“Your free NHS health check is due.” What? I thought to myself.
This confusion came about as I started my morning like usual, opening the mail, only to be intrigued by a letter from The National Health Service. Upon immediately reading the letter, I was gripped by surprise. Who dare tells me I need a well check visit? These kind of appointments are conducted for people between the ages of 40 and 74 to access the risk for developing heart disease, kidney disease, having a stroke or diabetes.
Wow. I was shocked. I really am in my 40’s aren’t I? But man, I sure don’t feel like it. Where did the time go? After getting past the idea that I was 40, I was left feeling overcome with despair and curiosity. Why would NHS want to access someone so healthy for diseases? I don’t fall ill, take prescriptions or painkillers. My blood tests read normal. I know I’m healthy. I feel so young and energized, not a day past my twenties. Life is good!
Again, it hit me. NHS believes those over 40 WILL develop all these nasty diseases. Medical insurance increases and the healthcare world shows different treatment towards those aging. But why do I have to be categorized as a person that’s going to become sick if I aren’t already? Well, the majority of the population has given the NHS valid reasons to conduct these well checks. As our bodies move past our prime years, we start “wearing down”, naturally more toxins build up, metabolism starts to slow, our bodies’ filters aren’t as efficient as they once were. Some may experience a noticeable decline in energy. Aging affects every single cell of our being. However, we don’t have to give in and use our age as an excuse for health declines. So yes, there is life after your 40’s. Actually, there is abundant life after your 40’s. Your life, your future, your path is in your own hands.
In various ways, the ages between 30- 50 can be the best years of a man’s life. Many have achieved majority of their realistic goals, attained a certain level of wisdom that only comes with experience and age and feel they can relax and enjoy life a bit more without being stressed about finances, etc. So you’re feeling invincible right? Well, your body may tell you otherwise.
As we age, it’s important to keep in mind that our bodies are constantly changing. Once the 40’s hit, we need to consider tweaking our lifestyles, nutritional goals and exercise practices according to our body’s needs. This brings us to the concept of short- term gains for long- term results. Something that feels good now, may negatively affect us later in life. It often makes me think of the game Chess, you always need to be thinking a few moves ahead. Again, no matter what age we may be, it’s never too late to start making healthy lifestyle choices. Practicing prevention now can save you an injury or two later on. What do I mean by this?
Society has led us on to believe that our health is a direct result of our age. Age itself is not a cause of poor health. What you did when you were younger has influenced and shaped the way you are now, as you age. One can be 40 and look and feel like he is 30 and one at 30 can look and feel as if he is 40. The problem lies in knowing how to look after our body and maintain it properly for a long period of time. Let me give you an example, let’s say you were given 2 identical cars, 1 of them you drive at 120 miles/hour every day without maintenance and other you drive at 30 m/h and look after. Which one do you think will last you longer? Well, same happens to our body.
Let’s think back a moment to our younger days when our bodies could partake in extreme, frequent, adrenaline rush inducing activities without feeling aches and pains like we would if we tried those same events in our 40’s. For me, I was training twice a day in martial arts and participating in some other dynamic sport activities in-between. I was bigger, faster, and stronger. How many of you can relate?
My coaches continuously told me any age before 25 is the most ideal age to train, as anything you do before will stay with you after. Specifically, what they meant was that one’s muscles will memorize moves and activities. This allows you later in life, even if you don’t train frequently or as hard as you used to, the ability to exercise and train without much effort. Turns out, my coaches were right. Even in my 40’s I still can kick high, keep up in a game of basketball with 18 year olds, run, swim and do anything I did back in my 20’s. However, it does take more time for my body to recover. Had I never trained in my early years, then I’d hardly have the energy, let alone ability to do all that I do now.
Starting intense exercise in your 30’s and 40’s is no easy task, it may even cause you to feel defeated, leading to a lack of motivation- why even try? Many hop on the gym guru bandwagon because they saw so and so on Instagram killing the muscle gains game. Remember that intensive and hard training doesn’t always mean better. It’s not the strongest who survive, but the ones who can easily adapt to change.
If you want to age slower and better, you need to be able to adapt to change, meaning there will be a need to tweak your exercise, lifestyle and diet habits, thinking and the way you approach life in general. These changes don’t have to be dramatic; it’s the little tweaks that make a big difference.
All in all, what I want to communicate is that when you’re younger, taking advantage of your body by pushing it to the limits, eating whatever we desire, falling victim to unnecessary stress, with little time to sleep, will have tremendous impacts on your future self. However, if you did take advantage of your body at a younger age, it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s good news and a light in the end of the tunnel, only if you will start listening to your body. Remember you are in charge of you and the future is YOURS!
Alright so you’re ready to make some changes, right? Now what? When it comes to lifestyle, habits and nutrition changes it is not always easy to know where to begin. It’s easy to feel confused when confronted with all this information about how to be healthier and live longer.
A quick online search of different diets and methods yields more information than what we really need to hear. One website says one thing, one so called “expert” says another, etc. With so much conflicting information, who are we supposed to believe? And how are we supposed to find out what exactly we need through this chaos? Confusing! Trust me, I know, which is why I’m here for you!
So, Skip the “figuring things out” step and contact me directly through e-mail to see how I can best help you get on your way towards a healthier, abundant future. Just one consultation with me will save you tons of money, years of searching for information and experimenting on yourself.
Remember age is only a number, so don’t allow yourself to be just another number to the NHS!