Ways To Improve Your Health When You’re In Your 40s!!

Are you over 40? Has it been awhile since you’ve visited your doctor or had any blood work done? As you age, a myriad of changes occur on the outside and inside of your body. While wrinkles on your face and stiff muscles in the morning seem to be more prevalent now, it’s time to take some serious measures to ensure a healthy future. Here are just a few ways that you can improve your health over 40.

Routine Health Screenings

If you routinely see your doctor for a health condition or concern, that’s great. If you don’t, now is the time to set up an appointment with your general practitioner. He will likely recommend a full workup and overall physical exam to check for any underlying health issues. Routine health screenings may include:

• *Checking your lipid levels for high cholesterol.
• *A breast exam for women and a prostate check for men.
• *Blood pressure check for stroke risk.
• *Diabetes screening for precursors to diabetes.
• *A pap smear or pelvic exam for women to check for certain types of cancers.

As well as all of the relevant health screenings mentioned above, you also need to stay up to date with your eye tests and hearing tests. As you get older your hearing and eyesight may depreciate and you may be more susceptible to certain illnesses. If you discover that you need to start wearing glasses or a hearing aid, there is no need to worry. There are so many stylish brands, such as Ray Ban glasses (don’t forget to start with Rakuten! For 6% BACK!!) that will suit your personal preferences.

Following through with various health screenings can signal to your doctor if you’re at risk for developing specific diseases and conditions, like cancer. For now, your doc may recommend a healthier lifestyle or further testing to rule anything out. It’s important to ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medications with you. It’s helpful to use a pill identifier to help recognize certain meds that you may be unfamiliar with.

Exercise

Whether you take prescription medications or not for diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome or hypothyroidism, exercise can really help improve your overall health. The Mayo Clinic suggests that healthy adults get up to 30 minutes a day of intense aerobic exercise. These means getting your heart rate up and working your entire core muscle groups to improve blood flow. Exercising helps with weight loss, but really targets stubborn belly fat, called visceral fat. Having a lot of extra visceral fat can put you at a higher risk for cardiovascular related disease—including high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack. Exercising daily by jogging, walking or weight lifting can help reduce this type of fat from occurring. Changing your lifestyle to incorporate more exercise and physical activity can help improve your overall health in many ways.

Diet

Following a diet plan that includes meals revolving around the main food groups is important, especially for digestive issues such as acid reflux disease. This includes

*Whole grains- enjoy foods derived from whole grains with at least two meals daily.

*Load your plate with fresh or streamed veggies with every meal.

*Incorporate fruit into each serving. Limit intake of fruits that are high in sucrose—such as bananas and mangos, especially if you’re diabetic.

*Choose lean meats for protein, such as chicken.

*Have low fat dairy products with each serving, such as milk and yogurt.

Create a diet that you can live with. Incorporate as much healthy food items into each meal. Combine it with a healthy exercise program for the best chance at living a healthy life.

Stress Relievers

Stressful situations can wreck havoc on your mental health. Anxiety, depression and mood disorders can be triggered by stressful events or an extremely busy lifestyle. Stress along with a poor diet and lack of exercise can put you at a higher risk for a stroke or heart attack, according to Harvard Medical School. Do you have a lot of stress in your life? Trying to limit stress can be hard to do. But it’s always important to take time out for yourself and to bring you peace of mind. Incorporate some stress relievers into your life. This could be indulging in a new book, playing games or taking some time out to visit the spa or hairdresser. Relaxing with family and friends near the lake or just a weekend getaway may be all you need to reduce your blood pressure and put your mind at ease overall.

Being 40 or over can be a challenge, especially if you already have medical condition. Added stress, health issues and weight gain can easily happen. While you may have to work at things a little harder than before, combining several methods is the best way to improve your lifestyle