Staying Healthy
The 30s, for most people, are for fixing all those things they broke back in their 20s, including health. And that’s when things get pretty complicated.
“20s were a breeze, but your 30s are not going to be the same” - this is how the world will scare you with words when you step ahead in your 30s. Well, it’s actually true. Putting it in the way of a doctor, “get a health check every year because you are in your 30s now.”
The 30s, for most people, are for fixing all those things they broke back in their 20s, including health. And that’s when things get pretty complicated. All of a sudden, your body keeps hurting all day for no reason. Even a tiny twinge while doing household chores would become a full-blown spasm the next day. You hate all-night parties and start loving the social distancing for some reason. You no longer have the same metabolism you had in your 20s. Day-long hangovers would become the worst nightmares. And you eventually start hitting the bed by 10, knowing that it’s going to be your new routine.
Why is it happening? Have you ever wondered why is your life suddenly moving towards mere existence rather than living? Yes, the 30s won't be a breeze unless you become proactive towards your health.
In this article, you'll understand why health becomes complicated beyond the 30s and how health checks are your best ally.
You would be welcoming your 30s with a slump in your metabolism. Slowing down metabolism is due to aging, which is happening all life, but you actually start sensing it when you go beyond 30. The slower metabolism is directly proportional to less energy your body needs to keep you moving. So, you will not be able to eat as you did in your 20s, yet you’ll be more likely to put on weight. The reason is your tissues can’t utilise all the energy produced from your diet, which will end up deposited as adipose tissue (fat tissue) under the skin.
Stop freaking out. It is not a disease. Sarcopenia is a process of muscle loss because of aging. Your muscles would be growing all the time since you were born up to some point in life. After that, your body would shed some muscles and keep doing that for the rest of your life. The point actually starts in your 30s.
Unchecked muscle loss will result in loss of strength and mobility over time. Reduced mobility will further result in weakness and further loss of muscle and obesity. Also, your muscles will gradually lose the ability to convert protein into energy. Lack of mobility would affect hormone production including, insulin, testosterone, and other growth hormones.
As you age, you would be losing your bone density gradually. Specialised cells in our body, comprised of microscopic proteins and minerals like Calcium, keep updating the bones in our body while the body reabsorbs old bones. The process happens lifelong until your bone mass reaches its peak. Mostly it happens in your 40s and 50s, but sometimes it may start in your 30s. You will start losing your bone density when the bone reabsorption rate exceeds the rate of new bone formation. Losing bone density shows no symptoms, but the chance of fracturing the bones get high. Bone density plunges faster in women compared to men.
You may not have worried about your heart health in your teens or 20s, but it is time to do now because your 30s are a bumpy ride for your heart. Your heart is like any other muscle in your body that weakens by age. Caring for your heart should be your topmost priority despite your age.
As you age, your blood vessels will go stiff, which will give rise to your blood pressure, and your heart has to work heavily to pump blood properly despite its weakening muscles. Stiffening of blood vessels happens over time. It can begin in your 30s or even 20s based on your lifestyle.
A recent study done by a group of scientists at Duke Clinical Research Institute claims even a minor rise in the lipid profile of people between 35 and 55 increases the possibilities of cardiovascular situations. You can blame the sedentary lifestyle and improper diet for cholesterol production. Your body in your 20s would have done great to utilise lipids and convert them into energy, but the efficiency will be slightly lower in your 30s. Hence the possibility of plaque formation in blood vessels increases, which might put you at the risk of atherosclerosis. Stress, lack of proper sleep, and restlessness at this age contribute to the rise of lipid levels.
The importance of a regular health check doubles up in your 30s. It is better to know what you have in the stores and the possibilities of stocks you may receive in the future.
With regular health checks, you can,
For people in their 30s, it is crucial to conduct some tests to know more about the performance of their bodies. But, that doesn’t mean they have to set an appointment and visit a lab physically. Since the digital health revolution, it has become pretty handy to commission health checks at home. But it is also possible to do some of the crucial health checks in one go.
With Resolute’s Health Intelligence panel one can take four important health check for 30s in one go along with few more. Not only you get results in 24 hours you also get hyper-personalised care delivered by Resolute’s 24/7 Care Team.
