Health Check: 20-29 Years Old

During our teenage years from 12 until 19, we feel almost invincible. Our bodies are in the best shape of our lives and so is our health. We can eat whatever we want and still not put on too much weight. Everything seems to be well-oiled and working in tip top condition.

When we hit our 20s though, as much as our bodies and health do not suddenly take a landslide, it has to be taken into consideration that it is no longer as “new” as it was back then. And this transition into young adult life also brings about new experiences that will introduce both necessary and unnecessary impacts to our health, whether we feel it or not. Whatever it may be, taking care of your changing body especially in your 20s is crucial as it can affect your well-being in your later years. Here are some health checks to look out for and manage during these golden years of your life.

1. Make sure your heart is protected

Make sure you keep the most important organ in your body healthy and protected with proper exercise, food and supplements like fish oil. Besides its physical well-being, it is also best to try and minimise the amount of heartache you suffer during these years, be it from relationships or even situations. While a small amount of physical and emotional stress is beneficial to build a stronger fort, too much can cause issues when you are older.

2. Don’t destroy your liver

For some of us, the ages between 20 to 29 are the times we work the hardest, and play the hardest. Too hard sometimes especially for party animals who spend many a late night at night spots indulging in too much alcohol and too many cigarettes. These habits may not take much of a toll on you physically (you might just look tired the next day), but the amount of damage it can do to your liver is indescribable. Fatty liver is one of the most common ailments from too much luxuriant food and alcohol and the best way to stave off as much of the ill effects is to take supplements like milk thistle regularly.

3. Don’t hurt your stomach

While it may not be too difficult to stay svelte in our 20s, many young ladies and men still aim to look their best by starving themselves. If you don’t know already, let me tell you this. Our stomach juices is actually hydrochloric acid and if you paid any attention in school, you will know how powerful this chemical is in breaking down all sorts of enzymes, food and even our stomach lining. Wrecking our stomach with too little food and too much alcohol and drugs can do a whole lot of damage and cause a mountain of discomfort and pain in your later years so always eat when you are hungry and avoid not eating anything at all.

4. Keep your lungs healthy and strong

Everyone remembers the heart but sometimes, we forget that we also have to keep the health of our lungs in check. These are the organs that can cause minor ailments to become major if we don’t take care of them. Imagine suffering from a simple case of the flu and ending up with an infection in your lungs. Stay away from cigarettes and keep these organs as clean and healthy as you can to ensure little to no problems as you age.

5. Don’t forget your eyes

Many people disregard their eyes, which is weird because they allow you to see. While perfect eyesight is a little hard to manage in our current society, it is still possible to keep them close to healthy perfection during our 20s. Go for regular optical check ups, ensure you are wearing spectacles of the right fit that do not strain your eyes and if you are a contact lens wearer, make sure you get those that allow your eyes to breathe. Don’t leave them on for more than eight hours at a shot too. Abusing our eyes for the sake of beauty or convenience (or both), can lead to dry eyes, scratched corneas and even a certain level of blindness as we get older. Take care of those peepers people!