As you reach your thirties, you might not feel as youthful as you once did. You might have less energy and find that you gain weight more easily. While age does make it more difficult to do certain things, entering your thirties does not mean that you are doomed to be unhealthy. In fact, there are plenty of small steps you can take to get healthy in your thirties. If you gradually apply them to your life, you’ll find that they quickly become habits that make you feel much better both mentally and physically. If you’re unsure where to start, here are some tips to help you get healthy in your thirties.
Go to the Doctor
If you haven’t had a physical in a while, now is the time to get one. Your family doctor can do a complete overview of your health, checking you for any issues and discussing any concerns you might have. Going to the doctor can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. You and your doctor should be a team, so take your time finding the right doctor. When you’ve found one that makes you comfortable, use your appointments to take care of anything that might be bothering you. While your doctor might not have all the solutions, they will be able to direct you toward resources that can help.
Your primary care doctor is the one who will refer you to any specialists that you need to see. These specialists can address your problems on a deeper level, providing care that you might have been putting off getting for a long time. So if you haven’t been to the doctor in a long time, stop putting it off in your thirties. Otherwise, minor issues might grow into large problems before you realize it.
Go to the Dentist
Another step to getting healthy in your thirties is to go to the dentist regularly. Oral health is extremely important to your overall well-being. Missing or damaged teeth can eventually result in an inability to get adequate nutrition in your diet. Meanwhile, gum disease can spread into other body systems, causing infection and pain. Regular dental cleanings will reduce your risk of gum disease and help you catch problems in your teeth very early on. Dentists recommend most people get professional cleanings twice a year, so make sure that you have an appointment set up.
Your dentist can also refer you for more specialized care. If you need oral surgery, they might be able to do it in their office or they might send you to another clinic. This can help you with things like root canals or wisdom tooth removal, procedures that people tend to put off for a while. A dentist can also refer you to an orthodontist to straighten your teeth. While the cost of braces can get expensive, there are other alternatives out there as well. So if crooked teeth have made you uncomfortable in the past, getting them taken care of can be a good small step toward getting healthy in your thirties. One of the alternatives to help you take care of your teeth is invisalign.
Solve Some Insecurities
If something about your body makes you self-conscious, now is a good time to deal with it. Especially if it is something like acne or hair loss. There are acne treatment clinics and hair loss treatment that can provide powerful results. It often doesn’t need to be medical treatment either. Hair salons can add a new spark to your life or even a teeth whitening kit can make you feel better. Sometimes, people don’t address cosmetic concerns because they think that they’re overreacting or it’s not worth the money. But you should feel self-confident in your thirties. If you can afford to get cosmetic treatments, the results will boost your confidence and make you feel much better overall.
Find Ways to Relax
Stress can take a toll on your health. There are many things that can stress you out, like children, work, or other responsibilities. While these things do have to be taken care of, it is essential that you find ways to relax and manage stress in your thirties. Otherwise, stress can lead to health problems in the future.
People relax in all different ways. You might do something a little more active, like taking a walk or enjoying a simple hobby. Sometimes you want a little stimulation while you relax. So take some time to enjoy an easy, relaxing hobby. If you don’t already have a hobby like this, explore the different options available to you. Consider something like puzzles or knitting. These hobbies don’t involve much stress but can keep you occupied.
However, other times, you need to completely relax your body and mind. So, as you’re planning your small steps to get healthy in your thirties, consider ways that you can do this. There are many meditation programs available that can help you learn more about the practice and whether it is a good fit for you. You can also try things like hot baths and soothing music. As you try different things, you’ll learn which ways of relaxing fit best with your personality. Incorporate them into your life and, over time, you’ll notice a difference in your stress levels.
Eat Healthy Food
You might have been able to survive on pizza and beer in your twenties, but that will change in your thirties. It is essential that you eat healthy food in order to fuel your body and keep it at a healthy weight. If you have too much or too little body fat, it can cause health problems. Since nutrition is an important part of staying healthy, you’ll need to focus on that in your thirties.
However, this does not mean just following fad diets. Instead, find simple ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. With simple changes to your recipes and habits, you can give your body the fuel it needs in order to be healthy. If you need help doing this, look into nutritional care options. There are professionals who can guide you toward the best choices.
