Healthy living tips at every age

Living healthy life at every age:

Most of the world’s leading causes of death are from preventable disease: heart disease, stroke,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis),lung cancer, and diabetes. Managing your health with healthy habits, preventive care, and early detection can help you avoid these diseases so youlive to your 80s and beyond—and we can help every step of the way!

Besides the free doctor tips, answers, and checklists, our HealthTap Prime doctors can now order diagnostic lab tests for you during a Virtual Consult! Our collaboration with Quest Diagnostics, the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, means that you get the care you need when you need it:

1. Improved access to high-quality health information and medical expertise
2. A faster diagnosis by streamlining the ordering, testing, and receiving of lab tests and their results

Start a healthier, happier life with the decade-specific preventive health checklists below, and then get a specific action plan from a HealthTap doctor through a Virtual Consult.

12 Healthy Living Tips at Every Age

1. Develop and maintain healthy habits
2. Eat a balanced diet
3. Exercise weekly—cardio exercise for heart health and weight-bearing exercise for bone and muscle health
4. Stay hydrated
5. Wear sunscreen
6. Maintain a healthy weight
7. Cultivate positive relationships with your support networks (friends and family)
8. Limit alcohol consumption
9. Quit smoking
10. Make sure your vaccinations are up-to-date
11. For women: Schedule annual women’s wellness checkups with your OB/GYN and physicals with your primary care doctor.
12. For men: Talk to your doctor about men’s health concerns like premature ejaculation orerectile dysfunction. Need a referral? Find a doctor in our directory!

Scroll down for more healthy living tips for every decade.

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Healthy Living in Your 20s

• Get the HPV vaccine (it’s for women AND men!)
• Practice safe sex with birth control, condom use, and regular STI/STD screening
• Get screened for cervical cancer with a Pap smear every 3 years
• For women: Talk to your OB/GYN about fertility and pregnancy if you intend to have children
  • Start taking folic acid
  • Start tracking your ovulation cycle
• For men: Talk to your doctor aboutmale fertility if you intend to have children
  • Diet and exercise affect sperm count
  • Unhealthy habits like drinking, smoking, and recreational drug use also have an adverse effect on sperm count

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Healthy Living in Your 30s

• Sleep health begins to decline, so prioritize maintaining healthy sleep habits
  • You’re more likely to wake up in the middle of the night
  • It may also be harder for you to fall asleep
• Metabolism starts to slow down, so make sure your diet and exercise habits shift accordingly
• Schedule annual cholesterol, liver, and kidney screenings
• Talk to your doctor about cancer screenings, especially if your family has a history of cancer
• For women: Talk to your OB/GYN about fertility and pregnancy if you intend to have children
  • Start taking folic acid to prepare for pregnancy
  • Start tracking your ovulation cycle
  • Fertility starts to decline after 35
  • Talk to your OB/GYN and primary care doctor if you have postpartum concerns
  • Also, schedule an HPV test and a Pap smear together every 5 years
    • If the HPV test is unavailable, continue getting a Pap smear every 3 years
• For men: Talk to your doctor aboutmale fertility if you intend to have children
  • Diet and exercise affect sperm count
  • Cut back on unhealthy habits like drinking, smoking, and recreational drug use
  • Sperm motility begins to decline around in your late 30s–early 40s

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Healthy Living in Your 40s

• If your family has a history of colon cancer, schedule an annual colonoscopy
• Eye health starts to decline in your 40s, so make sure you schedule an eye exam every other year
• Focus on managing your stress, as it can impact your heart health
• Schedule annual cancer, cholesterol, liver, and kidney screenings
• If you have children, make sure to prioritize your own health needs too!
• For women: Schedule an annualmammogram
  • Also talk to your OB/GYN about preparing for and managingmenopause
• For men: Talk to your doctor aboutmale fertility if you intend to have children
  • Sperm motility declines in your early 40s
  • Genetic risks increase if you father a child after 50

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Healthy Living in Your 50s

• Schedule an annual colonoscopy
• Talk to your doctor about neurological concerns such as Parkinson’s andAlzheimer’s
• Don’t forget to manage your mental health
  • If you have older children, empty nest syndrome may begin to affect your mood and mental health
• Keep your mind active
  • 20 Tips to Keep Your Brain Sharp
• Schedule annual cancer, cholesterol, liver, and kidney screenings
• Get screened every 3 years for diabetes
• Schedule an annual colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer
• For men: Schedule a prostate cancerscreening

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Healthy Living in Your 60s, 70s, and Beyond!

• Talk to your doctor if your family has a history of diseases like diabetes and glaucoma
• Practice safe sex
  • Remember, no matter your age, it’s important to always practice safe sex if you’re sexually active
• Keep your mind active
  • 20 Tips to Keep Your Brain Sharp
• Stay physically active in low-impact ways
  • 7 Surprising Health Benefits of Walking
  • 8 Healthy Habits to Live to 80