Good Health in Your 20s, 30s and 40s+

As parents, we have a multitude of responsibilities and priorities that center around our children and families. We’re great at assembling balanced snacks and meals and orchestrating heart healthy activities for our kids, but what about our own health and wellbeing?

A typical morning for Mom/Dad:

Wake up at 5 a.m., get snacks and lunches packed, prep homework folders and backpacks, fix breakfast for the family, feed the dogs, shower, get ready, wake the kids up at 6 a.m., feed 'em, dress ‘em, brush teeth and out the door … and that's just the morning.

As parents, we have a multitude of responsibilities and priorities that center around our children and families. We're great at assembling balanced snacks and meals and orchestrating heart healthy activities for our kids, but what about our own health and wellbeing? The New Year is typically a time when we look to improve ourselves. Consider your health in terms of age and what your body requires, and know this: it changes with every passing decade.

 

Nutrition in Your 20s

Key Nutrients You Need Now

> Protein: Protein helps keep you full and provides the building blocks so you can make and keep calorie-burning muscle. Get your recommended quota of 60 to 70 grams of protein a day by eating skinless, white-meat poultry, lean steak, fish, eggs, beans, tofu and low-fat dairy.

> Potassium: Your muscles and heart need it to function properly. Munching two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of veggies daily provides all the potassium you need.

> Omega-3 fats: Helps to boost serotonin levels, a feel-good chemical in your brain. Salmon and tuna are the best source, but walnuts, ground flaxseed and canola oil are good.

 

Nutrition Tidbits for Your 20s



Snack Smart. Load up your desk drawer or fridge with these tasty treats for fewer than 200 calories:
  • Light yogurt with 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
  • Reduced-fat string cheese and 10 whole-grain crackers
  • Granola bar and a nonfat latte
  • 4 ounces nonfat cottage cheese and a mini box of raisins
  • 6 dried apricots and 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 110-calorie energy bar and 12 almonds
  • 20 mini carrots dipped in ¼ cup hummus
  • Single-serve vanilla soy milk and ½ cup whole-grain cereal

Make fast food healthy. Don’t miss out on crucial nutrients. Choose healthy convenience foods—rotisserie chicken, shrimp cocktail, steamed dumplings and salads.

Nutrition in Your 30s

Key Nutrients You Need Now

> Folate: It’s critical for supporting a healthy pregnancy, preventing neural-tube defects, helping your body make new cells, and reducing the risk of heart disease. Eat foods such as chickpeas, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, avocados, orange juice and fortified whole grains to help meet your daily 400-microgram requirement.

> Phytonutrients: These compounds contain antioxidants, which slow the aging process, ward off heart disease, and prevent changes in DNA, potentially preventing the development of cancer. While phytonutrients come from plants, dark chocolate, red wine and coffee are highest in them.

> Iron: Not enough leaves you physically drained and messes with your mental muscle. Get your daily dose of 18 milligrams from foods such as clams, lean beef, fortified breakfast cereal, soybeans, pumpkin seeds and skinless poultry.

Nutrition Tidbits for Your 30s

5 Ingredients, 5 Minutes, 5 Lunches. You do have time for lunch! Visit islandfamilymagazine.com for five healthy meals for about 400 calories each.

Order a Happy Meal—for you. You can get a cheeseburger, Apple Dippers, and 1 percent milk or apple juice for 500 calories.

Put your health first. “In your 30s you start to see signs of an unhealthy lifestyle, such as diabetes or hypertension,” says James O. Hill, PhD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado. Dropping 10 percent of your weight can slash your risk of these diseases.

 

Nutrition in Your 40s

Key Nutrients You Need Now

> Calcium: As you approach menopause, bone-building estrogen starts to decline and calcium becomes more important. Aim for 1,000 milligrams a day from low-fat dairy, supplements or a combination.

> Vitamin D: This nutrient helps your body absorb calcium, keeps your immune system strong, protects against breast and colon cancers, and even prevents hearing loss. But by the time you reach your 40s, levels of D quickly start to plummet. There’s no way to get enough vitamin D from your diet because very few foods contain it. Take a daily supplement of 600 to 1,000 international units.

> Fiber: It reduces bloat and makes you feel fuller longer. Plus fiber helps decrease cholesterol and your risk for colon cancer. Aim for a mix of soluble and insoluble.

Nutrition Tidbits for Your 40s

Beat your belly bulge. If your belly seems a little rounder, blame it on estrogen withdrawal. In childbearing years, a woman puts on weight in her butt, hips, and thighs to fuel breastfeeding. The fat cells in those areas have estrogen receptors. What can you do? Cardio five days a week and resistance training on the other two is recommended.

Cut just 100 calories a day. For every decade after 40, there’s roughly a 1 percent decrease in calorie requirements. Eating every three to four hours to keep your metabolism revved can also help keep off the weight.

Prevention

Health screening tests can catch problems before they develop into serious illnesses. This list is not comprehensive and your own family history may influence how frequently you need each test, so be sure to talk to your doctor.

