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The best time to take care of your well-being is when you’re younger. The second best time is now. Staying healthy in your 50s is the foundation of happy golden years. If you’re looking for a guide, here are 10 tips to kickstart your journey to a better midlife.
Make wiser nutritional decisions by choosing healthier foods. Fruits and vegetables are low-calorie options that don’t cause a sugar crash after a meal. Plus, they help maintain weight.
Hormonal changes can add about 1.5 pounds to your weight every year during menopause. Opting for wholesome foods that are filling yet cause little to zero upswings in your body mass index can minimize obesity in your 50s.
Another natural method to trim some pounds is increasing your physical activity. Ensure you incorporate various exercise components, like cardio for robust heart and lungs, strength and flexibility for maintaining muscle mass and balance for preventing falls.
Falls are prevalent among older people because of weakened bones and muscles. Treatment for them is costly. An emergency room costs more than $3,230. Hospital admission for a severe case can go as high as $21,000, whereas outpatient visits can rack up to over $4,200.
Find an exercise you enjoy — much better if it’s an outdoor activity so you can also get your dose of vitamin D. Ensure your workout consists of balance exercises.
Go out with friends, visit your children or join a group language class. Staying healthy in your 50s includes anything that keeps your brain working to protect it from dementia and other neurological disorders. Consider opportunities for conversations as a mental exercise. Discussions train your brain to think, analyze and solve problems, keeping your nervous system fit.
A nod to a previous tip — learning a new recipe, language or musical instrument can stimulate the brain. Like talking with others, it keeps it sharp.
Learning generates neurons and new neural connections, impacting reasoning skills, memory, thinking, attention and language ability. It also tapers off the risk of cognitive decline and increases one’s mental ability to cope with age-related changes.
Retiring abroad, where the cost of living is more affordable and the quality of life is better, has become a trend.
Your environment has a huge impact on your happiness, well-being and life when you’re older. Access to transportation and services that keep you active and fit is key to meaningful golden years.
As soon as you reach your 50s, plan where to settle and enjoy your retirement. If you’ve been living in the city, you might want to move to a sunny, coastal area where basic expenses are more cost-effective.
A huge part of staying healthy in your 50s is personal hygiene. It declines as people approach retirement age. Senses degrade, health conditions manifest, and forgetfulness occurs more frequently. The natural aging process makes it easy to overlook hygiene.
Keeping all your care products in one corner of the bathroom will help remind you to wash your hands, brush your teeth, apply moisturizer and sunscreen, shave, bathe and perform other personal care tasks. Pay special attention to oral care since it’s connected with your physical health. Brush your teeth at least twice daily, floss and rinse with a mouthwash. If you can’t do any of these due to limited mobility, get help from a caregiver or family members to support you.
Like other abilities, thirst diminishes with age. The effect of dehydration in your 50s is more challenging to counter than when you’re younger, especially if you have existing health conditions.
As a rule of thumb for staying healthy in your 50s, drink at least two liters of water per day. You can obtain extra hydration from fruits and vegetables with high water content, like cucumbers, watermelon, tomatoes and lettuce. These help meet your daily nutritional needs and, at the same time, your fluid intake.
If vitamin pills are optional in your 20s, they’re highly likely in your 50s. In a survey among middle-aged and older adults, researchers found 84.6% were regular dietary supplement users, with each person ingesting about three pills while 41.9% taking four or more.
Your appetite diminishes as you move toward your golden era. As a result, you may experience nutritional deficiencies and need to take vitamins for supplementation.
The loss of independence, mobility and loved ones, financial problems and declining health all contribute to stress in older adults. People with poor coping skills are more likely to get sick or experience the physical manifestations of pressure, such as frequent headaches, depression, heart palpitations and low energy.
Learn stress management techniques from mental health professionals. Practice self-care activities that increase your emotional and mental resilience and soothe your worries, like journaling, meditation or doing a hobby you love.
In your 50s, your physical flaws will be more apparent. Your vision will decrease and you may need to give up driving. Hip pain can make a simple cleaning more laborious. It’s easy to notice the downsides of aging, but you’ll live a more meaningful life by embracing these physical changes.
Staying healthy in your 50s involves loving yourself. Practicing self-care, such as connecting with nature, celebrating your achievements and being grateful for the privilege of experiencing aging can change your perspective about living. Embracing your body and all the negative changes accompanying this final life transition can make you happier.
Improve your standing stance. Poor posture can result from weakened backbones, which is common in older people. A rounded spine carries health risks, such as incontinence, constipation, heartburn and slow digestion. It may also lead to poor oxygen intake.
You can prevent this problem by doing exercises like a seated knee lift or chest stretch. If you suspect your poor back alignment is causing you problems, see a physical therapist who can recommend a fitness program to improve your core, flexibility and muscle strength.
Regular checkups can detect early diseases and determine your risk for serious ones. If diseases are diagnosed at the first stage, you can get early treatment and increase the chance of being cured. Be proactive about your doctor visits and medical requirements. Get vaccinated, screened or assessed before symptoms morph into chronic diseases.
Your midlife can be happier by staying healthy in your 50s. Change your lifestyle, prioritize your emotional and mental health needs, live actively and stay connected with loved ones. The 50s mark many negative life transitions, but nothing you can’t handle if you embrace them with grace and gratitude. Not everyone gets a free ride to aging, so enjoy your golden years fully.
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