Contributed by Healthians Team
Men over the age of 50 can be as healthy, fit, and strong as younger ones. If you are approaching 50 years, it will take a little more effort but if you eat healthy food, exercise regularly, avoid smoking, and take care of other things you can be healthy and strong for decades. Keeping a well-balanced diet will help you to avoid diseases such as blood pressure, heart attack, cancer, obesity, and diabetes.
If you are going to turn 50 soon and you want to know how you can continue to have a happy and healthy life, here are 5 things you should do and 5 things you should avoid.
5 things to ensure after you cross 50:
Exercise
When you get older, you start losing muscle mass but regular exercise can help you rebuild it. Muscles burn calories faster than fat. Basically, exercise helps to stop or delay some serious illnesses such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and osteoporosis. It makes your brain sharp and prevents you from falling into depression. If you do cardio, your heart rate goes up, and breathing becomes harder.
Take proper sleep
As you get older, your body produces lower levels of growth hormone, you are likely to experience a decrease in your sleep. When you get less sleep, you start producing melatonin. It means you will experience fragmented sleep and wake up often during the night. As men get older, they consider themselves light sleepers. They may experience insomnia as they get older. They need proper sleep because it is as important for their physical and emotional health as it was when they were younger.
Eat healthy food
Eating healthy is essential for men over 50 because they need more vitamin D and calcium than younger adults. It makes their bones healthy and strong. Calcium-rich foods are highly recommended as they contain low-fat, and are mostly found in fat-free dairy products, yogurt, milk, and 100% fruit juices. Green leafy vegetables, canned fish with soft bones are also sources of high nutrition.
Spend time with family
When men get old, they need more love and respect. It improves their mental health and lowers the risks of behavioral problems in them. It helps to reduce their stress and enhances physical health. Spending time with family strengthens the bond and connection among family members. Spending more time with the family helps them to meet their emotional needs.
Drink more water
The majority of body weight is actually due to the amount of water in our bodies. It performs various functions in our body from flushing out waste, regulating body temperature to supporting the brain to function properly. When people age organs also become older so men need more water for proper functioning. Drinking lots of water protects tissues, the spinal cord, and joints. It is also helpful in preventing constipation and prostate cancer thereby keeping the digestive system healthy for a blissful existence.
5 things you should avoid after crossing 50:
Sugary Food
Having excessive sugar has a negative impact on your health. After crossing 50, consuming high amounts of sugar can be risky for men’s health. It increases the rate of obesity in men. High sugar diets are associated with an increased risk of heart diseases. If you frequently intake sugary food it resists insulin and as a result, you may experience type 2 diabetes.
Alcohol
Gaining weight after crossing 50 in men creates more health problems. To avoid being overweight, you should cut down on the consumption of alcohol. Because consumption of alcohol weakens the capacity of learning and hampers memory in men. It also increases the chances of developing cancer. Liver diseases, chronic diseases, and other severe ailments are also caused by excessive consumption of alcohol. Avoiding alcohol may prevent men from depression and anxiety also.
Smoking
The decision to quit smoking is the most significant step you can take to improve your health. Quitting smoking lengthens the life expectancy in men. As smoking leads to various diseases such as lung cancer, throat cancer, high blood pressure, ulcers, kidney disease, and sexual dysfunction it is best to avoid it completely. Smoking also causes wrinkles, stained teeth, and dull skin in men.
Stress
Stress occurs due to lots of pressure. When you are unable to cope up with stress, it causes physical symptoms such as headaches, sweaty palms, and a racing heartbeat. It becomes difficult to relax when you are under stress. Indigestion, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, stomach ulcers, and depression are some of the diseases you may experience if you take too much stress after crossing 50. It also creates difficulty in concentration, aggressive behavior, and relationship problems.
Anger
Anger destroys relationships because when a person is angry, he may have a tendency to do irrational things towards another person. Being angry all the time makes you older than your age. If anger is not controlled in time, it can affect overall health. Anger leads to various diseases such as stroke, high blood pressure, heart attack, and headache. It diverts the focus from work. If men are angry, they won’t be able to spend quality time with family. It gives a bad impression of your image in front of other people. If anger is left uncontrolled, they can experience emotional, physical, and social trauma.
Aging is inevitable and as you move towards your golden years, you can prevent the chances of developing diseases. All you need to keep in mind are the above do’s and don’ts and make regular health checkups a habit.
