YOUR 50s
Your 50s is the perfect time to make your health even more
of a priority, and this might mean making a few tweaks to
yourlifestyle.FOREVER YOUNG!
The50sarethenew30s,theysay,so
makethemostofthisopportunityby
uppingself-carestrategiesandgiving
yourselfthebestchanceofmanymore
decadesofgoodhealthtocome.Keepmoving.Preventinginjuryby
doinglongerwarm-ups,andmore
stretchingandcoreexerciseswhen
workingoutiskey.Walkingisapopular
workoutforthoseaged 50 andonwards,
butcombiningitwithregularstrength
trainingexercisesorPilates,at
leasttwotothreedaysaweek,
isamustatthisageto
maintainmusclemass
andstrength,and
preservebonedensity.Playitsafe.Older
womenstartinganew
relationshipforthefirst
timeinmanyyearsmay
notthinkthey’reatriskof
STIs,butpractisingsafesexis
importantatanyage.Ifyou’restarting
anewrelationship,youandyourpartner
shouldconsiderhavingafullsexual
healthcheck-up–thiscanbeassimple
asabloodtestandaurinetest.Playfootsies.Dedicatingafewminutes
everydaytoyourfeetwillhelpprevent
commonproblems.Checkyourfeetfor
anyredness,swelling,blisters,drypatches,bumps
andsores,moles
andfrecklesand
discolourationunderneath
thenail.Seekhelpfromahealth
professionalifyou’reconcernedand
keepyourfeetandlegmusclesand
jointsflexiblewithregularstretching.
Heelpainiscommonatthisage,often
causedbyplantarfasciitiswhentissueis
damagedortornbytoomuchpressure.
Seeaphysiotherapistforspecial
exercises,whichhelpstabilisetheankle
andheel.Boneage.Onaverage,women
loseupto 10 percentof
theirbonemassinthe
firstfiveyearsof
menopause.Thegood
newsisthatyoucan
reduceyourrisk
ofdeveloping
osteoporosiswithafew
lifestylechangessuchas
avoidingexcessivealcohol
intake,notsmokingasithas
beenassociatedwithahigherrisk
ofdevelopingosteoporosisand
avoidingexcessivecaffeine.Boostyourmind.Learninganew
languageortakingonothermentally
stimulatingactivitieshasbeenshownto
strengthenbraincellnetworksandhelp
preservementalfunctions.The
cumulativeeffectsofcommonlifeHEALTH CHECK ALERT
EARLY DETECTION Somecancerscanbedetectedatanearlystagewhentreatmentis
likelytobemoreeffective.Reguarself-examsandscreeningsforvarioustypesofcancers—suchas
canceroftheskin,bowel,cervixandbreast—canmeancatchingitearly,whentreatmentismost
likelytobesuccessful.Askyourdoctoraboutthebestcancerscreeningscheduleforyou.WHAT YOU
NEED
More movement,
mentally
stimulating
activities and
more calcium.WORK IT OUT
Reguar exercise has many
proven health benefits and can
help prevent, deay, or manage
many of the most common
chronic diseases – think heart
disease, diabetes, osteoporosis,
and obesity – that affect adults
50 and older.Yoga has b n shown to have to have a positive e ect
factors like chronic
illnesses or loss of loved
ones can lead to depression
and anxiety. Don’t suffer in
silence, seek help from a therapist and
keep up with relaxation techniques.
Yoga has been shown to have a positive
effect on anxiety and depression, largely
due to deep-breathing techniques,
which reduce levels of the stress
hormone cortisol and slow heart rate.