Forty is an interesting time of life. You’re not “old” but you really can’t get away with playing video games all day and call that a mature hobby. Time to grow up!

Truthfully, 40 is a time to make some serious decisions about how you want the rest of your life to go. Do you want to live to 90? Do you want to feel strong and healthy for those next 50 years? If so, there are some things you need to do, and there may be some things you need to stop doing. And you have to commit, this is time to be serious.

STOP:

• If you smoke, you need to stop. Period. Not cut down, you need to stop. Smoking after 40 erodes the linings of your lungs even faster that it has before, so this is turning point. Just don’t do it.
• If you drink more than one or two drinks per day, you need to moderate. Hopefully you have had blood tests that include checking your liver, and even if your liver is fine, excessive drinking is not good over 40 for many reasons. Two per day or less.

START:

• Increase your intake of antioxidant foods and anti-inflammatory foods. Your joints will ache less if you do this.
• Boost your intake of fruits and vegetables. Green vegetables are especially important after 40.
• Eating garlic aids in reducing your chances of being prone to cancer, heart ailments, blood pressure and numerous other diseases and boosts immunity.
• Including onions in your diet would provide you with phytonutrients and keep Parkinson’s disease and cardiovascular ailments away. They are rich sources of sulphuric compounds too.
• Exercise – Just do it.

Of course, have a physical exam regularly and run any diet or exercise plans by your doctor.