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Achieving Your Best Health by Decade

Experts weigh in on easy tips for staying healthy—whether you are 30 or 60

Experts agree—health equals beauty. So when you’re in good health, your attractiveness naturally shows. However, if your health is suffering, so do your looks—no matter how nice a suit you sport or how much makeup you apply. But with the clutter of information available on how to keep ourselves both youthful and healthy, it’s easy to get confused about how to maintain good health and what to do at each stage of our lives. You may know the basics of eating well and exercising, but do you know which vitamins and minerals you need as you age? Do you know which supplements reduce the chance of disease? Do you know which screenings and tests you should take—and at what age? And do you know the best ways to stay looking young, with or without cosmetic procedures?

We asked a wide range of San Diego’s experts, from alternative health practitioners and fitness trainers to physicians and plastic surgeons, what they thought today’s men and women should be doing through life’s different decades to stay healthy, handsome and beautiful for as long as possible. We explored alternative treatments such as specific supplements, and traditional treatments such as heart disease screenings and breast exams. To keep the exterior fit and fabulous, we looked to personal fitness training and noninvasive cosmetic procedures that require little or no downtime. The good news is that with a little effort and discipline, we can increase both the quality and quantity of our lives.

The 30s

In your 30s, your weight might be creeping upward. According to fitness expert and personal trainer Stacy Farrar of Fitness Inc., the key to managing this is to take in calories at regular intervals. And it’s important to take in more whole foods and fewer treats. Another great tip is to frequent farmers’ markets rather than buying food that’s traveled long distances. The farther the food has to travel, the more it oxidizes, and the fewer nutrients you get from it, explains Farrar.

We also start to lose muscle mass in our 30s if we don’t strength-train. “Muscle is very metabolically active and if we don’t maintain muscle tissue, we gain fat,” says Sweat San Diego’s Joan Lindley. Lindley recommends cardio exercises four to five times a week and strength training two to three times a week. She also recommends seeking professional help from trained fitness professionals to get a “postural analysis” to determine the joints’ ability to move through their range of motion, and to correct structural imbalances—a problem she sees a lot of in professionals in their 30s. “This [correction] can make the body look really great, and is especially helpful to professionals who sit at a desk all day,” she says.

Dr. Ronald Rothenberg of the California Healthspan Institute—a leader in cutting-edge anti-aging medicine—believes the key to a long and healthy life is suppressing inflammation and preventing future medical problems. His top three supplements for optimal health are: omega-3 (from fish oil) supplementation for blocking inflammation; vitamin D for preventing cancer, heart disease, depression and fibromyalgia; and resveratrol supplements—the polyphenols found in red wine—to lower the risk of cancer and heart disease by providing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

As part of preventing future issues, Rothenberg says it is important to test for our predisposition for diabetes and heart disease. The California Healthspan Institute offers a full range of blood and saliva testing to check for possible health issues, including vitamin D and omega-3 testing—which will indicate any deficiencies that need to be rectified. Deficiencies of both have been linked to heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Signs of aging also start to show up in this decade. Skin is less tight; lines start to form; and sun damage manifests. Dr. Steven Cohen of FACESplus ™ says this age group often benefits from noninvasive treatments. Botox® prevents the skin from creating wrinkles and lasts three to four months. And hyaluronic-based temporary fillers, such as Juvederm ™ and Restylane ®, fill lines around the mouth and plump lips and can last up to 12 months. For sun damage, a series of intense pulsed facials (IPLs) removes redness and restores collagen.

The biggest medical issues affecting women in their 30s are usually reproductive. Especially if women are planning on getting pregnant, they need to make sure their immunizations are up-to-date, advises Dr. Carol A. Harter, assistant area medical director and board-certified ob-gyn at Kaiser Permanente. She adds that prenatal vitamins should be taken three months before conception to reduce the chance of birth defects. She also stresses the importance for all women of regular pap smears to check for precancerous abnormalities. And mammograms should start yearly at age 35 in women who have a strong family history of premenopausal breast cancer.

The 40s

With 40 being the so-called new 30, it’s important to continue good nutritional and fitness habits. If you don’t, your metabolism slows down. “It’s important to realize that food is fuel and you need to eat less in midlife,” says Lindley. The best strategy is to cut calories very slowly to prevent feeling deprived. Also, you may need to increase the intensity of exercise, says Farrar. She explains that the body adapts to the same exercise done over and over, so adjustments are necessary.

For men, the late 30s and early 40s is when testosterone levels drop. Rothenberg also tells us that cortisol (the stress hormone) levels in both men and women can increase in this decade of life due to stress. He recommends body scans and increased stress reduction. If necessary, replacing hormone deficiencies is an option, although Rothenberg stresses that hormone replacement isn’t usually necessary. “Eighty percent of our quality of life is due to lifestyle, then [it’s] taking the proper nutraceuticals.”

