Ten Biological Changes You"ll Experience in Your 30s

 

 

What kinds of things are you going to lose in your 30s? Human bodies change significantly in that decade of life. The good news is that many people in their 30′s often experience a greater sense of acceptance towards themselves and their lives from within. That mental change counters the price paid in aging.

Biological factors inevitably come evident for the first time in people’s lives. While many of the changes are gender-specific, there are also factors that both men and women have in common.

 

 

Wrinkles

You don’t have to have been a sunbather or cigarette smoker to get wrinkles. It’s based on heredity a lot of the time. You’ll find some frown lines, and also some laugh lines. As you age, the skin becomes less elastic and does not regenerate as rapidly. Female skin gets wrinkles much faster than male skin because of the natural thin nature of female skin.

 

 

Metabolism

I’m sure you’ve noticed that it’s harder to lose weight now once you get it on and the over indulgences that you used to get away with are now making your pants a little tighter. It may be time to take your diet a little and in general consume less. Use exercise to combat inactivity with a bit more gusto. If you have more muscle, you burn more calories.

 

According to students and professors from USC’s gerontology degree program, the best exercise for long term fitness is long walks and yoga.

 

 

Hormonal shifts

Fertility and viability of sperm and egg will decrease. Pregnancies can become riskier and not as easily made, but not impossible. Women also may notice changes in their periods or may start early menopause. Men may notice a lowered sex drive.

 

 

Less flexibility

Muscle and connective tissue decreases with age. Tendons and protein structures that bind your muscles together begin to weaken. The decade or so of sedentary jobs in office chairs for many hours a day also may catch up. Taking time to do yoga poses and stretch could make a big difference.

 

 

Declines in stamina

Your heart is a muscle and as we previously mentioned, muscles in general are losing strength. The length and intensity of your aerobic exercise may need adjustment.

 

 

Rises in cholesterol and blood pressure

These come due to fatty deposit build up in the arteries. Your body can’t flush out junk as quickly. An active lifestyle will definitely knock down your cholesterol and blood pressure. Watch your diet.

 

 

Depression may come

Realizing that youth is over is not easy for anyone. Life often becomes complex and challenging at this age. Remembering the former decade and comparing it to the present reality of bills piling up, screaming kids, and stressful jobs can be a huge challenge. Drug and alcohol abuse are often a companion of depression that actually exaggerate the already bad feelings.

 

 

Changes in response to stress

Depending on your life experiences and personality, you may become wiser in your 30′s about how to deal with stress, or you may experience it even more. If you have suppressed your feelings for a while, it may start to manifest in panic attacks or anxiety related symptoms.

 

 

Consistent Sleep

You may not be able to pull off late nights like you used to. Though as you age you need less sleep, your body is going to have a problem when you go outside of your normal sleep schedule. So staying up late will pretty much not happen anymore. Six hours a night is about what you need.

 

 

Aches and pains

You may have been able to run all over the place and pack many chores all into one day in the past, but you may want to reconsider that now. Back pain, pulled muscles, and overuse injuries are no fun. Take it easy on your older body now.

 

While it’s a cliché, “beauty comes from within” is true. This is a time in life to reinforce your character and to express who you are deeply. Don’t miss your chance by mourning the past. It will just out more lines on your face.

 

 

Categories: 30s, aging, biological changes, Experience

Men In Your 30s: Here are Six Screenings You Need to Have

As a man in his 30s, it’s easy to put off good wellness practises like exercise and nutrition. You probably put off visiting the doctor until there’s actually a problem with your wellbeing, such as the occasional cold or injury, or, when it’s a sexual health problem, you may even keep schtum altogether! However, optimal wellness is not about waiting for disease to occur and then scrambling for a combative regimen; you need to invest time and energy into your health much as you do in for your retirement. While prevention looks like many things, one important factor is to collect some laboratory information on your potential health risks. Not only do cholesterol panels serve this purpose, but other tests are now available to assess your risk factors and help design a treatment plan.

 

1. 25-OH Vitamin D (25 hydroxy-vitamin D): There’s no denying the importance of vitamin D; optimal levels can improve your bone density, enhance your cognitive health and reduce your risk of cancer. Therefore, if your vitamin D levels are low, that’s something you’ll want to know about! There are several tests that can determine whether or not you need to do something about your vitamin D levels, but the 25-OH vitamin D level is considered the most accurate. If you find your levels are low, you can get the vitamin D you need from sunlight on your skin, supplements or fortified foods.

 

2. C-Reactive Protein (CRP): Inflammation is a marker for heart disease, and this test measures your body’s level of inflammation. The result you’re after is anything less than 1mg/L. However, if you do find that your inflammation levels are elevated, you can fight back with fish oils, CoQ10, magnesium and vitamin D.

 

3. Homocysteine: This is a product of protein metabolism and if your levels get too high, a whole host of wellness issues may be in store. Excess levels of homocysteine can lead to blood vessel damage, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration and depression. If the test reveals your levels are higher than the optimal nine units, you can reset the balance with a higher intake of vitamins B-12, B-6 and folic acid.

4. Total and Free Testosterone: While you don’t need this test on a yearly basis, it’s good to get a baseline reading of your testosterone levels when you’re in your 30s, as this important hormone will decline as you age. Testosterone is often overlooked for its benefits to your heart, brain, bones, muscles and blood vessels, but you should definitely discuss goal levels for these tests with your doctor. Units for the test can very from lab to lab but generally, you should be aiming for around 15-25pg/ml for free testosterone, and 550-800ng/ml for total testosterone.

 

5. DHEA-Sulfate: This test looks at your levels of the DHEA hormone, which shares many of the health benefits of testosterone. However, to your heart, brain, bones, muscles and blood vessels aside, DHEA is very important for overweight or diabetic men. Again, if you’re healthy and in your 30s, getting this test done now will give you a baseline for future comparison. The goal usually starts at more than 200 mcg/dl.

 

6. Fasting Insulin Levels: Before your blood sugar rises to the classic diabetic markers, your insulin levels will rise. This demonstrates early signs of your body’s inability to handle the sugar it’s ingesting, so it’s a good thing to know about. The goal ranges may be from 0 -14, but you should try to keep your levels around 7 units or less. If your levels are too high, you have an indicator that you should be reducing the amount of refined sugar in your diet.

Categories: 30s, blood vessels, bones muscles, brain bones, free testosterone, heart brain, insulin levels, levels, men, Screenings, Test, vitamin