Fit at Any Age!

Your health and fitness goals are likely not the same when you're in your 40s versus 20s. Still, you want to be the healthiest you possible, am I right? You can make a significant, positive difference in your health in each decade of your life. Here's how:

20s AND 30s

You may be young and busy, so illnesses like heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis don't cross your mind. But this is the time to start forming good healthy habits so you don't have to play catch-up down the road. At this age, most of us take our skeletons for granted, but that's a big mistake. You can improve bone density until about 30 years old. From that point, we tend to lose more bone than our bodies can build. Conscious efforts now can lower your risk of fractures as you age.

Eat: Begin by eating anti-inflammatory foods, like the Mediterranean diet. Include plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes, and healthy omega-3 (wild salmon, walnuts, flax) and monounsaturated (olive oil) fats. Limit (actually try to eliminate) processed foods and sugar, and don't eat red meat more than twice a week (and choose lean cuts when you do). Broccoli, leafy greens, and cabbage are especially important cancer-fighting additions to your diet. Suspect food allergies to dairy or gluten? Keep a food diary for clues to what bothers you, then remove suspect foods one at a time for a week to see if your symptoms improve.

Exercise: Rack up 30 to 40 minutes of exercise most days of the week and develop a regular stress-relieving practice, like meditation, yoga, tai chi, or simply writing in a journal. Include resistance training and weight-bearing exercise (running and jumping, not biking or swimming), several times a week. When you do weight-bearing activities, it stimulates bone growth.

40s AND 50s

As you age, you need to work harder to keep your body healthy. If you're a woman, you generate more inflammatory chemicals as you grow older, which sets the stage for heart disease and cancer. Both males and females accumulate more damage to our DNA, which raises our risk for cancer.

Eat: Stick with the above-mentioned anti-inflammatory diet, and limit processed and sugary foods. The good news: Eating a couple squares of dark chocolate (over 60% cocoa) each week can decrease your risk for cardiovascular disease. You'll also need more calcium now than before, which you can obtain from low-fat dairy and leafy greens in addition to a calcium supplement. And keep in mind that as your metabolism slows after menopause, your calorie needs decrease slightly. We tend to continue to eat out of habit instead of listening to our hunger levels. A food journal can usually help you identify mindless eating and make you more aware of what you're actually putting in your body. Try cutting calories by decreasing or eliminating empty sources such as soda. And if you smoke, STOP!

Exercise: Regular exercise along with a healthy diet may be the most important insurance against breast cancer and heart disease. Aim for 30 to 40 minutes of exercise most days of the week and definitely include yoga for a good stretching regimen. Be diligent about making weight-bearing activities (such as jumping rope and jogging) and weight lifting part of your routine. Most women can gain 10 pounds with menopause, so rev a slowing metabolism by working out with weights three times a week.

60s AND BEYOND

It's best to have healthy habits in place by now, but if you don't, it's never too late! You can still reduce your disease risk by one third with lifestyle and nutrition changes. The same advice from previous decades holds true – so stay with the recommended anti-inflammatory, Mediterranean diet and 30 to 40 minutes of exercise most days. Also...get enough sleep, it's more important than ever right now.

Eat: A low-fat diet is recommended at this point in life to ward against cancer and heart disease. Try to limit your fat to 20 percent or less of total daily calories. Cut way back on red meat, chicken, full-fat dairy, and processed snack foods, and eat more omega-3 fats (wild salmon, trout, walnuts) and omega-9s (olives, avocados). These changes reduce your overall fat intake while providing more of the healthy fats that help prevent and fight cancer. Also, emphasize plant-based proteins and whole grains, and up your intake of vegetables. Drink no more than one alcoholic drink a day.

Exercise: Continue to exercise most days of the week. In addition to weight-bearing cardio (like walking) and strength training, add a balance component to your workout to help ensure against stumbles. Consider a tai chi class, for example, or work with a personal trainer or yoga teacher who understands the risk of osteoporosis and can design a workout that protects your skeleton. Give an Iyengar yoga class a try, it'll improve your balance, stability, and gait.