Midlife Health is something that we don’t consider until we are “in the zone.” We spend our younger years doing and eating and drinking what we want, but all of a sudden we are at an age where all we talk about is what hurts, bathroom issues, weight gain, and that we’re tired all the time.

Life changes overnight and we become ultra aware that there are certain things that we need to be paying attention to when it comes to our health. We know that if we don’t focus on health, we likely won’t feel our absolute best. It may seem overwhelming, but by keeping these six things in check, the complaints about your midlife health might decrease.

Watch Your Nutrition

It is so easy to eat and drink whatever you want in midlife. At this time of life it seems all events, social gatherings, and family events revolve solely around food and drink. When we’re young we just show up to these gatherings, but when get older, we are responsible for what will be available, so we think about the food and drink more. And let’s not forget that weekly menus and cooking every day keep food first and foremost in mind.

But this also shows that better nutrition for everyone around us starts with us. We have the power to make the food and bevies at these gatherings better for everyone. Start with wanting to do it for you, but feel good that you’re doing it for everyone else. They may not even notice because healthy food tastes good. It’s just different.

Drink Your Water

You know you need to, but do you? Do you even know WHY you need to? Studies suggest that poor hydration may accelerate biological aging and increase the risk of chronic disease and death. And don’t nobody want that.

It’s important to know that drinking your water isn’t something you should do because it is trendy – like carrying around your water bottle so that people see you drinking water. Water is vital to our health. It plays a role in many of our body’s functions, including bringing nutrients to cells, getting rid of wastes, protecting joints and organs, and maintaining body temperature. Water should almost always be your go-to beverage.

Move Your Body

Ahem. Preach. And movement isn’t just cardio and resistance training – it is mobility, balance, and flexibility. All of which is important to pay attention to as we age. Working out in some way becomes even more important in our midlife because this is our opportunity to make sure that our 60s-70s-80s-and hopefully 90s are independent and that we don’t have to rely on others around us to make sure we can exist.

Moving your body also helps control many health issues that might crop up now and later. Who doesn’t want to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, and slow down or stop sarcopenia in it’s tracks?

Get Enough Sleep

You should be getting 7 hours of sleep every night. Getting the rest you need will improve your concentration and memory. Lack of sleep will weaken your decision-making abilities and over time can increase cognitive decline, and affect your mood, depression, anxiety, and relationships.

Sleep is never to be underrated and if you aren’t getting enough, you need to make it your job to learn about your circadian rhythm and what works for you in terms of a nighttime and morning time routine to get yours back into sync.

Reduce Your Stress

Stress is midlife’s biggest villain. Stress will rob us of being in the present moment. We have been conditioned for so many years to always be focusing on the “next thing” that we never accept, understand, or enjoy the moment we are in. Worrying about what’s next is something we do to ourselves. And what is coming next is something that a lot of times we can’t control.

One of the biggest jobs we can do for our midlife health is to determine what works for us to de-stress. And it isn’t just meditation, there are many ways to be able to destress from prayer to exercise and everything in between. You just have to find out what works for you.

Check Your Head

All health journeys have to start in our heads. You can’t accept that this is the way it is always going to be from now on. You have to have a positive mindset that all things are possible for you if you work toward them. Do you want to feel better, then believe you can and then get to work.

Life isn’t meant to just be good enough. We only get one, so why wouldn’t we do at least SOME of the things we know that will help the life we have be the most enjoyable that it can be? Take charge of your life, NOW, before it’s too late.

Listen to the FNBB 107 Episode on Redesigning Midlife HERE