For many, celebrating their thirtieth birthday can feel less like a party and more like a funeral for their twenties, as they mourn their recently deceased youth and prepare for a life of daytime television and crossword puzzles.
But that isn’t a particularly positive way to view one of life’s most important checkpoints, is it? Unlike your twenties, your thirties will have more open doors than closed ones: better financial stability, career progression, and the chance to start a family are all common rewards of living through your thirties.
Unfortunately, many people perceive this definitive decade as the one when age finally catches up with their bodies: the beginning of the inevitable decline. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Many enter their thirties after partying through their twenties, or having lost track of their health goals, as life got in the way. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that it’s too late to turn things around, but it isn’t. In fact, your body is ready to prove you wrong; it’s easier than you think.
Without any further ado, here are five changes you can make to your health and well-being that can make you feel even better than you did in your twenties.
Improve Your Gut Health
When a lot of people leave the nest for the first time and start looking after themselves, this usually leads to a decadent period full of alcohol, fast food and beige-coloured oven meals. So with all of the damage you’ve done to your gut in your twenties, it’s high time that you showed it some love and respect in your thirties.
Embrace a balanced diet that’ll give your stomach everything it needs to do its thing. Fruit and vegetables are naturally great sources of fibre, and kefir and other probiotics can improve the diversity of beneficial bacteria in your microbiome, while also acting as an anti-inflammatory that can help your body digest trickier foods, like lactose.
Embrace a New Challenge
The first half of your life is often defined by the skills, interests, and even talents that you pick up along the way. Don’t lay yourself out to pasture just because you’re more settled in life; there is always enough time to learn something new.
This is a broad topic area, but here are a few recommendations that are accessible, satisfying to learn, and could end up being genuinely impressive feathers in your cap.
- Learning a musical instrument
- Become a good home cook with a repertoire of recipes
- Learning a language
Yes, these will all require commitment and hard work, but they offer opportunities to live a more fulfilling, passionate life.
Start Weight Training
The overwhelming majority of people fail to hit their physical peaks in their twenties. Why spend your thirties thinking about what the potential of your body could have been? As Socrates said, “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” The same applies to women, too, of course. The ancient Greeks just hadn’t figured that out yet.
Plus, if now is the first time you’ve attempted to train your body, here’s some good news. If you can commit to a couple of days at the gym a week, totalling around 2 hours, you’ll feel healthier and stronger than you ever did in your twenties.
Treat Yourself to a Good Self-Care Routine
Everybody should have their own self-care routine down – especially by their thirties. It’s an easy habit that’ll make a big difference. But if you haven’t, allow me to educate you. Often, a self-care routine comes at the end of the day, just before bed, and is a chunk of time every day dedicated solely to yourself. If done right, it’ll help you feel self-assured, relaxed, and more confident.
Skin care is a central part of any self-care routine, so learn more about your skin type and the kinds of products you’ll need to keep it looking clear and fresh. These routines will differ for men and women, especially when it comes to grooming, but focus on putting together a routine that will leave you feeling relaxed and settled before bed.
Once in bed, it’s hard to beat a cup of camomile tea and a good book. Minimising screen time will help relax your eyes, while the tea promotes relaxation and reduces anxiety. One of the best gifts you can give yourself in your thirties is a solid self-care routine that increases your chances of getting eight glorious hours of sleep.
Wrapping Up
A lot of people don’t expect much from their thirties. Most of them enter the decade expecting a grim reality check that confirms they’re officially over the hill, as they look back on their joyous twenties, which continues to shrink in the rear-view mirror.
But that isn’t the case. You can find time to focus on yourself and promote your own health and well-being while learning new things. Who knows, maybe you’ll come to realise that your thirties are all about becoming the person you want to be.
Author’s Bio:
Lacey Harrow is a wellbeing blogger whose simple, science-savvy insights on exercise, kefir and gut health, mindset, and everyday habits aim to support readers to live happier, healthier lives.
