it's got to be a little bit about you. It can't be just worrying
about everybody else," she said.
Muscle up
Starting
at age 40, we lose about 1 percent of muscle mass per year.
So
people can benefit from incorporating weight-bearing exercises, along with
cardiovascular exercise, into a weekly physical activity plan, Mangieri said.
"Even if it's using cans of soup to do some bicep curls — it doesn't have
to be in a gym, it just needs to be some sort of resistance training,"
Mangieri said.
As
we age, we also become less flexible. Mangieri suggested adding yoga or
Pilates, which can help improve flexibility, core strength, balance and range
of motion. "If we can maintain our muscle mass and maintain our strength,
then as we get older, we can continue to do the things we enjoy doing,"
Mangieri said.
Fiber is your friend
The
days of gorging without gaining weight are over. And as your metabolism slows
around age 40, eating fewer calories can boost health. But you should also make
sure to get adequate fiber and fluids, Mangieri said.
"We
want to make sure the calories that are decreasing come from things like
sweets, but we keep those high-fiber foods in the diet, and we also make sure
we meet our fluid needs. That's really important," Mangieri said.
"Make sure that our daily eating plan is packed full of nutrient-dense
food, like lean protein, fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy and whole
grains.
"Those
items are important through all the stages of life, but as we get older, we
want to make sure we maintain those high-nutrient foods even though our caloric
needs are less," Mangieri said.
Consider the big picture of your lifestyle
Dr.
Elizabeth Jackson, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan
emphasized the difference that a generally healthy lifestyle can have on preventing
heart attacks and strokes.
For
cardiovascular events, "we know that the risk increases with age, and you
can't get younger. There's no cure for getting older," Jackson said.
But
losing the spare tire around your middle could help you not only fit into your
clothing, but reduce the risk for heart disease, diabetes and vascular
diseases. "When you think of lifestyle modifications, there's a lot of
bang for your buck in all different factors," Jackson said.
Doing
regular physical activity, reducing stress levels, maintaining a healthy weight
and a eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables and polyunsaturated fats all
"help keep our blood vessels healthy," Jackson said. "And that
keeps our heart healthy, that keeps our brains healthy, and it really helps us
prevent that waistline increasing. An investment in healthy lifestyle will pay
off through every subsequent decade," she said.
Butt out
Age
40 should include a reality check for smokers.
"If
you're a smoker, it's time to take this seriously and stop it by whichever way,
shape or form. Get some help," Zoghbi said.
Quitting
"is not easy, but believe me, it will decrease the incidence of everything
bad that you can think of, from heart attacks [to] heart disease, stroke,
kidney failure as well as lung cancer and lung disease," he said.
Thyroid check
People
who feel worn out, and are gaining weight and whose hair and skin have
lost their luster, may consider getting their thyroids checked. This neck gland
helps control energy levels and regulates hormones, and 40 is a time "when
thyroid disease can show its face," Fryhofer said.
A
test can determine if your thyroid is functioning as it should, she said. An
underactive thyroid is primarily results from genetic condition causes, but you
can stave off its complications with prescription medications, Fryhofer said.
This story was provided by MyHealthNewsDaily
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