10 Unhealthy Practices You Need to Stop Doing at Age 30

10 Unhealthy Practices You Need to Stop Doing at Age 30 : Transitioning from being an enigmatic lady in your 20s to being a responsible woman in your 30s might hardly change what you feel about yourself and your body. You look into the mirror and the person who stares right back is still the same, magnificent you. But don’t be fooled, for however minute, your body is steadily changing and slowly aging in the inside.

Your 20s might be full of daring and risk-taking moments. You might have tried every adrenaline-boosting adventure you could think of and had the best bold moments of your life. You’ve also probably engaged in some none too healthy habits you are too ashamed of admitting even to yourself. That’s okay, we’ve all been there. However, it is important not to carry these unhealthy practices that you’ve been doing in your 20s all the way to your 30s.

Practices You Need to Stop Doing at Age 30

1. You disregard your posture

As you grow older, your bone density starts to decrease. Be mindful of your posture and immediately correct yourself if you notice that you are slouching. It takes time to get used to it but good posture could help tone your abdominal muscles and prevent kyphosis.

2. You neglect applying sunscreen

You couldn’t miss the opportunity to get a tan, but you shouldn’t neglect your skin care routine also. Sunscreen could protect your skin from harmful ultraviolet rays. Research also shows that applying sunscreen could reduce your risk of having skin cancer.

3. You don’t drink enough water

Water is good for you. When you reach 30, your skin starts developing tiny wrinkles, which is normal. Keeping your cells hydrated would make them healthy and reduce the number of wrinkles in your skin. Also, water has no calories and studies show that drinking water before a meal could lead to greater weight loss, especially if you are consuming food with low calories.

4. You smoke a lot

Smoking is a major risk factor in acquiring lifestyle diseases such as heart and lung disease. Research also shows that a large percentage of people with coronary heart disease could be linked to smoking. So if you have been a chain smoker in your 20s, better remove that habit gradually until you could live without it in your 30s.

5. You don’t know your family’s medical history

You might begin to develop some genetic or hereditary diseases you didn’t know that your genes have been carrying all along. If your parents have a history of high cholesterol, cancer, and hypertension, you are more prone to developing one compared to those without family medical history of said diseases. Better find out and do necessary lifestyle modifications to decrease your likelihood of suffering the same illness.

6. You don’t care about exercise

You probably got away with it just fine when you were in your 20s. The problem is, as you age, your metabolism starts to slow down. Exercise could help increase your metabolism, tone your body and make your bones stronger. What’s there to lose? Maybe a couple of pounds and a ton of insecurities (not that they would be missed), but you’ll definitely gain a healthy body and a confident personality.

7. You eat anything, anytime.

You need to strike a balance between the calories you eat and the calories you burn. Since your metabolism tends to get slower as your age progresses, you need to be mindful of what you eat. If you are not going to be active during the day, cut your carbohydrates intake. Eat lots of green-leafy vegetables and protein-rich foods instead. Don’t eat heavy meals before going to bed.

8. You don’t watch your weight

You might not notice it yet but you tend to gain more weight as you get older. Your weight in your 30s could steadily increase if you don’t do anything about your slowing metabolism. Engaging in exercise and other active recreation could help. Also, don’t forget a healthy diet. When it comes to love handles, wearing weight loss belt could facilitate targeted fat loss in the area, so that you could still maintain your curves even at 30s.

9. Huh? What reproductive health?

Your fertility declines with age so you might have trouble bearing a child. When you reach 30, it is much harder to conceive. If find that you are experiencing issues concerning reproduction, you could consult your gynecologist. You should be more conscious of other reproductive health issues as well especially STDs; mind you, they don’t skip 30s. Research recommends ovarian testing as well.

10. You don’t do screening tests

Health screening tests are designed to prevent you from developing certain diseases or, if you are already positive, it facilitates early diagnosis and prompt treatment of such diseases. It is recommended to do the following:

Blood Pressure screening – Blood pressure screening is recommended for diagnosis of early signs of heart disease and hypertension. Screening could be done through the use of manual blood pressure cuff for more accurate reading. Early diagnosis could lead to early treatment and would improve your chances of managing the disease. The US Preventive Services Task Force even advised that screening should be done as early as 18 years of age.
Cholesterol monitoring – Knowing your cholesterol level would let you know if you are at risk of developing heart disease and hypertension. It’s better to know it sooner than later so that you could work it up with your cardiologist.
Breast examination – Breast examinations and screenings are proactive ways of dealing with breast cancer. You could do a monthly breast-self examination or you could visit your gynecologist and ask them to examine your breasts.
Blood sugar reading – Measure your blood glucose level to determine if you are at risk of developing (or if you are already in the early stage of) diabetes. Early management and treatment of diabetes could reduce the potential complications of the disease in later life, which include heart disease, hypertension and kidney disease.
Pap smear test – Cervical screening program is done through pap smear test and has been shown to reduce the morbidity and mortality rate of cervical cancer patients.

They say life begins at 40. But whenever you thought your life began (or would begin), your health should never be compromised. Doing away with these practices could help you live a healthier, happier life all the way to your 40s, 50s and beyond. It’s time to take responsibility over your own health because, whether you like it or not, you only have yourself to thank (or to blame) later on.