Fifty can be a difficult age for men. On the one hand, they are smart enough to realize that they are aging and there are certain things they shouldn’t attempt anymore.
At the same time, the fact that life is marching on starts to hit us. We want to cross items off our bucket list before it’s too late, but those advancing years suggest we should think twice about certain activities.
For those who are in any doubt, it’s generally recommended that we avoid each of the following.
1. Dressing Like a Teenager
Some entries on this list relate to our health while others are attached to our general lifestyle. Questions around clothing fall into the second category, and if you don’t want to attract unwanted attention, you should dress age-appropriate.
Some suggestions to avoid include fun footwear, shorts in winter, and comedy ties in the office. As our features change, our style should adapt to them, and we don’t want our clothing choices to make us look like sad old men.
2. Ignoring Health Check-Ups
From age 50 onwards, we should be paying much more attention to our physical health. Blood pressure, cholesterol, and the risk of certain cancers increase from this point onwards.
Stop ignoring requests for screening and general check-ups. In most cases, the results will be clear and you’ll have peace of mind. If there is an issue, catching it early offers a better chance of treatment and cure.
3. Extreme Sports
Unless you are in peak physical fitness, it’s time to stop playing certain sports. You may have a desire to complete a triathlon, but it makes no sense to do this from a standing start, with no buildup.
Even a sport such as squash is intense enough to put too much strain on our bodies. At 50 you should recognize your physical condition. You can still play sports, but consider a more gentle pastime such as golf.
4. Eat Unhealthy Snacks
It’s a sad fact that when we age, our metabolism slows down and we are more likely to put on excess weight. Exercise is important, but there’s a whole list of unhealthy foods that we need to cut out.
Fatty meats, white chocolate, and protein bars are among the items to remove. If you want to stay looking trim over 50, you’ll need to pay much more attention to your diet.
5. Avoiding Socializing
In later life, it becomes even more important to maintain your social circle. A lack of contact with others can lead to a host of health issues, and it can trigger a decline in our mental faculties.
As we age, staying at home in the warm and dry can be more tempting. We get comfortable, but it’s vital that we don’t become a recluse. Stay in touch with your current social group, and maybe look to expand your circle of friends.
6. Skipping The Gym
For whatever reason, it may become more tempting to skip your exercise routine. Maybe you have an ache or a niggle and feel it’s best to stay at home and miss a gym session. The issue is that it’s easy to get out of the habit of regular exercise, and your fitness can quickly suffer.
Unless you have an injury that can’t be overlooked, try to keep up your workout, as this is even more important at 50 and beyond.
7. Ignoring Mental Health
We’ve covered the dangers of ignoring physical health problems, and we’ve also touched on mental health. While we should maintain that social circle, it’s inevitable that we’re going to lose friends and older members of our family.
Isolation is just one potential trigger for mental health issues, and men remain notoriously bad at talking things through. If you’re suffering, please talk to someone.
8. Using Alcohol and Tobacco
If you drink alcohol, smoke or indulge in other stimulants, now is a good time to stop. From fifty onwards, we become more vulnerable to cancers, heart disease, and certain other health conditions that can be accelerated by alcohol and tobacco.
At the very least, this is a time when we should look to cut down. If possible, look to phase out these stimulants gradually.
9. Ignoring Financial Planning
We should take the time to face up to our obligations. While there will hopefully be many happy and healthy years ahead of us, 50 is a good age to make a will. If you die without a will in place, it causes significant legal issues, and your loved ones may not receive what you intended.
It’s also a good age to assess debt and regular obligations such as a mortgage. It’s all part of the aging process, and facing up to finances is a sensible option at this stage of life.
10. Fear Getting Older
It’s easier to say this rather than put it into practice, but we should embrace the aging process as opposed to fearing it. When you think about it, it’s certainly a better option than the alternative.
Use the time to enjoy new experiences and take up that hobby you’ve always wanted to try. If you’re experiencing greater financial freedom, you could also take the opportunity to travel more and tick some items off that bucket list.