Diabetes has become the most common health issue worldwide, and India has a unique spot in it. Testing diabetes will help you find your blood sugar levels that can be high or low based on various factors, including lifestyle and diet. A diabetes test will help you find if you have Type 1 or Type-2 diabetes or prediabetes.
The purpose of taking a diabetes test is to maintain a normal sugar level in the blood along with normal cholesterol and blood pressure.
Hypertension screening is necessary to know how much pressure your blood vessels sustain as your heart pumps. It is hard to detect hypertension without measuring, as it shows no symptoms until it reaches a tipping point. As high blood pressure is another leading cause of stroke and heart attack, it is better to check, as an act of prevention.
Cholesterol screening or lipid profiling helps you know the levels of HDL, LDL, Triglycerides, and plasma cholesterol produced in your body. The prominent reason to take up a cholesterol screening is to find out the level of LDL (Low-Density Lipid), the bad cholesterol. Because of its low density, LDL can accumulate in the walls of your blood vessels. Then it starts building plaques that will narrow and block the blood vessels and result in stroke or cardiac arrest.
Testing your thyroid once a year will help you know how well the butterfly gland is regulating your metabolism. Thyroids is a gland that is located in the throat. When the gland produces too much thyroid hormone, it is termed as hyperthyroidism which the speeds up the metabolism and causes weight loss. When the same gland produces less thyroid it is termed as hypothyroidism which result in frequent fatigue, unexplained weight gain, and dry skin.
Chronic Kidney Diseases are increasingly becoming common. Some researches on kidney disease claim lifestyle factors as reasons while some point to hereditary. It is better to test kidneys in your 30s as a preventive measure, but it is even better to examine them to know how it is performing after a quarter-century of your existence. Testing the level of calcium, serum calcium, uric acid, and Blood Urea Nitrogen will offer more insights into your kidney and its function.
Wait, we are not done yet.
Nutritional requirements for your body may alter in your 30s based on your lifestyle. A blood test to detect vitamins and minerals deficiency would help you acknowledge what your body lacks and how to improve it.
Your body has its own defense mechanism against pathogens. The immunity level alters all life, and it may slump down or go up sometimes due to any underlying causes. Finding what keeps compromising your immunity level before escalation will help Resolute get back with a better and personalised plan to improve your immunity level.
Interest and excitement in knowing the diversity of the gut have become widely popular recently as it opens wider opportunities to improve one's health naturally. A gut microbiome test offers you a list of microbial species present in your gut, your body’s potential to break down nutrients, and much more. A simple gut microbiome test will help you improve your overall health, as the gut influences various bodily functions.
Studies on sexual desires suggest both genders have peak performance in their 20s. The same reduces to a certain level at the 30s for men while it goes up for women for another decade. But keeping the passion alive is necessary. Test the vital hormones and their levels through Resolute and get personalised suggestions to improve the drive.
A scientific survey claims your chance of getting breast cancer in your 30s is about 1 in 204, and it will be 1 in 65 in your 40s. A mammogram will help you find it out. Doctors rarely recommend a mammogram for women under 40 years, but it is crucial for women in their 30s who carry risk factors in their genes.
A DEXA scan is a kind of low-dose-X-ray scanning. A DEXA scan will help you find out the density of your bone and look for levels of minerals like Calcium. This test is crucial for women in their 30s and 40s to find out if they have Osteopenia or Osteoporosis.
Instead of a DEXA scan, one can also opt for a Vitamin D deficiency test to find their bone health.
The well-known health phrase of all time, “prevention is better than cure,” fits cancer at its best. Cancer screening like testicular or prostate for men, skin, colorectal, and cervical for women could be the few to start within your 30s.
All the discussed health checks are generic to the population in their 30s but there are more health checks your physician can suggest if you have any history of medical condition in your family. Doing Health checks at the right time by spending few hours has always been the proven preventative method of care for years and it’s going to be the same for years to come.
As mentioned before, it’s easy to commission a health check at home these days. Here’s a head start for you. You can click on the link below to book a health check right away with Resolute.
