All of us, when we reached a round anniversary of 20, 30, 40, at least once thought “Do I feel like I'm X years old?” But what exactly does that mean? How should we feel at 20, 30, 40, 50 or any other age? There is no prescribed rule in which mental and physical state we should be at any age, but that state depends on everything we have gone through and done up to that moment.
Certainly, a positive attitude towards life, healthy lifestyle habits that include a healthy and balanced diet and regular physical activity, and set goals certainly help us feel good, healthy and energetic, regardless of age. This is equally true for those in their 20s, but also for those in their 50s. However, since each stage of life has its own characteristics, here we will focus on the next goal: to be fit in the 50s!
Thoughts often direct or convince us that we can or cannot do and achieve something. With age, we should be wiser and more aware of our abilities and possibilities, but it often happens that we doubt ourselves and associate doubt with age. “I can't do it, I'm not 20 years old!” is a common obstacle that prevents older people from enjoying life or achieving certain goals.
A positive attitude about yourself, your abilities and life is the key to success that directs our activities and leads to results.No matter how old you are, you can achieve anything you want, you just have to work really hard!
Maintain healthy lifestyle habits
Healthy lifestyle habits, if we look at life as a whole, are like building a house. First you need a solid and good foundation, then walls, then electrical installations, etc. There is an order in which a house is built, as well as healthy lifestyle habits: the main elements for the “house” to be solid in this case are nutrition and hydration, sleep, physical activity and dealing with stress.
- Nutrition and hydration
One of the most important factors in maintaining health is certainly proper nutrition and sufficient hydration. At the same time, these factors are most often maintained, especially when it is known that nutrition and hydration must be adapted to activities, needs, season and a number of other factors.
For many people, maintaining body weight, muscle balance, sufficient energy and mental clarity is helped by the implementation of intermittent fasting, which means daily fasting for a certain number of hours (most often 16 or 18).
At the same time, on days when there is no physical activity, it is advised to reduce the proportion of carbohydrates to a minimum, and to base the diet on fats and proteins that will provide the body with enough food for daily functioning, but also to maintain muscle mass and health.
- Physical activity
This is a very broad topic that includes literally all types of physical activities: from yoga, pilates, strength training, through cycling, walking, hiking, running to hoeing and arranging the garden or cleaning the apartment.
The key is to raise the heart rate and expand the lungs for deeper breathing due to the intensity of the activity. So, whatever activity you choose, do it at an intensity that still raises your heart rate and sweats a little.
- Sleep
With age, sleep becomes more and more important, so 6-8 hours of sleep should be a priority for everyone over 40 years old. We can all survive without food for a while (depending on how much body fat you have stored), but sleep deprivation has a negative impact on health and functioning after the first night of insufficient sleep.
A long period of insufficient sleep leads to cognitive decline, nervousness, delusions, paranoia and psychosis, and is accompanied by the inability to control appetite due to an imbalance of the hormone leptin. When you don't get enough sleep, leptin drops, which results in constant hunger, overeating, and a general slowdown in metabolism.
Knowing how to deal with stress is key to health. At the same time, bad nutrition, dehydration, lack of sleep, too much physical activity and negative thoughts can be the cause of stress. Simple ways to reduce stress as much as you can is to spend time with dear people, doing activities you like, not cluttering your schedule and not overdoing the promises that require investment of special effort and time.
Set yourself a goal!
It's important to have a goal, even if it's just one every year. A goal is something that should motivate us and encourage us to progress. The goal can be small or big, but it must be realistic and achievable in a certain time.
To achieve a goal, we always need motivation, focus and direction towards realization. Achieving a goal brings a sense of satisfaction, but also self-confidence and can be an additional motivation for setting a new goal.
Although this text is primarily aimed at those who want to stay fit even after their 50th birthday, everything stated in it is applicable to all generations and will bring life improvement and success!
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