Dr. Monica Perlman, internist at Scripps Memorial Hospital, also recommends regular screenings for heart disease, the leading cause of death among both women and men in the United States. If you have a family history of heart disease, Perlman recommends a relatively new test that screens for atherosclerosis (plaque buildup on the inner walls of the arteries). In addition, Perlman says, “At the risk of sounding like a broken record, a low-fat and low-cholesterol diet, as well as regular physical activity, are the best ways to keep your chances of heart disease low.”

Breast cancer remains a major issue affecting women in this age group, and, to some extent, men. Dr. Mary K. Wilde, medical director at Scripps Polster Breast Care Center, says women in high-risk groups—including those who have a close family member with breast cancer, smokers and those who drink two or more mixed drinks a day—need to have their annual breast exam done by a breast specialist, while anyone with a palpable mass needs an ultrasound. The best cure is prevention, though. Stop smoking and drinking excessively and get regular exercise. Wilde says women who exercise 45 minutes a day for five days a week reduce their risk of breast cancer.

In our 40s, the visible signs of aging become more apparent— from early jowling to deepening smile lines. Dr. Eugene Nowak of Nowak Aesthetics recommends Thermage® for this age group. Thermage® delivers a radiofrequency, or heat injury, to the deeper layers of the skin, which helps to shrink and tighten the skin within six months. “It can last years, depending on a patient’s heredity and habits,” he says. Nowak Aesthetics also offers the Fraxel ™ CO2 laser, which repairs sun damage and improves pigmentation and fine lines. Of course, those in this age group also benefit from Botox® injections and wrinkle fillers.

The 50s

As women reach their 50s, weight loss can be more difficult. The best remedy? A history of exercising, says Farrar. “Women who go into menopause exercising on a regular basis at a medium to high level of intensity, challenging their heart rate throughout the week, will experience almost no weight gain and [will] experience fewer effects of menopause.” Women also need to continue strength training to help prevent osteoporosis.

Rothenberg also sees more hormonal deficiencies in men and women in this decade, but emphasizes that each patient needs to be tested to discover deficiencies, whether hormonal or supplemental. He also recommends CoQ10 for heart health—50 to 100 milligrams for those without heart disease risk factors and 300 to 600 milligrams for those with risk factors.

In our 50s, both men and women are equally at risk of getting colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in this country. You can greatly reduce your chance of getting colon cancer with the following lifestyle habits: regular exercise, maintaining an ideal body weight and eating plenty of raw vegetables. Screening is also essential. Perlman recommends screening with colonoscopies starting at 50 every 10 years. However, if abnormalities appear, they should be as frequent as every three years. Harter also recommends a less-invasive screening for low-risk patients, which he says can be done by checking for microscopic signs of blood in the feces every year. And, she adds, “If you have close family members who had colon cancer, I would recommend starting colonoscopies 10 years before your youngest relative got it.”

For those wanting to take a few years off of their looks, this is a common time for facelifts. “But surgery itself can’t eliminate many of the problems of aging, including volume loss,” Cohen says. “It’s very common for patients to have a multipronged approach, including resurfacing techniques, filler techniques and surgical techniques to achieve their outcome.” Nowak tells us that many women in this age group also get eyelid lifts—which turns the clock back several years.

The 60s

A major fitness issue affecting those in their 60s is lack of flexibility. Daily stretching and twisting keeps the lower back from getting tighter and keeps you from getting shorter. “Stretch every day!” Lindley says. Farrar recommends long static stretching and holding the pose from 30 seconds to one minute. Continued strength training also reduces your risk of osteoporosis by strengthening your bones. If you’re not sure what kind of stretches to do, it’s important to consult a qualified personal trainer. Even better, assisted stretching with a qualified professional can increase flexibility dramatically.

For women in their 60s, menopause leads to the decline of three important hormones: estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Rothenberg suggests testing for these hormones to determine whether a patient needs hormone replacement therapy. Restoring normal levels of these hormones can contribute to mood stabilization, restoring libido and preventing osteoporosis.

A health concern affecting men in their 60s is prostate cancer, according to Perlman. A blood test screens for PSA, a protein produced by prostate cells—high levels of which can indicate prostate cancer. And several servings a week of lycopene—found in cooked tomatoes and tomato stews—has been shown to significantly reduce the chance of prostate cancer.

For women, osteoporosis screening starts at 65 for bone density. But those who have a first-degree relative with osteoporosis, are small-boned or are smokers, should start screening earlier. This age group also needs to supplement with 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium, according to Hartar.

Aging hands can be rejuvenated with Sculptra™, a soft-tissue filler that hides prominent veins and leads to dermal thickening, according to Cohen. And for rejuvenating an aging face, surgery becomes a more common option. Of course, each person is different and needs to consult with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon for individual advice. Another option to restore youthful definition is filling the jaw line with Radiesse®, a longer-lasting calcium-based filler, a practice that Nowak performs frequently.

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