In their 50s women need to pay more attention to their health for obvious reasons. A woman then can no longer make excuses and tell others that she would change her unhealthy habits ‘someday’. Women during this period not only experience menopause; they also are at a huge risk to suffer from various ailments. The following habits will surely help any woman in her fifties to counter these health issues and lead a happy and fulfilled life.
- Try to get more sleep: Research shows that slumber especially when one is aging helps a person to a great extent. But unfortunately as you grow older, sleeping for 7 to 8 hours becomes difficult due to arthritis and hot flashes. Your body misinterprets your lack of rest as stress and releases hormones that hamper your immune system and makes you prone to illnesses. Proper sleep every night is needed for mood enhancement, strengthening memory and assisting in higher levels of growth hormones. Cut down on the afternoon nap, get rid of that alarm clock and take a warm bath before you go to sleep. You will see that these measures will improve the quality and quantity of your sleep.
- Include salad and vegetables in your diet: Green vegetables like cabbage, spinach should be incorporated in your diet along with dark lettuce, Swiss chard and the traditional items like cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, etc. Studies have shown that dirt like this lowers your chances of suffering a east attack and also minimizes death rates. This prudent pattern of eating shouldn’t be considered boring since if you as creative and like fusion food; you can do plenty with it. Include white meat like fish and poultry into our diet regime and mix them with the salad and enjoy a delicious and healthy meal.
- Exercise is the key: No one is asking you to do power yoga or hardcore aerobics. Simple things like taking the stairs instead of the lift, walking that extra mile, light jogging can do wonders for your health. Know that this exercising will help you in the ears to come; you are less at risk to vet dementia and you are also less likely to have a cognitive decline. Remember prevention is better than cure!
- Add good bacteria to your diet: Filling up your gastrointestinal tract with good bacteria tends to improve the function of your gut to a large extent. And it is also known to increase your immunity. Yogurt which has Lactobacillus defends you against colon cancer and it also helps you to deal with diarrhea, constipation and inflammatory bowel disease.
- Get multivitamins: It is a fact that getting multivitamins like B6, B12, C, D and E enhances the immunity in older people. The best solution is to stick to vegetables, fruits and whole food and take a vitamin that consists of the RDA of most nutrients to get that additional boost. Trace amounts of multivitamins are needed in our bodies and most modern diets simply do not supply them in high enough doses. Taking them regularly is essential and you should be able to get a single dose for all your vitamin needs from the local pharmacy.
- Get essential checkups: Even if you stick to a healthy lifestyle don’t ignore health checkups during your 50’s. Get an eye exam every one year, measure your blood pressure at your doctor’s frequently, vet various tests done which will tell you if you have the deadly diabetes, or any Tumor growing inside of you. Also, get the hearing test done as well. Get that dentist treatment that you have been meaning to for a while.
- Take care of yourself: Lastly, do not get depressed that you are getting older. Old age doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun. Once you embrace the fact that age is just a number and follow certain rules, you can enjoy life as you did when you were in your 30s and 40s. In case you get depressed, talk to people and reach out for help from loved ones. Also, with shifting life expectancies and the advances in medicine, it is likely that you’ll live a healthy, active and wholesome life for a long time to come. Average life expectancies are around 85 in most of the developed world, so you have a long way to go.
Growing older is a natural part of our lives, but it is one our species is adamant to fight against. Instead of struggling with age and taking drastic steps that could be doing you more harm than good, learn to relax and take care of yourself better. Ageing gracefully is a lot more important than looking younger than you are and realizing this will make you a lot more content with your life.