20s and 30s

>Blood pressure: High blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke or kidney failure, so it’s important to get it tested at least once a year.

>Cholesterol: Have your cholesterol checked once every five years. If you have high cholesterol, you should have it checked more often. Staying on top of your cholesterol levels can help prevent heart disease.

>Skin check: It’s important to have your skin checked regularly for odd-shaped or changing moles. Detecting and treating melanoma early is key for beating the disease.

>Pap smear and breast exams: Women should get an annual Pap smear to help detect early stages of cervical cancer. Along with a Pap smear, the doctor should perform a breast exam to check for cancerous lumps.

>Dental exam: Don’t forget about oral health. Gum disease can start early, but with regular flossing, brushing and dental visits, the signs of gum disease can be reversed.

>Obesity screening: Maintaining a healthy weight can prevent many future health problems, such as diabetes.

>Thyroid test: Your thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate the way your body uses energy. You should get a thyroid check by age 35 to help determine if the gland is functioning properly.

>Eye exam: Dr. Christopher Tortora of Hawaiian Eye Center says, “Eye examinations are vital for maintaining healthy eyes. An annual eye exam can help prevent serious eye disease as well as correct any vision problems.”  

The doctor will evaluate eye pressure, eye muscle coordination and health of the external and internal eye structures.  

Computer screens, cell phone screens and PDA's put additional strain on our eyes. If eyes are comfortable and vision is good, an eye exam every two years is adequate. Any vision changes should prompt an exam sooner. If there is a family history of glaucoma, diabetes, or other significant eye conditions, eye examinations are even more important.   

40s and 50s

>Blood sugar test: High blood sugar levels can indicate diabetes and increased heart attack risk.

>Mammogram: The National Cancer Institute recommends women ages 40 and older get a mammogram every one to two years. A woman’s risk of developing breast cancer increases as she ages.

>Colonoscopy: Schedule a colonoscopy by the age of 50. A colonoscopy will detect early signs of colon cancer, which is the third-most-common cancer among men and women in the United States.

All Ages:

>Clear your mind: Hana Yin of Brain Fitness Hawaii says that parents will be able to provide the attention and love their kids need if their minds are stress free and rested.

Your brain is the control center for everything you do. It drives your visual and spatial senses, attention and concentration, memory, language and your ability to reason and be logical. When your brainwaves are out of balance, so is everything else.

>Try this exercise: Abdominal breathing (5 minutes). Inflate your chest cage as much as you can and hold it for 5 seconds and let it go. Repeat that for 10 times and you will feel instant rejuvenation.

Brain Fitness Hawaii can help provide more stress relief, as well as reprieve for insomniacs and those who suffer from headaches and pain.

>Adjust your life and body: Ohana Chiropractic Center would like to remind parents to do the following:

  • Get Sleep. Adequate sleep helps your body's immune system work better.
  • Drink plenty of water. Being even slightly dehydrated causes energy levels to drop, and makes you more prone to headaches and muscle cramping.
  • Stay active. Wearing a pedometer to track your steps each day is a huge help. The goal is to walk 10,000 steps and a pedometer lets us easily track how active we are each day.  

Ohana Chiropractic Center helps patients reach their lifestyle and wellness goals by taking the time to build relationships with them and learn what their needs are. Aside from chiropractic adjustments, they offer:

  • Body composition analysis (BMI, hydration status and metabolic rate)
  • Foot scans  
  • Nutritional consultation and therapy to design customized wellness programs

>Get physical and be safe and pain free: East Oahu Physical Therapy reminds parents to take care of themselves physically and mentally.

>Incorporate physical activity into your lifestyle. Enjoy an exercise class or find small ways to incorporate exercise.

For new moms it is important that they are aware of how to return to exercise safely. East Oahu Physical therapy can help with musculoskeletal issues that may make the return to exercise difficult, such as back or hip pain both during and after pregnancy. They can also help if you have mid back issues complicated by nursing.

>Take care of your skin: Malia Sanchez, of Makana Esthetics Wellness Academy, says the skin is the largest organ in the body. It works to rid toxins through oil and sweat excretion. As parents we need to keep our children and ourselves hydrated with lots of water to help aid in this process.

Adults and little ones should wash their faces like they wash their bodies. Provide your child with a clean washcloth every night with a gentle cleansing wash that can be picked up at any drugstore.

A healthy diet will help to keep skin looking its best. Oranges, grapes and honeydew melons provide minerals and vitamins; they are filled with healing antioxidants which fight off free radicals that cause our skin to age prematurely. Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are also loaded with antioxidants that can help prevent cancer and heart disease.

>Get a flu shot annually: Dr. Lorene Ng, of Pediatric Group of Honolulu, reminds parents to have their family vaccinated annually.

Don't forget that there are other ways to protect from flu:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water. Wash with soap for at least 15-20 seconds before rinsing, and rub your hands vigorously. 
  • Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or the nook of your elbow.
  • Stay home from work or school if at all possible if you are sick.
  • Avoid coming in close contact with sick people.  Avoid sharing food or drink with sick people.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth often.