I think it is important to prepare for your future years in many ways. There is the obvious need to be financially ready and to start thinking about retirement in your younger years. The sooner you start the more comfortable you will be when the time comes.

I also believe a person should prepare their bodies for the coming changes. It is inevitable that we will lose a significant amount of strength on our older years; there are some elderly people that can’t carry a bag of groceries. This will happen to all of us but I believe that if you have maintained good physical health that it will happen much later in life. If a person isn’t already into some kind of organized physical activity; it is good to start when you are thirty-something. Your body is still youthful enough to respond and improve with regular activity. If a person has never been in physical exercise they should consult their doctor and start slow. Patience is a virtue when it comes to working out. Do not expect results in a hurry.

It is better if the workout is with a group. There is nothing like a little peer pressure to keep you on track. Also it is best to find something that you enjoy. You may have to try a few things but having fun and learning while you exercise will keep you interested. I started marital arts when I was in my thirties. I am now almost fifty-nine years old. I’m a third degree black belt and I still enjoy going to workout. There are many variations from Yoga to Jazzercise and each has its own appeal.

It is also a good time to start thinking more about what you eat. This is one thing that I’m afraid I have a hard time practicing what I preach but I keep trying. I am not talking about weight loss exactly; I’m talking about eating for a lifetime. The older we get the more we need foods that have value. We need protein, and fiber, and antioxidants, and many other things. We need less sugar, salt, and animal fat. This would be a good time to do some replacement in your diet. You can replace an order of fries with a side of broccoli, or a cheeseburger with a broiled chicken sandwich. If you can get yourself used to the changes and you can leave the fatter choices for rare occasions you are more likely to sail into your forties and well beyond feeling good. What you choose in your thirties can prevent heart trouble in your fifties. The more healthy changes that you can make permanent; the healthier and happier you will be in the future. I myself can only claim partial success in this area.

One of the toughest things to do is to stop dangerous habits such a smoking, excessive drinking, or recreational drug use. This is important at any age but the cumulative effects of these poisons can be doing serious damage by the time you reach forty. If you need help with this; get it. Nature is a depicted as “Mother Nature” a kind a carrying entity; nothing can be further from the truth. Nature doesn’t care. If you fill your body with poison she will be more than happy to kill you slowly and painfully.

Another thing that will promote good health and well being into middle age is a stable relationship. Actually that may be a misleading statement. If a person is really comfortable living alone then this point may be mute. I am thinking mainly about guys when I think of this subject. That is probably a bit sexist and I apologize if it sounds that way. Guys tend to believe the good life is playing the field and being in the hunt. The truth is that it is much better to find a good partner and settle down before you reach forty. Being in the hunt means several things. First you’re going to be out in the nightlife which generally means unhealthy food and drink, and not enough sleep. The older you get the more experienced each of your sexual partners will be which continually raises the odds of contracting an STD. Protection is vitally important and should always be used but it is not foolproof. In addition, in most cases, the older you get the higher the possibility of being alone can bring on depression or other emotional problems. As a practical note, if you do have a medical emergency at night, it would be nice if someone was there to call 911.

Related to person a relationship is maintaining friendships and making new friends. This is actually more for later on in life but the more active interaction with people the healthier middle aged people are. Traveling and meeting new people stimulates the brain and keeps it active.

I am not an expert. I’m just a fifty-eight year old guy that remembers making choices in my thirties. Some of the choices were good and some were not so good. Fortunately the good ones seem to out weigh the bad ones and I am reaping some of the benefits now.