Tips for a Healthy Life in Your 40s, 50s, and Beyond

Understanding life’s passages and taking preventive health measures at each stage along the way is important to living the best life you can.

Life’s Healthy Passages

During each decade of our lives, we make choices about how to care for ourselves. Understanding life’s passages and taking preventive health measures at each stage along the way is important to living the best life you can. Some of these thoughts you’ve probably heard many times before,

but the message remains compelling. Even if you can only adopt or adapt one small aspect of these healthy habits, your body, mind, and spirit will reward you down the road.

The Fabulous 40s

In our 40s, the healthy habits established during the past two decades will pay off, but there’s still much to do as we age:

Get Exercise

• We're no longer building new bone mass—we’re slowly losing it. Our metabolism has probably slowed down, so it's harder to keep the weight off, which means a low-fat diet, weight-bearing exercise, physical activity, strength training, and avoiding excess calories are more important than ever.

Take Care of Your Skin

• Carefully check your skin on a regular basis for signs of skin cancer.

Stay Healthy

• Schedule mammograms and other appropriate health screenings. (See the chart below)

Eat Healthy

• Adopt a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, including sources of calcium, vitamin D, and folate to promote healthy aging.
• Consider a vitamin D supplement of 800-1000 IU daily to ensure you’re getting adequate intake of this key nutrient.

The Foxy 50s

The good news at 50 and beyond is that it’s never too late to start healthy habits. Keep these thoughts in mind:

Nourish Your Skin

• Nourish and protect thin dry fragile skin with sunscreens, mild soaps, and moisturizers. Drink plenty of water, which is essential for keeping the body well hydrated and the skin more vibrant.

Get Exercise

• Engage in regular physical activity, including weight-bearing aerobic and resistance exercises. After 50, these are more important than ever to maintain cardiovascular health and prevent osteoporosis.

Get Checkups

• Begin colon cancer screening and follow other screening guidelines (see chart). Regular checkups and screening tests allow us to catch problems at earlier, more treatable stages. Consult your doctor about any menopausal symptoms you’re having and treatment options, including a discussion of the risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy.

Eat for Metabolism

• Adopting a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, fiber, and whole grains and lower in saturated and trans fats becomes even more important every year. Also, because your body has less muscle, it burns calories more slowly. Eating in moderation and building muscle mass with strength training help to control your weight.

Get Intimate

• Have sex. Sex is healthy at any age—so ask your doctor about anything from feeding your libido to lubricating your body parts, if needed.

Health Screening Schedule

Here’s a screening schedule to assist with health planning. Remember, people with increased risk of diseases (due to family history or other risk factors) may need to have earlier and/or more frequent screenings.

Women	18-39	40-49	50-59	60-69	70+
Pap Test (Yearly)	Pap Test (Yearly)	Pap Test (Yearly)	Pap Test (Yearly)	Pap Test (Yearly)	Pap Test (Yearly)