Approaching 40 and beyond

As you approach your forties you must take better care of yourself to enjoy the second part of your life.  Yes, this means going to the doctor at least on a yearly basis.  There are three major conditions that you must get checked for.

1. High Blood Pressure– this can be tricky, because many people have high blood pressure and do not realize it, sometimes you no symptoms. Overweight, drinking, smoking and family histories are all contributors for high blood pressure. Your normal BP should range less than 120/80.

2. High Cholesterol– this leads to heart disease- it is a fat substance found in your liver. Unfortunately, cholesterol is in food we eat.  High cholesterol levels are found in meat, eggs, dairy, and food from animals.  As we get 40 and over are cholesterol levels increases.  There are three types: LDL= bad cholesterol which can cause build-up of plaque on the walls of the arteries.  HDL= good cholesterol helps get rid of bad cholesterol the larger this number is the better.  Triglycerides=another type of fat which is stored in fat cells in your body it goes hand in hand with LDL.  All of these make up your total Cholesterol which should be under 200.

3. Diabetes– is a disease that prevents your body from properly using the energy from the food you eat.  There are two type of diabetes 1 and 2.  Type 1= is when insulin-producing cells of the pancreas are damaged.  Type 2= occurs when there is not enough insulin to overcome the resistance from the body’s cells.  This the more common one that people get after age 40.        

All of these diseases have one thing in common, being overweight and not eating right.  There is medication that can treat all of these, but there are steps we can take to avoid taking medications or keeping them at bay.  Exercising and healthy eating is the key.   We will talk in depth about each one of these diseases in future articles; I just wanted to touch on the basics. Forty and over does not mean you life if over, you just need to do things differently and pay more attention to your health and body and you can enjoy a wonderful second half!