Your 30s are busy. You may have kids, a marriage, a career. How you maintain your health and well-being during your 30s will largely determine your health for the rest of your life. If you can keep a healthy weight, eat right, de-stress, exercise and more -- you be looking at more than half a century of disease free living. Get started today.
Carrying around extra weight is a strain on your body and on your emotions. You need to get that weight off. It will be easier to work on weight loss in your 30s than it will be in your 40s and beyond. Make a pledge to yourself to get to your 40th birthday at a healthy weight. Focus on developing
healthy eating habits.
I understand: you're busy. You don't have time to exercise. But, if you start exercising regularly, you'll be more efficient at your work. It's true -- you'll have more energy, you'll
sleep better, you'll be more creative (from sleeping better) and you'll get more done. Exercise doesn't take up time -- it makes time. Try working exercise into your schedule for 2 weeks. I bet everything will still get done (and you'd have exercised, too).
Sleep is a healthy thing. Spend time in your 30s building strong sleep skills. Learn how to fall asleep within 30 minutes of hitting the pillow. Take action to make sure you
get enough sleep every night and be sure to see a doctor if you think you might have a
sleep problem or disorder. Not getting enough sleep not only affects your body -- it affects how well you work and how much you enjoy life.
When was the last time you truly, deeply relaxed? Relaxation should be a part of your daily life. If you can find a way to turn off your stress for a while, you may prevent many of the stress-related illnesses. This is important. If you can establish a strong relaxation habit, you'll be improving how you feel right now and reducing your risk for many illnesses in the future.
Here's a simple rule for healthy eating -- eat plants. Vegetables and fruits are the best things for your body. Nutrition advice now seems to focus on protein and carbs, fats and vitamins -- but the best things you can eat are fruits and vegetables. Vegetarians have the healthiest arteries and a low risk for heart disease (the number one killer in the U.S.). Get started eating your vegetables for healthy aging and a strong heart.
Time to start screenings and testing. Don't think that just because you are "only" 30 you are not at risk for illnesses. Diabetes, high blood pressure and other lifestyle illnesses may be already starting in your body. You need to catch them fast and take action now to reduce them. You also need to get a few screenings, especially if you have a family history of cancer or heart disease. Time to talk to your doctor about prevention, and make (and keep) those appointments.
The U.S. is an overweight, stressed-out nation. The reason? Time. We are terrible with time. We try to do too much and when we feel pressured, we don't eat right and we skip exercise. Do a time assessment in your 30s. Do you feel relaxed, like there is plenty of time for everything? If your answer is no then you need to eliminate some things and make other thing more efficient. TV, telephones, the Internet and other media are usually big time sucks. Make an effort now to master time and your stress level will drop -- leaving you to age healthfully and reduce your risk for chronic illnesses.
Feeling connected and needed can boost your health. Your immune system works better, you have more social resources available if you need help and you even develop fewer chronic illnesses when you are older. Having friends and good relationships can do this for you. Your 30s can be hard on friendships -- you are busy with career, kids and marriage (and your friends are busy with the same things, too). Maintain those friendships. Make time to talk on the phone, get together over the weekend and go on that trip.
No one is going to take care of your health for you. You need to know your medical history, your risk factors and your medications. Set up a system to track your information now. This system will help you (and your doctor) quickly understand any problems that come up in the future, prevent errors in treatment and diagnosis, and help decide what preventative tests you may need. Start with getting a family medical history and recording your own history, too.
Your 30s are when your career might really take off. It is also when you might be having kids and a marriage (or a serious relationship). Striking a balance between your home life and your work life is critical. Take some time to sit back and reflect. Are things in balance? Do changes need to be made? Getting it right can reduce a tremendous amount of stress in your life.
