Getting up, eating well, monitoring physical health and dealing with mental health are the key to staying healthy throughout your life.

Of course, the health challenges are unique to everyone, but by focusing on staying as healthy as possible, you can best prepare for the health and physical changes that you may encounter as you age. In this article, I would like to present several strategies to maximize fitness during your 40s.

Start with the Right Mindset

To get fit and stay fit for the rest of your life, draw on the determination and strength you have brought so far in life. It’s not too late to get your body moving, improve your health prospects and improve how well you age.

Be Physically Active

You don’t have to abandon your favorite exercise just because you’re getting older. Remember that mixing different types of physical activity helps keep things interesting and improve your overall health. Perhaps most importantly, exercise in old age can help you maintain your functional independence, improve your quality of life, and, most importantly, improve yourself.

However, that doesn’t mean you can push yourself like you did in your early 20s. As you get older, muscles and tendons get weaker. You get more prone to exercise-related injuries like tendon tears. In this case, it’s important to know your limits. Before you start any routine, always make sure to warm up and stretch. Listen to your body. And if you feel prolonged muscle aches or joint pain, stop exercising. Visit your doctor and get checked.

Eat a Balanced Diet

Having a healthy balanced diet is an important factor in staying fit.

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Don’t just stick with bananas and apples. Go for rich color fruits such as berries and melons. For veggies, go for the dark leafy greens as well as carrots and squash as they are rich in antioxidants. Include also milk, yoghurt and cheese on your diet as they help strengthen your bones. Eat more fiber too and avoid unhealthy fatty foods.

These choices can do good in your goal to stay fit however our bodies respond differently to different diets, depending on genetics and other health factors. In that case, finding the best healthy diet that works for you may take some experimentation. So go, plan your diet and listen to your body’s response.

Drink More Water

Drinking water is essential for digesting, absorbing and transporting nutrients, which is important for keeping our body healthy. On the other hand, lack of water can lead to dehydration which can cause health issues like kidney problems, dry skin, muscle cramps, headaches, fatigue, high cholesterol, and constipation. So always drink water regularly to stay healthy.

Good Sleep

Scientific research makes clear that sleep is essential at any age. Getting enough sleep empowers the mind and restores the body. Sleep affects your productivity, emotional balance, brain and heart health, immunity, vitality, and even your weight.

According to sleepfoundation.org , while sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults (ages 40-64 years old) need seven to nine hours of sleep per night to function at their best.

The Takeaway

Staying fit in your 40s doesn’t just mean immediately signing up for the fanciest gym you can find. A lot of it has to do with those tiny changes you can make in your day-to-day life. Keep these habits, activities, and knowledge in mind and put them into practice to ensure that you remain active both mentally and physically.

It may take time to see and feel progress when working out, and this can definitely increase with age but the key is consistency- maintain a healthy active lifestyle, have a balanced diet, get a good rest every time and keep the positivity within yourself.