When does a man face the biggest hurdle in his life?

For men, 40 is a sign of maturity and a golden period for career development; for women, taking care of children, doing housework, and working hard have become a normal part of life. But in their busy lives, they may have neglected their health. Recently, a survey published in the British Daily Mail showed that at the age of 40, nearly 3/4 of British people began to worry about their health and regretted not developing healthy living habits when they were young. "40 is the watershed of health!" Hong Zhaoguang, chairman of the Cardiovascular Disease Committee of the China Association of Geriatric Care, emphasized that before the age of 40, people eat and drink as much as they want and gamble with their lives for money; after the age of 40, if they continue to overdraw their health, they may really have to "buy life with money" in the end.

The British survey also showed that although 64% of people have started to change their lifestyle habits, half of them are still worried that even if they take action immediately, they will not be able to make up for the damage done to their bodies in the past. In this regard, British health expert Lindbergh said bluntly: "Nothing is more surprising than people preparing to throw away bad lifestyle habits. As long as you start to change now, you will definitely live a healthier and longer life." Domestic authoritative experts have summarized the eight key health points that you should remember after the age of 40.

1. Eat more of these four types of food . Fu Jinru, honorary president of the Tianjin Nutrition Society, said that people in middle age should try to have a balanced diet. In addition to eating regularly and eating until 70% full, they should also eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, eat less fried and grilled foods, and avoid eating too much meat and fish every meal. A Japanese study found that after the age of 40, you should eat more of these four types of food: soy products increase bone density, oats help lower cholesterol, almonds are good for controlling blood sugar, and eating deep-sea fish 4 times a week can improve high blood pressure.

2. Quit smoking as soon as possible. Yang Gonghuan, professor at Peking Union Medical College and vice president of the China Tobacco Control Association, emphasized: "Tobacco and smoke contain more than 250 toxic substances or carcinogens, which are extremely harmful to the respiratory system, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems. It is never too late to quit smoking!" Studies have shown that quitting smoking at the age of 40 can extend your life by 9 years. In addition, when people reach middle age, their careers begin to improve, and social events are inevitable. Drinking a little can make you happy, but you must not stay drunk, otherwise your liver will be seriously damaged. Jia Jidong, director of the Liver Disease Center of Beijing Friendship Hospital, suggested that you must control the amount of alcohol you drink. The maximum amount of low-alcohol liquor is 2 taels, the maximum amount of medium-alcohol liquor is 1 tael, the amount of strong liquor should be controlled within 25 ml, and the maximum amount of beer is one bottle a day.

3. Do strength training . When people reach middle age, their metabolism begins to slow down and the chance of obesity increases. If they do not pay attention to exercise, the risk of chronic diseases will double. Cook, a professor of sports science at Leeds City University in the UK, pointed out that after the age of 40, muscles will gradually decrease. It is recommended to do strength training such as dumbbells, barbells, and resistance bands every week to help "rebuild" muscle groups, 3 times a week, 8 to 10 sets each time. If you don't have time, walking or brisk walking for 30 minutes every day is also good for your health.

4. Change your mindset and live a subtractive life . Around the age of 40, many people have to face the "midlife crisis". Their careers may be at a bottleneck and stagnant; their families have elderly parents and young children, and they are burdened with life. In this regard, Xiao Zhenyu, a doctor of psychology from Peking University, pointed out that what people fight for in middle age is their mindset. If accumulating knowledge and experience in youth is addition, then after the age of 40, you have to learn to do subtraction and clear negative emotions in time. Adjusting the relationship between work and life and paying more attention to yourself and your family can make you more open-minded.

5. Adjust your marriage . At 40, the sweetness and romance of love and newlyweds are gone, and the daily trivialities and dull emotions are more common, and the marriage begins to be in crisis. Xiao Zhenyu suggests that after the age of 40, you should also create a honeymoon period. Couples can arrange a trip every year to cultivate common hobbies, find the feeling of love, and rekindle the spark of love.

6. Pay attention to physical examinations . Traditional Chinese medicine believes that after the age of 40, the five internal organs and twelve meridians of the human body begin to decline. The external manifestations are the gradual loosening of the skin, the gradual loss of facial luster, and the graying of hair. The internal changes are the fragility of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems and the accumulation of chronic diseases. Therefore, regular physical examinations are very necessary. Ma Yi, the chief examiner of the Health Examination Center of Beijing Geriatric Hospital, suggested that in addition to basic items such as blood pressure and blood sugar, it is recommended that people aged 40 should also add blood vessels, prostate, bone joints, Helicobacter pylori infection, tumor markers, breast, cervix, and thyroid examinations. People with family genetic diseases should undergo targeted examinations.

7. Start exercising your brain . After turning 40, many people suddenly find themselves easily distracted and forgetful. "These are all epitomes of the 'brain crisis' of middle age," said Wang Yuping, chief physician of the Department of Neurology at Beijing Xuanwu Hospital. You can do some "aerobic exercise" for your brain every day, such as turning the clock and calendar upside down to make it harder to read; try changing your route home to get to know your surroundings again; adjust your home layout every few months, etc. In addition, you should often "detoxify" your brain by relaxing your body through laughter, meditation, listening to music, and other ways to relieve stress.

8. Protect your teeth . Zhang Ye, deputy chief physician at Peking University Stomatological Hospital, said that after the age of 40, saliva secretion decreases, the oral self-cleaning ability deteriorates, and the teeth begin to "strike", and problems such as periodontitis, toothache, and gingival redness and swelling will follow. Therefore, middle-aged people should pay more attention to oral health. After the age of 40, in addition to brushing your teeth every morning and evening, you should also wash your teeth once a year.