40 and up only!

The body is an outstanding machine; though we may act invincible from our teens to our thirties, life starts at 40. Life begins catching up with our bodies, and the extensive damage we may have done to it over the years.

Rather than focus on what CAN’T be changed; let’s move on to habits that may prove beneficial for us in our 50s, 60s, 70s … up to hundred! These are little things you may do or change about yourself in order to brace yourself for the rest of your life. Time to get tough; this is for people who are 40-and-Up only, not for the weak of heart!

Train the Mind

Right now you may be split in a decision over what to have for lunch; but the untrained mind may spend his older years deciding on whether going to the bathroom is necessary … sometimes without knowing it.

The mind can only work to its peak performance when it is used extensively --- watch the Discovery channel, solve a crossword, or do some meditation; by your later years, its going to be useful.

Train the Stomach

Your metabolism will have changed by the time you get to your 40s. It won’t be the same eat-what-you-want-and-not-gain-weight anymore. By eating meals that are varied, and have the right vitamins and minerals, it will ensure you that you’d have less of a problem dealing with what you ate 20 years ago.

A dietary supplement may be in order too --- multivitamins, minerals and fish liver oil are just some of the bigger, important ones.

Train the Heart

Literally and figuratively --- you’d have to be accepting of how old you are in the present --- be grateful. You’re a champ because you’ve made it this far, and that also means that muscle in your chest has made it too!

Consult a trainer to know what kind of exercise is right for you. Mix up your routine from day-to-day, so that the body doesn’t become complacent, and will learn how to be adaptable.

Put all these three combined and you’re pretty much on the way to polishing the great machine that is the body.

40 and up only!

The body is an outstanding machine; though we may act invincible from our teens to our thirties, life starts at 40. Life begins catching up with our bodies, and the extensive damage we may have done to it over the years.

Rather than focus on what CAN’T be changed; let’s move on to habits that may prove beneficial for us in our 50s, 60s, 70s … up to hundred! These are little things you may do or change about yourself in order to brace yourself for the rest of your life. Time to get tough; this is for people who are 40-and-Up only, not for the weak of heart!

Train the Mind

Right now you may be split in a decision over what to have for lunch; but the untrained mind may spend his older years deciding on whether going to the bathroom is necessary … sometimes without knowing it.

The mind can only work to its peak performance when it is used extensively --- watch the Discovery channel, solve a crossword, or do some meditation; by your later years, its going to be useful.

Train the Stomach

Your metabolism will have changed by the time you get to your 40s. It won’t be the same eat-what-you-want-and-not-gain-weight anymore. By eating meals that are varied, and have the right vitamins and minerals, it will ensure you that you’d have less of a problem dealing with what you ate 20 years ago.

A dietary supplement may be in order too --- multivitamins, minerals and fish liver oil are just some of the bigger, important ones.

Train the Heart

Literally and figuratively --- you’d have to be accepting of how old you are in the present --- be grateful. You’re a champ because you’ve made it this far, and that also means that muscle in your chest has made it too!

Consult a trainer to know what kind of exercise is right for you. Mix up your routine from day-to-day, so that the body doesn’t become complacent, and will learn how to be adaptable.

Put all these three combined and you’re pretty much on the way to polishing the great machine that is the body.

What Cardiovascular Diseases Will I Be Prone To?

Often, there are no symptoms of the underlying disease of the blood vessels; a heart attack or stroke may be the first warning signs of cardiovascular diseases.

How scary does cardiovascular disease have to be, for a heart attack to be a warning sign? Cardiovascular diseases are absolutely terrifying. Cardiovascular diseases may develop from years of tobacco use, an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity --- combine that with your 40s and you become a volatile cardiovascular disease surprise.

According to the World Health Organization, “Over 80% of cardiovascular disease deaths take place in low-and middle-income countries and occur almost equally in men and women. Cardiovascular disease risk of women is high particularly after menopause.”

Here are the top three causes, and what cardiovascular disease you may expect from them.

Tobacco User/ Smoker – At first you’d be surprised to find this at the top of the cardiovascular disease list, because for one, you’d expect cigarettes to harm your lungs, not your heart, and for two, it isn’t immediately obvious to people that smoking is bad for the blood.

There’s the carbon monoxide --- it interferes with the transportation of oxygen, and less oxygen means a higher potential for cardiovascular disease. There’s nicotine too --- it decreases the amount of good cholesterol which makes fat become deposited on the walls of an artery. If you’re a long-time smoker, you’re at risk of a stroke or a heart attack.

