Ageing can seriously affect your well-being, particularly if you’re a man. For this reason, maintaining good health is important as men age.
If you’re celebrating your 50th birthday, it is an incredible milestone that you have achieved. However, now it’s time you become more careful about your health.
Men over 50 are vulnerable to several health issues, including heart problems, vision/hearing problems, osteoporosis, obesity, dementia, and others. So, how can you ensure your well-being?
Health Tips For Men Over 50
Read these health tips specifically tailored for men aged 50 and above and live a healthy life:
1. Quit Smoking
It’s a no-brainer to quit smoking and drinking as you grow older. Smoking leads to various health issues in men aged 50 or above. Your skin becomes wrinkly, your muscles take longer to heal, and your body gets exhausted easily.
You become more vulnerable to developing diabetes, and your fertility also takes a toll. That’s why you must give up nicotine and pursue healthier options.
Identify triggers, prepare for withdrawal symptoms, and create a strong support system. You can successfully quit smoking and get rid of this nasty habit forever.
2. Get Preventive Exams
After turning 50, you should schedule health screenings and other annual preventative exams to keep yourself healthy. These health screenings can help doctors detect any lingering ailment quite early.
Early detection is crucial for treating different serious ailments like mesothelioma. Caused by long-term asbestos exposure, mesothelioma remains dormant for several decades before manifesting itself when the patient grows older.
But early detection of mesothelioma helps you take preventive measures, for instance, filing a mesothelioma lawsuit against the party responsible for asbestos exposure.
You can hire an asbestos lawyer to fight the companies manufacturing asbestos-containing products and receive some compensation worth millions of dollars for your sufferings too.
3. Eat Less Sodium
Eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Limit processed foods, sugary drinks, and excessive salt intake. Eating less salt ensures your blood pressure stays within a healthy range. That’s why eating fast food is bad for your health.
But it doesn’t mean you should start eating bland food from now on. You can consume tasty meals. However, instead of seasoning your food with excess table salt, try enhancing its taste with garlic, salsa, and other accompaniments. It’ll keep your meals delicious as well as healthy.
4. Protect your Skin
Some telltale signs of ageing appear on your skin as you cross 50; it becomes loose, wrinkled, and discoloured. Your skin will lose its smoothness as you continue to grow older. However, since men produce more collagen and have skin 20% thicker than female skin, you have more time to focus on your health.
Protect your skin from the sun’s dangerous rays, and apply sunscreen outside. Also, wear sunglasses and other sun-protective garments like a wide-brimmed hat and full-sleeved shirts.
5. Go for routine colonoscopies
You should begin colonoscopy screenings at age 45 to determine if you have one of the leading diseases among men in the United States. After turning 55, you must go for yearly colonoscopies until you turn 75. After that, colonoscopies for screening purposes aren’t generally recommended.
Since men develop colon-related diseases earlier than women do, you shouldn’t skip your colonoscopy screenings in your fifties. Besides a colonoscopy, many other health exams are necessary for men aged 50 or above, such as cardiology, PSA blood test, and primary care screenings.
6. Drink more water
Your body’s temperature regulation mechanism changes as you age; compensate for it by drinking more water. Dehydration can seriously damage your health, so drinking more water is vital for your well-being.
You can avoid fatigue, muscle pain, heat exhaustion, and many other symptoms of dehydration by imbibing eight 8-ounce cups of water daily.
Moreover, experts believe that, unlike younger men, older males lack the bodily cues that indicate they’re dehydrated. That’s why men aged 50 and above must drink water regularly even if they do not feel dehydrated. You may add some flavour to your liquids by using the following:
- Mint
- Lime
- Lemon
- Berries
- Cucumber
7. Stay more active
A sedentary lifestyle isn’t recommended for people of any age. But it’s a lot more dangerous for older adults. Men aged 50 should stay active to maintain a healthy weight.
Spending time merely sitting or lying in one place will make them gain more weight. Weight gain leads to diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, and other health conditions.
That’s why engaging in 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily is crucial. You don’t have to join a gym or lift weights to maintain a healthy weight.
Adopt healthy pastimes like walking, jogging, dancing, gardening, bicycling, etc. That’s how you can control your weight and keep your body active. An active body is immune to different serious diseases.
8. Exercise your brain
Luckily, men are less vulnerable to developing dementia or Alzheimer’s than women! Data can show that women aged 45 have a 1 in 5 risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
However, for men, it’s just a 1 in 10 chance of getting this disease. Anyhow, you need to keep your brain sharp as you grow older.
Do more brain activities or mind workouts, i.e., learning another language or doing crossword puzzles. Try some stress-reducing techniques to keep your brain sharp.
These techniques include yoga, deep-breathing exercises, mindfulness, meditation, and many other beneficial activities.
9. Maintain social connections
Social isolation can be extremely unhealthy for older adults more vulnerable to health issues when cut off from the outside world. For instance, loneliness leads to HBP, obesity, depression, cognitive decline, cardiovascular challenges, and many other conditions.
You’re more at risk of getting obese when living in solitude. So, don’t subject yourself to the torment of social isolation.
Instead, be more outgoing and maintain healthy social connections. Engage in social activities, become more active in the community, and rekindle your old friendships. Socialize with your neighbours and go to the nearest park to be closer to nature. It can even slow down mental health decline.
Conclusion
Men aged 50 are more vulnerable to many upsetting health conditions. You can maintain your well-being even while ageing by making certain lifestyle changes, i.e., drinking more water, eating less consume, exercising regularly, going for medical checkups, and keeping yourself active.
Focus on both mental and physical well-being. Watch out for common toxins like mould and asbestos. That’s how you can keep yourself healthy.
