Diet And Fitness Tips For Midlife

In this blog, we will discuss some of the most effective diet and fitness tips for a healthy midlife transition.

We have discussed the benefits of yoga and meditation along with some of the best yoga poses in our previous blog. Apart from stress management, our diet, fitness, and lifestyle play a crucial role in managing a healthy midlife transition.
As we have already discussed, midlife brings a host of problems, hormone fluctuations, weight issues, aging problems, and other medical concerns. However, if we can provide your body with the right nutrition and appropriate exercises, we can experience healthier midlife. 

Lifestyle during middle ages

With all the emotional problems, growing age and expanding responsibilities, we often tend to ignore ourselves. The most commonly affected area is our lifestyle. Our work may keep us up till late at night, or our work travel may leave us deprived of sleep. Shift duties, extended working hours and stress all affect your dietary intake. We tend to fall prey to faulty dietary habits, indulge in more harmful foods, especially during midlife.
Also, most of us have a desk job and we fall short of time, reach home very late and are busy with other things during weekends. The result is – no time for physical activity. With this, we continue with our sedentary lifestyle and further increase our health risks during the midlife transition.
This can thus be a vicious circle. There are many reasons to slow down or be less active as we grow older. Be it health problems, weight issues, pain, fatigue, muscle, and joint problems or just poor lifestyle. Being inactive is ultimately going to affect our health even more, which will again tempt us to move less. But for a healthy midlife transition, we need to have an active lifestyle and remain fit to the extent of our health permits.
Similarly, with increasing age, our body needs appropriate nutrition for optimum functioning. Nutritional deficiencies, hormone changes, stress and mood swings in addition to other health risks during midlife, need proper and adequate nutrition. A healthy, balanced meal that includes certain superfoods can make our midlife even healthier.

Diet And Fitness Tips For a Healthy Midlife Transition

A lot is spoken about following a healthy lifestyle to be fit and healthy. We have also understood that this is all the more important during midlife. But frankly speaking, it is not a difficult thing at all. It involves some important changes in your routine and dietary habits, that are more beneficial for your health.
Here are some of the important diet and lifestyle changes for a healthy midlife transition,

• Eat complex carbs – Replace refined grains with complex carbs like whole-wheat products, brown or hand pound rice. Include foods made of jowar, millets and quinoa for a healthy carb boost. Avoid white bread and bakery items.

• Bank on protein – High-quality protein is essential at this stage to maintain immunity, muscle strength and keep hormone problems, allergies at bay. Have more pulses, sprouts, tofu, eggs, fish and lean meat for rich sources of protein.

• Healthy fats – You need omega-3-fatty acids and healthy fats to keep boost your heart and nerve health, thus keeping your body and mind healthy. Choose walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flaxseeds to munch in between the meals.

• Have salt and sugar in moderation – Excessive salt can cause bloating and worsen menstrual or perimenopausal problems in women. It is also not advisable for people with high blood pressure. Excess sugar too is not safe for diabetics and even for those with other hormonal issues. Avoid sugary drinks, colas, cookies, and pastries.

• Add fiber – Just as you get fiber from complex carbs, it includes more fruits and vegetables as they contain high fiber, apart from being nutritious. It adds roughage and aids better digestion and absorption of nutrients. It also helps fight high cholesterol, relieves constipation and other digestive problems, which are common during midlife.

• Stay hydrated – Water is not just essential to stay hydrated but can also prevent many health problems. Adequate water can help to stay calm, prevent headaches and dehydration related problems. It is also useful for people with digestive problems, diabetes, and blood pressure fluctuations. Best is to have plain water or warm water; avoid sweetened or packed beverages.

• Have probiotics – Growing age can make digestion and nutritional deficiencies very common. Regular intake of probiotics can keep your gut clean and healthy. This can ensure better digestion and absorption of nutrients, thus protecting you from gastric trouble and deficiencies.

• Be Cautious – Avoid alcohol, smoking and any foods that worsen your health problems. Avoid packaged foods, processed and salted or treated foods. Check food labels to know the contents and avoid any food allergens. Prefer home-cooked fresh food and pack your snack when you go out.

• Exercise regularly – Whether it is a hormone problem, joint pain or any health issue, some amount of activity will help resolve the problem over time. Go for a walk, jog, gym or swim for 30 to 40 mins – do anything that your health permits. But include some physical activity in your routine for healthy midlife.

• Stay active – While some exercise is a must every day, you must also try to be active throughout the day. Take the stairs or walk down the road, if you can. Avoid sitting and working in a place for long. This will also help boost your metabolism, which is necessary during the middle ages.
Remember, weight gain is also a concern during middle ages and a risk factor for several health problems. So plan a diet and lifestyle such that you can maintain a healthy weight and ensure a smooth transition during midlife. In our next blog, we will discuss the preventive and safety tips during the middle ages.