10 healthy habits to put in place by age 50

Age 50 is the beginning of a life transition for many people. For some, it’s when our little kids are no longer little. For others, it could be financial pressure or other adult worries.

For women, it’s definitely a time when our bodies change. For instance, 51 is the average age of menopause, a natural biological process marked by the end of menstrual cycles. For men, shedding weight becomes ever more difficult when they hit 50.

With that said, we have many more healthy 50-year-olds running around than we saw in the past. To what can we attribute this improved overall health? First of all, I believe it’s because smoking rates have declined. Further, people these days are more conscious about diet and exercise.

Here are several tips – let’s call them 10 healthy habits – for keeping your body in good shape after you reach 50:

1. Catch your Z’s: Make sure you’ve got a good sleep habit, every day. As we age, our sleep style starts to lessen to a 23-hour-day cycle. You’ll naturally start to wake up earlier, without an alarm clock. You might not be able to stay up as late as you used to, so go with the flow. Hit the sack at the same time every day, and go for as much rest as you can.
2. Exercise: At 50, our exercise needs begin to change. We need to be aware of the effects of weight-bearing exercises on the joints. So, do more cross training and stretching of all muscles, which can help decrease injuries and back pain.
3. Relax: Learn relaxation and stress-management techniques, and plan for stressful events that might be forthcoming. Not only are many 50-year-olds these days caring for their older children, they also may need to look after elderly parents. That can be quite stressful. Yoga, meditation or simply a daily relaxing walk can become your favorite new routine.
4. Brush your teeth: You might have told your young ones to practice good dental health. That’s increasingly important for those over 50, too. Gum disease and poor dental hygiene are linked to coronary disease. Getting in the habit of elevating your oral hygiene now can decrease that risk in the future.
5. Plan for your future: Many people perform a review of their financials at this stage of life. We all should review our advance directives for health care, including a living will, a durable power of attorney and do-not resuscitate orders, if that’s what you might choose. By law, if you don’t have durable power of health care, the responsibility goes to your spouse, eldest children or parents. Have that conversation with your older children. Fill out paperwork so you name those around you who are comfortable and responsible to make these decisions.
6. Quit smoking for good: Quit tobacco of all forms. This could be your last chance for decreasing your risks for heart disease and stroke. Risk for stroke normalizes after fiver years of quitting. Risk of lung cancer decreases to half that of a smoker after 10 years.
7. Manage your weight: This tip might be the hardest of all to perform. That’s because it’s harder to lose weight as you age, because of decreasing metabolism. Still, set goals to decrease your abdominal fat and central fat. It requires a combination of diet and exercise, so eat those veggies.
8. Protect your skin: Daily sun protection becomes more important than when you were a young adult. Staying out of harm’s way can decrease your risk of non-melanoma skin cancer, which increases during the next 15-20 years.
9. Get preventive screenings: Know which new preventive screenings to add to your regimen, including colon cancer screening and the Shingrix shingles vaccine. That needs that start at age 50. People will often ask which screenings they should get at certain ages. Our physician go-to for preventive care is the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, because it’s the most comprehensive.
10. Moderate your alcohol intake: Moderate your alcohol intake to no more than seven drinks a week for women and no more than 14 drinks a week for men.

Deborah Gordish is assistant director of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. As a primary care physician, her clinical interests include preventive medicine and rheumatologic disorders.