Although you may not spend much time worrying about your health, research shows that the wellness choices you make in the first three decades of your life can have a huge impact for years to come. Here are four tips for building healthy lifestyle habits while you’re still young.
1. Control Your Weight
Most people who find themselves weighing more in middle age will tell you that it seemed to happen overnight, when in fact that’s rarely the case. Beginning in your 20s, a combination of many factors such as an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and a slowing metabolism can work together to add pounds to your midsection. Weigh yourself frequently so you can make adjustments to your diet and activity level as soon as you notice an uptick; it’s much easier to drop a few pounds than to take off 20 or more.
2. Limit Added Sugars
There is increasing evidence that added sugars are responsible for a host of ills that can impact your health now and in the future. While obesity, diabetes and tooth decay may be the most obvious concerns, everything from high blood pressure to joint pain and liver problems can result from overconsumption of sweeteners. There’s even evidence that sugar damages the collagen in your skin, leading to sagginess and wrinkles.
While your body needs sugar in order to fuel many of its functions, try to limit your intake to the naturally-occurring sugars found in whole fruits and vegetables. Cut back on your consumption of soft drinks, candy, ready-to-eat cereals and other processed foods to keep a lid on excess sugar.
3. Reduce or Eliminate Substances
While you may view your 20s as the prime of your life for partying, as with other lifestyle choices what you do now can affect you for decades to come. Ongoing substance use can cause permanent damage to your organs and other body systems, and can even alter your brain chemistry. Keep consumption to a minimum, and if you think you may already have a problem with substance abuse consider finding a program to detox from drugs or alcohol. Many find that controlling substance use is easier when they are younger, before years of habitual usage make it harder to do so.
4. Exercise Often
Making regular exercise a priority in your 20s can be critical to your future wellness. By building activity into your daily routine, you can make it feel less like a chore and more like something that’s just a natural part of your lifestyle. Focusing on the time you spend being active can be more effective than worrying about how far you run or how many reps you do. Enjoying a bike ride on a beautiful day or always taking the stairs in office buildings are two simple ways to get your body moving without having to schedule a workout.
It’s never too early to start building healthy habits. If you spend time improving your health and wellness in your 20s, you’ll likely reap the benefits far into your future.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
