[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] As people age, managing only their weight or appearance is not enough to age healthily. Experts have warned that lifestyle habits such as spending most of the day sitting, exercising excessively while neglecting protein intake, or treating alcohol as a routine part of socializing can affect long-term health.
The New York Post highlighted five health-management mistakes that women can easily repeat without realizing it, based on advice from Robin Berzin, founder and CEO of Parsley Health, which provides personalized medical care.
The first is spending most of the day sitting simply because you exercised once.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week and engage in muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week. However, exercising several times a week does not mean it is fine to spend the rest of the time sitting for long periods.
The key is to reduce the amount of time spent sitting, regardless of how much one exercises. Taking a short walk after meals, using the stairs for nearby destinations, and getting up from one's desk periodically during work can all help increase movement in daily life.
The second is failing to consume enough protein relative to the amount of exercise one does.
Those who focus too heavily on losing weight, reduce their food intake, and do excessive amounts of cardio may find it difficult to maintain sufficient muscle mass. Berzin explained that the health goals of middle-aged women need to shift away from simply lowering the number on the scale and toward maintaining lean body mass, including muscle.
Muscle is not merely tissue that determines body shape. It is linked to important bodily functions that become increasingly significant with age, including blood sugar control, metabolism, bone health, balance, and mobility.
The third is viewing alcohol as part of one's social life.
As people age, the way their bodies process alcohol can also change. In middle-aged women in particular, alcohol may affect sleep quality, menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood changes, and metabolic health.
Berzin explained that alcohol can disrupt sleep architecture and recovery, is also associated with cancer risk, and can worsen sleep problems, hot flashes, and metabolic health issues commonly experienced by middle-aged women.
Rather than automatically assuming that one's drinking habits are safe simply because one believes that "drinking in moderation is fine," it is important to consider drinking frequency and amount alongside sleep and overall health.
The fourth is not knowing one's personal health baselines.
Health should not be assessed only after symptoms appear; it is important to track one's usual health measurements. These include blood pressure, blood test results such as blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides, as well as iron status and body composition, and compare them with one's normal baseline.
For example, even if blood pressure, blood sugar, or cholesterol levels change gradually, no noticeable symptoms may appear right away. Over time, however, these changes could lead to health problems, so knowing one's usual measurements can help identify changes.
Finally, some people put off managing their health until abnormal symptoms appear.
Many chronic diseases can progress for a considerable period without clear symptoms. Therefore, rather than assuming that one is healthy simply because nothing hurts, it is important to identify risk factors through regular health checkups and lifestyle management.
This does not mean that people need to constantly buy expensive supplements or the latest devices to age healthily. Instead, consistently managing basic lifestyle habits is what matters.
The basics include moving the body regularly, maintaining muscle, getting adequate nutrition, reducing alcohol consumption, and regularly checking key health indicators such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol.
Berzin emphasized that rather than becoming fixated on longevity itself, it is important to manage in advance the muscles and bones, metabolic health, and cardiovascular health that will support people over the coming decades.
Ultimately, healthy aging does not begin all at once one day. Starting in one's 30s and 40s, small habits such as reducing the amount of time spent sitting all day, prioritizing strength training and protein intake, and managing alcohol consumption and health checkups can affect one's health in later years.
Jang Jong-ho, reporter
bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
