Heart Health: 50-60, Not 50-50

Self Before Service becomes a Priority After 40s to Ensure Health

Women, Start Attending to Your Health Too!

Aging is an inevitable phenomenon that can never be reversed but how we age can be controlled and monitored by our decisions and priorities. Every decade of a person’s life adds certain new elements and takes away some oldies. Twenties and thirties are the prime ages during which each of us brim with energy and await with eagerness to explore and exploit the good things that life has to offer us. Stepping out of your 30s and entering your 40s is a radical stage during which the physical body exhibits enormous changes and you seem to notice changes mind-wise too. Making healthy choices and taking nutrition-based decisions help a person stay healthy as he/she ages. Starting off with healthy habits even in your 40s, 50s or 60s increases quality of life and reduces your risk of heart disease and chronic illnesses. Middle age is the right time to garner all your attention towards good health for now and forever.
​
There is no hard and fast rule that states that one needs to visit a doctor only for treating ailments. It is also essential to get an annual health checkup done to ensure that your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels are in normal ranges.

Smarty 40
Your forties are your life’s prime years that involve settling your child into their favorite study streams, reaching great career pinnacles, amassing as much fortune as possible and taking all big decisions in life. In all this turmoil, people rarely find time to think about themselves and take care of their health. A team of researchers dwelled into the health records of more than 25,000 people over several decades analyzing blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol levels, body mass index and smoking risk factors across participants when their average age was early 40s. Cardiovascular disease risk factors that was present in the early 40s accurately denoted the health status of participants at ages 65, 75 and 85. Those who had no major health risk factors lived a longer healthier life without heart disease or chronic illness which saved healthcare expenses too, according to a study published in the journal Circulation.

Your 40s is the best time to assess your health and make changes for the better to safeguard and protect it in the long term. You are what you eat! Analyze your diet and introduce any changes, if needed, cutting back on sugar, processed food and sodium all three of which are major contributors for diseases such as diabetes or blood pressure. Women especially are at an increased risk of diabetes as they approach menopause. Cut down on your sodas, frozen desserts and refined carbs consumption to prevent or even reverse the onset of diabetes.

50-60, Not 50-50
Your health affects everything in life-daily routine, performance at work and even your ability to work. There are even studies that show that employees with better cardiovascular health experience fewer sick days and focus better at work along with reduced annual healthcare cost. Even when menopause does not pose to be a dangerous risk factor for cardiovascular disease, symptoms can start occurring right around this period and heart disease symptoms can become more evident later in life.

Actually, 50s and 60s are the time during which individuals accumulate more weight and heart disease risk factors increase. It is better to take precautions before your 50s and prevent accumulation of weight. Regular physical activity during the middle age can improve elasticity of blood vessels that can occur due to a sedentary lifestyle and decrease cardiovascular disease risk. Few simple ways of staying active include taking walks in your neighborhood or walking down to the farmer’s market to find fresh produce. Avoiding eating outside and preparing meals at home can be a great way of staying healthy.

60s and over are the decades during which medical problems become pronounced and the number of hospital visits increase.

Although men are more affected by heart disease than women, currently the statistics show a steadily increasing number of women who become victims to heart disease. Women step onto the role of caretakers playing the role of a mother, wife, daughter, office executive, businesswoman or otherwise putting the needs and wants of all other people before attending to their needs. So critical is a woman’s role in other peoples’ life that any changes to this can shake up the entire family network.  Take some precautions to safeguard yourself from heart disease in your 40s and above with the following suggestions:

1. Maintain a work-life balance, take time to relax and practice stress management techniques to reduce stress in every day life. Set aside 15 to 20 minutes daily to sit quietly, relax and calm down. Learn breathing techniques and stop worrying.
2. If you have not started practicing physical activity, now is the right time to begin as many body changes start happening from hereon. It is extremely difficult to find time between family and work, but it is up to your discretion to squeeze in some time to take care of your health. Exercise for at least 40 minutes 3 or 4 times a week to improve your blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, heart strength and reduce your chances of developing diabetes. Yoga, jogging and core strengthening exercises (weekly once) can help you become stronger and prevent core weakening (a major symptom as we age).
3. Cook and eat heart-healthy meals that include colorful veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, fish rice and skinless chicken rich in omega-3s and low-fat/fat-free dairy products. These foods furnish your body with supple nutrients and improve your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Meet a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com to get a healthy diet plan that helps you avoid any increase in BP, sugar or cholesterol levels or control irregular levels, if any.
4. Some of the critical tests that you must undergo before reaching 45 include weight, BMI (body mass index), blood pressure, cholesterol, heart exam and fasting blood glucose which serve as the primary ones for improving health.
5. Get enough sleep. Ultimately your body needs rest to chew on all the things that happened over the course of day. In general, every adult requires around 6-8 hours of sleep for preventing any disruption to their daily activities and ensure smooth functioning of work and life.
   
   

Whatever your age, taking every step possible to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease is needed and helpful. Involve the entire family including children, grandchildren and spouses in group activities and work as one team together for the well-being of the entire family.

---