40: Time to get serious about your health

We love living an unhealthy lifestyle because it needs no effort AT ALL. Eating fatty foods, high dosage of sugar, infinite number of junk foods and the list goes on and on. But if you reflect on this particular sign below, we all know that being 40 years of age is not bad start to have a healthy lifestyle.

Do you get angry when your husband or wife drink a lot or eat unhealthy foods? Look at it this way, think of how hard you can change yourself and you will realize how impossible it is to change others.

Here are 3 serious yet simple tips that can jump start yourself to a healthy lifestyle:

1. Exercise – It’s easier said than done as always. If you don’t have the energy to exercise, procrastination always sinks in. Hey! Walking is also a form of exercise. Walk around the block for a set of time everyday and avoid using your car when going to nearby places. Save the environment and save yourself.

2. Eating habit – This is one of the hardest habits to control. I have to admit I am a slave of this habit. When hunger kicks in, this is where I don’t procrastinate. Avoid dining out and going to eat-all-you-can buffets! That will kill you faster, believe me. Also, drink vitamins everyday.

3. Attitude – believe me or not, this is a serious health factor. When you are always grouchy and unhappy, it will affect your internal organs normal function. I am pretty sure you had experienced being depressed and unable to eat or so mad that you can’t digest your food normally. Well, that is an evidence that it does affect your health.

Even if you are now at the 50th mark, it is not yet too late. Nothing is too late unless life ends. In fact, if you are 50, you are just 10 years away from when your life started!

Midlife Crisis Is A Disease --- Only If You Let It

We’re always at a crossroads. Depending on where you’re looking from, you’re either x-years-old or x-years-young.

If we have a so-called “mid-life” --- why are we flipping over it? Doesn’t it denote that there’s still half a life to live with? If you encounter midlife crisis in your late-30s or 40s, wouldn’t that signify that you still have 30 or so more years to make up for everything? “Life starts at 40,” you’ve heard of it, right?

There are three principal causes of midlife crisis: denial, blame and isolation. Midlife crisis becomes a disease Let’s take a little look at how this age-related disease could potentially damage the remaining half of a midlife crisis sufferer’s life.

Denial a.k.a. “No, I’m not *that* old yet!”
What is often denied is often true. You weren’t born yesterday --- literally. You’ve been through good times, tough times and you’re still alive, so why deny that? When a person is suffering midlife crisis through denial, he/she might as well be suffering from delusion. Usually a person in denial utilizes various extravagant means to keep themselves feeling young --- this includes trying to re-live “glory days” --- binge drinking like in college, spending thousands in cosmetic surgery, --- you get the picture. Denial is a disease in and of itself.

Blame a.k.a. “It’s all you’re fault!”
You’re always older than the minute before. Everyone continues to age, whether they like it or not; So why place the blame on someone else? When you barrage your parents for getting you born in the 50’s or 60’s or when you start berating your wife and kids because their hassles add up to your own personal stress, then you are indeed suffering a condition. Instead, why not own up to it? Take responsibility --- repeat this to yourself in front of the mirror “I’m old because I make myself feel old. I could feel young by engaging in age-appropriate activities that help me feel even more healthy or youthful.”

Isolation a.k.a. “Leave me alone / Kill me NAO!”
Frequenting an area of the house by your lonesome for long periods of time a day is self-destructive. Sitting out alone in the basement or garage will make you crazy. Think about it --- prisoners dread isolation; when you’re all alone, you think --- when you think, you tend to rationalize negative scenarios about your present or future. In your midlife, you’ve probably made some friends, right? Plus, family’s always there for you.

There you have it. Don’t let the symptoms get to you. You’re better than that. Now go and LIVE the following half of your life!

Does life begin at 40?

Why would life start from 40?

Haven’t you done enough “living” by then? Is it the reality or just another cookie-cutter statement spewed from the mouths of those who don’t know?

Truth is, the older you get, the more you know. You tend to see that life has a pattern --- not that it wasn’t always there; but the joys of youth tend to dampen its presence. To the young, it simply doesn’t compute that someone over 40 was young once --- they expect memory loss, vision problems, and other assorted diseases that, in their mind, is exclusive to a certain age range.

Time to bust the myth: here are the reasons why true living starts in your 40s.

Teen:
As a teenager, you are more concerned about the little things. The bully that was older and bigger than you, the opposite sex starts looking attractive, while at the same time, you felt like the hideous creature from the lagoon, with the breakouts and all. You start feeling like your needs cannot possibly be understood by your parents (though they’re older and they were kids once) and that attending the prom/the game/the party was more important than anything. You didn’t have any money, and you played by your parents rules.

Twenties:
Okay, so the breakouts have let up, the dread of defending your thesis is history. The amount of freedom you had was always outweighed by the amount of responsibility --- taxes, relationships and work is a juggling act on a tightrope. If you’re fortunate enough, you may get married, and have children. Or maybe you spend the rest of your twenties trying to be somebody at work or in a relationship.

Thirties:
You’re happy with a family. Your parents become a lot more frail, it’s your turn to look after them. Your time will be spent in PTA meetings, school plays and watching the game. Oh, you’re happy, no doubt --- it’s just that you’re living for others now.

Forties:
You have a whole lot more to care for, your kids are all grown up and can take care of themselves. The list of things that won’t surprise you anymore grows longer and longer. There’s nobody to prove yourself to anymore --- you’re still the same person, with much wiser thoughts. Maybe your body’s older --- but that’s no reason to stop enjoying yourself --- it took four decades but now you have all the time for yourself to discover what excites you –doesn’t that sound like the right time to start living?