Unhealthy Diet – An unhealthy diet gives you the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The heart and the blood vessels stop working properly if an unhealthy diet leaves a build up of fat deposits on the inside lining of the blood vessels. These fat deposits cause the blood vessels to become narrow, thereby blocking off the blood flow.

Of the cardiovascular diseases that may get someone with an unhealthy diet, a stroke is most likely. Someone who experiences a mini-stroke while being overweight still has a potential for full recovery, but it would involve losing weight to prevent further cardiovascular disease.

Physical Inactivity – Currently there are studies being performed linking physical inactivity to cardiovascular disease. It’s not a direct result of the sedentary lifestyle, but it would still affect you indirectly. Long bouts of physically inactive bodies might develop arterial stiffness, and for the body to develop a resistance to insulin. It has also been found that cases of these happen to people in their 40s.

The metabolic dysfunction that follows is closely-tied to cardiovascular disease. No doubt, there is an increasing need for regular physical activity while you’re young, since the metabolic dysfunction only develops after years of inactivity. A heart attack or a stroke’s risk is high among people living highly inactive lifestyles.

Keeping the Fire in Your Belly

Fires. Bellies. I think keeping the fire in your belly denotes that you are a dragon, and that keeping that fire alive is a priority.

I think a more succinct interpretation of that statement is keeping the spark alive for when you’re over 40 --- the passion for life and living --- the thing that keeps us going. Rather than let it get blown out like a birthday candle off a cake for every birthday we get, we keep on fanning the flames to nourish the fire.

What can you do to keep the fire in your belly alive?

TLC – Tender loving care. Scratch that --- TLC is the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet. It’s for people who have heart disease, have a high risk of getting it, or just have high cholesterol. Even if you don’t have them, it’s better to be prepared than to be catching up when it’s all too late. It means having less than 7% of saturated fat DAILY, with 25-35 percent of the day’s meals solely for the calories from fat. It means having to have enough cholesterol to be able to maintain a healthy weight.

Become the “Cause” – In cause and effect, are you often standing in the effect side of the situation? Are you riding life based on reactions? Become proactive, this is part of keeping the fire in your belly. Will you let situations ride you, and not the other way around? This means taking action and taking responsibility for them. You are never a victim of circumstance.

Define your life’s mission statement – Its funny how most people go through life without knowing who they really are --- and in keeping the fire in your belly, you have to be able to define who you are. It could be a tag line, for who you wish to be seen as. It helps you stop procrastinating, and will make you focused on the more important goals. It could be as simple as, “Being the one who looks after the family.”

What Should I Watch Out For When I Get Over 40?

When you get over 40, there’s this obvious risk of getting any disease. Some are even surprising --- the people who have don’t ingest toxic substances suddenly getting sick?! If we ourselves have a drink or a smoke from time-to-time, how safe are we? What should we look out for?

Tobacco smoke – This is the silent and deadliest killer. The media has informed us repeatedly that cigarette smoking is bad for the health --- I mean, even the packs of cigarettes themselves have the warning --- so how could it still creep up on us? If you’re over 40 and you still smoke, then maybe it’s time to quit, or even lessen the number of cigarettes you light up daily. If you’re not a smoker, remember: second-hand smoke is oftentimes more dangerous than first-hand smoke. Better stop hanging out with friends who smoke, or walking through smoking areas --- it’s toxic!

Alcohol – We can make up all the excuses like red wine being good for the heart, but alcohol is still alcohol --- have too much and it’ll haunt you for the rest of your years. You could claim that you’re not an alcoholic, that, instead, the alcohol follows you, but you should take responsibility when you drink. When you’re over 40, binge drinking is harder to recover from, and is harder to escape. If you have an alcohol problem, it can contribute to higher triglycerides, cancer or heart disease. Enroll yourself in a program if you can’t handle it on your own, or, better yet, condition yourself to drink less.

Weight – When you’re over 40, it’s harder to notice that your metabolism has slowed down to a crawl. You may claim that it’s just the beer weight, but any additional weight is just added load to your heart. Plus, chances are, if you start gaining weight, it means that you might possibly have higher blood pressure, higher blood cholesterol, and a higher risk for diabetes or a heart condition. It may also signify inactivity, are you moving less? Join a weekend exercise class, or jog before going into the morning shower --- it’ll do your body good, too, with the endorphins.

More info about your health? read other blogs posted here or go to over40andfighting.com