Our vital organs start to lose some of their function as our body ages. Approaching old age causes changes in the body’s organs, tissue, cells, and all the body systems as a whole. Many people who age can keep an active lifestyle, making their physiologic age younger than their chronological age. As you approach 50, there will be some significant changes in your body, and we are here to walk you through it.
Take Care of Your Bones and Muscles
The skeletal system consists of bones that provide structure and support to our body, while muscles provide us with the strength and force to move. As you reach 50, you may notice that you are having changes in your posture and walking pattern. This is because, over time, our bones lose calcium and other important minerals. Women are more prone to losing bone density and mass, especially after they hit menopause.
Others experience early signs of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. These bone illnesses, when left unaddressed, can limit one’s ability to participate in physical activities. To prevent this from happening, you can begin taking care of your bones by consuming milk and other dairies that are high in calcium. If you are taking calcium-based supplements, you need to take at least 1,200 mg every day if you are a woman and 1,000 mg daily if you are a man.
Be Physically Active
In connection with taking care of your bones, you also need to exercise on top of the supplements and calcium-packed food that you are taking. Being physically active at your age doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go to the gym or lift heavy equipment. Exercising can be as easy as walking around your backyard every morning or slowly going up and down your stairs for at least 30 minutes every day.
The benefits of exercise as you reach the age of 50 include delaying and even stopping serious medical conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. It also helps keep your mind sharp and prevent anxiety and depression by releasing happy hormones or endorphins.
Pay Attention to Your Skin and Hair
Our skin loses fat and becomes thinner as we age. You will notice that bones and veins are more visible and bumps, scratches, and cuts take a lot longer time to heal. Other changes that you will notice are age spots, wrinkles, and dryness.
To help your skin keep its youthful glow, you need to make sure that you are taking enough fluids because water helps make the skin moisturized. You also need to have enough hours of sleep and avoid spending too much time under the glare of the sun. If you are spending most of your time indoors, you can also use a humidifier to add moisture to the air.
Hair loss is another typical change that you will encounter once you reach 50. At first, it may be unsettling for you to see strands of hair falling out, but you have to realize that this is natural and nothing to be scared of. One piece of advice that you can use is to limit the amount of chemicals you put on your hair to retain its natural oil.
There are also modern solutions that can address hair loss. There are now professionals who underwent training in scalp micropigmentation. A method where they add tiny amounts of pigment to your scalp to make the hair look fuller.
Improve Your Metabolism
Gaining weight and having a hard time losing it is common among adults between the age of 50 and 60. This is because our bodies lose lean muscle mass that results in slow metabolism. To deal with this change, it is advised that you avoid alcohol, heavily processed food, and fried food. Processed food such as refined sugar and white flour can cause fluctuations in blood sugar that causes food cravings.
To further boost your metabolism, you also need to do some exercise that is focused on your cardio. By developing muscle mass, you will increase your metabolism as your body burns calories as you sleep.
You should also eat breakfast because these meals will set the tone of the day. Skipping breakfast will make you feel hungrier later in the day. And lastly, eat lean protein like tofu, egg, fish, and chicken. These types of food can boost your metabolism and increase your muscle mass.
Aging is just a number. Getting old doesn’t mean that your overall health will decline because you have the power to make yourself healthy and better. Not many can say that they have lived to reach the age of 50, and approaching your golden years is already a blessing in itself.
