8 Tips for a healthier body

Time does not forgive anyone. Is this a good thing or maybe a bad thing? Surely from the wisdom and maturity point of view it should be a good thing. We can say that with time passing we learn from the mistakes and experiences of our youth. However, the body begins to show slight signs of weakness.

Many times we focus so much on those essential parts such as mental and emotional health that sometimes we ignore the physical component, our body.

There is a direct correlation between our emotional and physical state. Our emotional state is directly influenced by our physical health (1), which means that improving our physical health will lead to better overall health over time.

Therefore, we can prepare ourselves physically in time for that period of life when we will need all the resources to maintain a high quality of life, and why not, to constantly improve it.

After 40 years, certain physical functions begin to weaken, and if in women the risk of chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, hypertension increases, men have a higher risk of cancer and heart disease (2), and a decrease in hormonal values in testosterone and muscle mass is inevitable.

From here we could conclude that a change in lifestyle is necessary and a rechanneling of our time and energy from career and family to personal health care is needed. The balance between personal care and the management of external factors becomes essential in order to have a full and prosperous life.

Further, I have listed 8 points to prepare a smooth crossing of the beautiful 40-year-old threshold:

1. Decrease stress

Emphasis should be placed on reducing any external stressors such as exhausting hours invested in work projects. This might sound obvious, but cortisol levels increases by up to 9 times in stressful situations (3) and the effects of fatigue fall more and more strongly on the body, physical and mental recovery decreases considerably compared to our 20s.

We must prepare to decrease the long hours at work and focus more on ourselves; change our daily priorities a little. At first it can be difficult, but by being aware of the problem at the beginning, we can make adjustments along the way.

2. Decrease junk food consumption (and sugar in particular)

Unhealthy food is a topic often brought up in discussions. However, the consumption of fast food is so harmful that it has become one of the main causes that contribute to the premature aging of the organs, the skin, and is a cause of non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Food monitoring can be difficult at first, so you can reduce at least some of the foods consumed daily such as sugar, bread, fried potatoes.

I also recommend that you consult a nutritionist and test diets to see which suits you best, along with new healthy recipes. You would be surprised how tasty healthy food can be.

3. Calculate the calories consumed daily

The body is like a car. Warren Buffet said, (3) think of your body as a car that you have for life. If you had only one car for the rest of your life, you would most likely take care of it and change its parts and oils more often. Our body is the same, we have it for the rest of our lives and we have to be careful with what we eat. Measuring calories, even if we don’t strictly follow the quantities, at least we can get used to making some estimates of how many calories we consume and where to set our limits.

A kitchen scale can be very useful for control. We would be surprised how many calories we consume and how easily we can cheat with small snacks, which we think do not have a high caloric intake.

4. Hydrate yourself

Water consumption is essential to survive. It is the only nutrient whose lack can be lethal in a few days. (4) (5) Adequate hydration is important for physical and cognitive performance and kidney functions.

In order to get used to consume enough water, a bottle with a predetermined daily amount can be kept on the desk to get our attention on consuming the proposed amount of water.

5. Discover sport

Mountain climbing, cycling, half marathons, dancing are just some of the existing sports activities. I also wrote here (link to 1. How to start your fitness journey) about how to find the necessary motivation to start the sport journey.

In addition, I recommend that you follow forums, YouTube channels and blogs about sports you might like, but also on physical education and health in general. By following different specialists from different sports, you can develop a passion for different sport activities. You will be able to discover passions that you didn’t even know you could have had. Many runners took up the marathon at an advanced age, some cyclists got on the bike late in life and fitness enthusiasts also discovered the gym later.

It’s never too late to enjoy physical activity.

6. Prioritize sleep

Sleep has a vital role in our health. It influences the good functioning of the brain, cognitive functions, memory and mood (6). At the same time, sleep is very important for the physiological system in regulating appetite and metabolism, immunity and the cardiovascular system. Statistics show an increase in the number of adults who sleep less than 6 hours, this being considered a health epidemic (7). Although there is a lot of research on the number of hours of sleep needed for good functioning, there is no consensus, except that less than 6 hours of sleep can become harmful.

To improve sleep, creating a pleasant and relaxing, quiet and dark environment in the bedroom is important. It is also beneficial to reduce the amount of coffee and avoid phones, laptops and TV at least 30 minutes before going to bed.

7. Benefit from sunlight in the morning

We as humans are programmed to spend the day outside when the sun is shining. Exposure to the sun supports the production of vitamin D, serotonin, and increases general immunity. To benefit from sunlight, morning exposure can vitalize us for the rest of the day. A few minutes’ walk before the job will definitely help (7)

8. Do your periodic checks

Dental control and periodic analyzes have a role of prevention but also to identify possible diseases. A visit to the doctor is recommended for the medical examination and the necessary tests.

To make it easier and not to miss when these checks need to be done, a reminder in the calendar will help you remember the schedule for the necessary checks and analyses.

In Conclusion

The points listed above are useful for the energy and vitality needed as we age.

These are some practices that you don’t have to strictly apply from the beginning, but you can start with the easier points, for example by tracking the amount of water you drink, the calories consumed daily and the exposure to sunlight in the morning. In time you can also implement the rest of the practices, step by step without additional pressure. It must be borne in mind that healthy practices are not a competition; they must be done at the pace in which we feel comfortable and we should not to be disappointed when we stagnate or even regress.

The beauty of life actually consists in this battle that we fight with ourselves at different moments of life and when we succeed and make small progress we experience them as true victories.

This is what makes the human condition beautiful, the constant struggle, our resilience and our lifting up whenever we are weakened. What would be the beauty of life if everything was perfect and without challenges?