it's never too late to get healthy

If you correct your diet, incorporate some kind of exercise or physical activity in your everyday life, and sleep well consistently, you’ll become healthier than the majority of the population. There may be some unhealthy habits that you may have accrued over time — you may be living a couch potato lifestyle, eating junk food, smoking cigarettes or having alcohol consistently. Regardless of how long you have had them, it’s best to get rid of them even if you think you are too old to make healthy lifestyle changes.

According to a study published in the journal Circulation, as long as you kick the bad habits to the curb and instill a healthier routine by the time you reach your 40s, any harm done to your heart can likely be reduced or even reversed. The study results mainly suggest two things. First, it’s not too late for most adults to give up smoking, excessive drinking, or other unhealthy habits. The researchers concluded that saying no to cigarettes and maintaining a healthy weight apparently have the biggest impact on decreasing heart disease risk. Next, the study also proves that adult behaviors can change and that you can reduce your risk of heart disease when you take certain actionable steps. Another study led by Johns Hopkins tracked and monitored more than 6,000 individuals of ages 44-84 for over seven years and concluded that those who made good-for-health changes such as quitting smoking, following a healthy diet, and exercising regularly decreased their risk of death in the time period by 80 percent. These changes not only keep us healthy but also slow down the
aging process.

If you have ever decided to make a healthy lifestyle change but quickly given up thinking it’s too late to develop new healthier habits, then it’s time to change your thinking. As Argye Hillis, M.D., director of the cerebrovascular division at Johns Hopkins Medicine, says, “It’s time to take charge and not let your age stop you, because there’s surprisingly not that much difference between an 18-year-old brain and a 100-year-old brain.” We, humans, are highly adaptable beings, and it’s all about developing a mindset of being healthy. Once we understand the importance of embracing a healthy lifestyle and treating our body like a temple, we’ll start naturally focusing more on our wellness and fitness without any external motivation. The past doesn’t matter, what matters are the actions that we take from now on to develop our health and well-being. Always remember, age is just a number and it’s never too late to get healthy.