Life in your 40s can be a glorious time but learning Life Changes You Should Make After 40 is equally important. Aging anxieties aside, many women become more confident, less critical, and enjoy a greater stability in their lives than they have before. As with any transition, making your way into and through your 40s will call for some measures for preparation and prevention that will help you continue to live your best life.
Prioritize a Preventative Healthcare Plan
As your body and mind may encounter many changes in this new phase of your life, it is important to be proactive in your approach to health and to set yourself up for success. You may find that you are using multiple healthcare providers to address your needs, and that it can be a lot to keep track of. Stefanie Barboza recommends looking into the My Chart app. It makes the healthcare process seamless, and helps you to feel more in control. It allows you to view all of your synced healthcare information in one place. You can view your medical record, and share it with any professional who may need it.
You can quickly schedule appointments, and find the care that applies to you. You can connect with doctors no matter where you are through in-app messaging, getting online diagnoses, or even talking face-to-face over video. You can stay on top of care for your children or other family members through your My Chart account, too. Even when dealing with multiple providers who may or may not communicate with each other, the app sets up a system that keeps everyone connected and everything you need in one place. Being in the 40s age range means that annual, or semi-annual, physicals and screenings become additionally important, as the rates for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer increase with age. Conditions like high cholesterol and hypertension can also plague over-40 individuals, but can be prevented or detected early through routine medical visits. It may not be the most fun thing to do as you are getting older and trying to enjoy life, but getting regular check-ups will help ensure that you will continue to live the best and healthiest life possible going forward. So, it helps you to learn Life Changes You Should Make After 40.
Take Vitamins
As we get older, our bodies evolve and change, and sometimes need a little support in functioning at their most optimum levels. Professionals recommend implementing an array of vitamins and supplements to do just that.
-
Vitamin B12:
B12 is essential for normal blood and brain function. It is less well-absorbed from food as the body ages. Aim to take a supplement that provides 2.4mg of vitamin B12 per day.
-
Calcium:
Calcium helps to maintain bone health. It benefits muscle contraction, nerve and heart function, and other biochemical reactions in the body. If you’renot getting enough from your diet, your body steals calcium from your bones and weakens them. It is important not to overdo it on calcium intake, however. Women aged 40-50 should get 1000mg of calcium per day. You can get it from a well-rounded diet of calcium-rich foods like dairy, tofu, sardines, broccoli, almonds, and spinach.
-
Vitamin D:
Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium. It helps protect against age-related changes in the body. It lowers the risk for heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and breast and colorectal cancers. Find it in fish, fortified dairy, grains and cereals, but it is typically poorly-absorbed from foods. Sunlight is the best source of exposure to vitamin D, though it is not absorbed while wearing sunscreen, which is another necessary preventative measure against sun damage. A vitamin D3 supplement is recommended, and to get at least 600 IU per day.
-
Magnesium:
Magnesium helps to regulate blood pressure, and women over 40 are especially prone to high blood pressure due to natural aging. It helps the body absorb calcium, plays a role in muscle, nerve, and heart function, as well as blood glucose control. Top of the list of Life Changes You Should Make After 40 is a healthy, balanced diet should give you all the magnesium you need, which is 320mg for women aged 40 and up. Find it in dark, leafy greens, beans, soy, nuts, seeds, and avocados.
-
Omega 3s:
Omega 3s are not technically a vitamin, but are fatty acids that can help counteract some of the natural side effects of aging, including heart disease risk and cognitive decline. They help lower blood pressure and LDL, or “bad”, cholesterol levels, as well as keep the memory sharp. Find them in fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, leafy vegetables, and in taking supplements. Aim for 500mg if you’re healthy, 800-1,000mg if you have heart disease, and 2,000-4,000mg if you have high triglyceride levels.
-
Probiotics:
Probiotics are not vitamins or minerals either, but they help keep the gut healthy and and to maintain a healthy body weight. They lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Food will not typically contain as many probiotic strains as a supplement will, each having their own benefits.
-
Potassium:
Potassium regulates blood pressure, and may reduce the risk of stroke. It is recommended to get 4.7g per day. It is not recommended, however, to take potassium supplements, as too much potassium can damage the gastrointestinal tract and the heart. Consume enough potassium from a varied, healthy diet that includes bananas, sweet potatoes, chard, beans, and lentils.
Establish Healthy Habits
We hear it from our parents, our peers, our teachers, our doctors, and more. Establishing healthy habits now is important, as this is the time to set the foundation for how we want to live our lives. By the time we reach a certain age or a milestone in life, ittends to hit us that we wish we had gotten in shape sooner. We wish we had learned how to cook sooner. We wish we had started taking care of our bodies sooner and take it on serious note to Learn Life Changes You Should Make After 40. We wish we could keep up with our kids and grandkids. We wish we had traveled more, and done more fun things when we were physically able. Unfortunately, we sometimes don’t know what we have until it’s gone, and we don’t start doing what we know we need to do for ourselves until a problem arises, only making us wish we had made different choices before. But the good news is that if you’re still breathing, it’s not too late to make a change.
You can make your 40s your best decade yet. Commit to confronting your vices; it’s time for you to nip those in the bud and move on from them. Plan ahead to get enough sleep every night. Keep technology out of the bedroom, and have more sex. Have a dedicated exercise regimen, and do it in the morning. Eat more protein, and add more nuts to your diet. Take care of your gut health. Wear sunscreen and sunglasses every day, and go to the dermatologist annually. Keep good and positive company.
You Might Be Interested In: How To Approach 40 Gracefully
Nurture close connections, and compliment people. Incorporate more activities into everyday life, and make plans to travel more. Meditate and practice gratitude. Drink a lot of water. Read books, take naps, and spend time outside. Breathe deeply, and laugh and smile often. Many of these things seem small and trivial, but sound great and beneficial at the same time. So why don’t we do them more? In this new, less-critical, more confident, and assured mentality you can and may find in your 40s, use it to create a strong mind-body connection that leads you to the uplifting people, the fun and challenging activities, and the life-giving habits that will help you to maximize your experiences and to achieve Life Changes You Should Make After 40 and beyond