10 Must-Do’s in Your 50s
10 Health Habits to Adopt in Your 50s for a Longer, Healthier Life
Whatever age you are, the best time to start prioritizing your health is now. However, certain health habits are especially beneficial as you reach your 50s, before the health consequences of not doing so set in. Adopting a few simple interventions could be the key to health and longevity, doctors say, helping to stave off disease, preserve cognitive function, improve your quality of life, and more. Read on to learn which 10 things your doctor wishes you’d start doing in your 50s, if you aren’t doing them already.
1. Get Moving
Getting a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week is one of the best things you can do for your health, doctors say. It’s associated with a wide range of health benefits, including lower incidence of heart disease, cancer, cognitive decline, mobility issues, obesity, and more.
2. Lift Weights
Resistance training is especially useful for adults over the age of 50. Lifting weights in a safe and progressive manner over time can prevent falls, increase muscle mass, improve strength, contribute to brain health, and assist with maintaining healthy hormone levels.
3. Exercise Your Brain
Engaging in activities that demand both brain and body can lead to improvements in brain health, manage stress, and prevent falls. Social activities are especially beneficial to your cognitive health.
4. Improve Your Posture
Back pain, specifically low back pain, can be caused by poor posture and weak abdominal muscles. Correcting your posture can relieve the pain and prevent future flare-ups.
5. Warm Up and Cool Down
Forgetting to warm up and cool down before and after your workout can leave your vulnerable to injury—especially as you enter your 50s. Spend five minutes doing a lower intensity activity such as brisk walking, jumping rope, or jumping jacks before stretching, then finally picking up the pace with your regular workout.
6. Get Enough Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep—ideally between seven and nine hours per night—is crucial to your health. Besides staving off chronic disease, getting adequate sleep can help you feel your best throughout the day.
7. Quit Smoking
With all of the information that’s out there about what a significant health risk it is, too many people still smoke. Quitting smoking can improve your overall health and reduce your risk of kidney failure and urological cancers.
8. Monitor Your Blood Pressure
High blood pressure isn’t only bad for your heart. It has serious and lasting effects on your kidneys too. Lifestyle modifications such as eating well, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and minimizing your sodium and sugar intake can help keep your blood pressure at a normal rate.
9. Eat Whole Foods
Building your diet around whole foods whenever possible can help prevent severe and life-threatening health consequences. Pay attention to what you’re putting into your body and read food labels.
10. Get Screened for Cancer
Advanced age is a key risk factor for just about every cancer type, which is why screenings become that much more important when you reach your 50s. Getting regular physicals and discussing screenings with your doctor can help ensure that you stay up to date.
Finally, start practicing mindful breathing. Taking some mindful breaths can initiate a very positive cascade of events in our mind and body, curbing stress while initiating a relaxation response in your body—slowing heart rate, relaxing blood vessels to lower blood pressure, boosting immune factors, lowering blood sugar, improving mood, and on and on.
Remember, Best Life offers the most up-to-date information from top experts, new research, and health agencies, but our content is not meant to be a substitute for professional guidance. When it comes to the medication you’re taking or any other health questions you have, always consult your healthcare provider directly.
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