Eating healthy doesn’t mean giving up your favorite foods forever. Instead, eat everything in moderation. If you’re not stressed out over the idea of giving up chips and donuts, you won’t overindulge or feel depressed about your diet. Make sure that you’re treating yourself sometimes and you’ll find that this small step toward getting healthy gets much simpler.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is crucial to your health. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body and your mind can be impacted. Make sure that you prioritize getting enough sleep each night. You can achieve this small step toward getting healthy in your thirties by setting boundaries around your bedtime. If you go to bed early enough, you can get a full night’s sleep. This gives your brain time to rest and your body time to heal any damage from the day. You’ll wake up feeling much more rested and ready to face whatever the day brings.
If you have difficulty falling asleep, you might need to make some simple changes to your bedtime routine. Keep your evenings as relaxing as possible. Turn off all screens an hour before you plan to go to bed. They can be stimulating to your eyes and brain, keeping you awake longer. If you start a steady bedtime routine, it will signal to your brain that it is time to go to bed. This should help your body get used to falling asleep at the same time, improving your sleep schedule.
However, sometimes you’ll need to see a doctor about sleep problems. If this is the case, address it with your family doctor. They can then refer you to a sleep specialist for help.
Find Exercises You Enjoy
Everybody knows that they should exercise. But not everybody enjoys running miles at a time or lifting weights. If you think that these are the exercises you should be doing, you might be avoiding working out. However, exercise is an essential part of getting healthy in your thirties. Your body needs to be active. But rather than forcing yourself through exercise, you hate, take some time to explore different types of workouts to find something that you enjoy. Try a new sport or workout class. Then, once you find something good, stick with it. You’ll feel much more motivated to work out if you’re having fun doing so.
If you dislike working out in public, you can also exercise in the privacy of your own home. The internet is filled with exercise resources, both free and for sale. Explore all the different options and see what interests you. Then you can do the routines without feeling self-conscious about it. As long as you’re engaging your body and having fun, any exercise will benefit your health in your thirties.
Stay Connected with Loved Ones
It is easy to get isolated as you get older. When you’re in school, you’re surrounded by people in similar life situations and it is easier to make friends. But it is also easy to lose touch with those friends as life takes you in different directions. Loneliness can be bad for both your mental and physical health, so it is important that you make an effort to stay connected with your loved ones. If you live near each other, you can meet up for coffee regularly or take walks together. If you live far apart, you can plan trips to see each other. Even if this is not always possible, occasional in-person interactions can be very good for your health.
You can also stay connected online through social media and email. Even if it’s just occasional check-ins on a social media site, staying connected with people can help you feel more engaged with the world and more secure in yourself.
Reduce Screen Time
While the internet is extremely useful in nearly every area of life, computers and phones can have a negative impact on your life. Social media can be great, but it can also make you feel stressed out, overwhelmed, and insecure. So if you enjoy spending time online, make a point of unplugging frequently. Schedule social media breaks and make sure that you actually take them. Spending time away from the computer can help you realize what your priorities are. So if you want to take small steps to get healthy in your thirties, consider scheduling social media breaks.
Screen time can also have a physical impact on you. Eye strain is very common in people who spend a lot of time working on computers. If this is you, make sure that you’re getting off the computer as much as possible during the day. As you get older, you want to protect your vision. Reduce screen time to reduce eyestrain and this will go a long way toward keeping your eyes healthy.
Go to Therapy
Therapy can be extremely helpful for many people. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and anxious as you enter your thirties, you are not alone. Seeing a therapist regularly can be a great way to help you retrain your brain into healthier ways of thinking and seeing the world. Your mental health has as much impact on your overall wellness as your physical health and it is frequently overlooked. Therapy can help you with all different aspects of your mental health, getting you the resources you need in order to feel healthy and balanced.
Staying healthy might seem difficult as you get older, but it doesn’t have to be. By adopting some new habits and keeping up old ones, you can continue to get stronger and healthier each year. Consider these small steps to getting healthy in your thirties and find ways to incorporate them in your life. You’ll find that each one makes a major difference to your health and wellbeing.
