As you head into your forties, this is a great time to take stock of your health. You still have time to correct the things you’ve done to yourself in your crazy youth. Some of the things you were doing in your twenties and thirties are still a good idea in your forties:
- Keep up with the blood pressure checks. It isn’t uncommon to see your blood pressure start to rise as your age does.
- Continue to watch that weight. The more pounds you’re carrying, the more health problems you are at risk for.
- Keep getting your cholesterol checked. High cholesterol can lead to heart attack or stroke — one in five Americans have high cholesterol.
- Keep going to the eye doctor every year.
- Keep going to the dentist every year.
- Watch your skin for new moles or old moles that grow or change. Ask your doctor to look at any moles that seem unusual.
- Make sure your immunizations are current. Ask your doctor when your boosters are due.
Once you hit your forties, you want to add a blood sugar test to your list. Every three years you should have a fasting blood sugar test. If you’ve abused your pancreas with bad food choices and weight gain, you could be heading for diabetes.
WOMEN: Make sure you get a yearly breast exam, pelvic exam, and Pap smear. No, it isn’t much fun. Yes, it can protect you from cancer and other dangerous diseases. You should also start scheduling a mammogram — experts recommend adding a mammogram to your list in your forties.
MEN: Make sure you get a yearly testicular exam. Testicular cancer is the leading form of cancer in young men — it is curable if it can be caught early. And yes: forty is still young.