Begin the begin

By Michael Green, MD As told to Marco Buscaglia

It’s never too late to begin living a healthy life. In a perfect world, you would have never eaten that first french fry or downed that first bottle of soda but who lives in a perfect world? While individuals who eat responsibly and get a fair amount of exercise will certainly enjoy the benefits of their healthy choices, it doesn’t mean that those who’ve gone down a different path are stuck with an unhealthy future. There’s always time to make changes in your life. And don’t worry about the age deadlines you hear on talk shows or read in magazines: Whether you’re 40, 50, 60 or 70, your best life may still be in front of you provided you take action now.

We can’t cover every way you can improve your lifestyle but we can start with some of the basics:

Drink water. Lots of it

Seems obvious, right? But you’d be surprised how even people who consider themselves responsible water drinkers convince themselves that a glass of water in the morning and a glass of water in the afternoon is enough. For some, it can be a tough transition but if you’re serious about your health, you’ll need to be serious about your water intake. You can have coffee—minus sugar and creamer—throughout the day but be sure you’re drinking more than enough water. I tell people that their body is 65 percent water so the amount of water they put into their body is incredibly important.

Stop drinking processed sugar

Studies show that even one can of soda correlates with metabolic syndrome, which is basically prediabetes. If you’re going to drink juice, drink juice that you make yourself. A bottle of processed apple juice or fruit punch can have more sugar than a can of soda. If you enjoy drinking juice, you should have a juicer or blender at home and make it yourself.

Meals matter

If you go out to dinner, you should know that the restaurant will be serving what’s basically a double portion. Either split your meal with someone or bring half of it home. And the food in your home should be as natural as possible. Be mindful of what you bring into the house. If you go to the grocery store and buy food that’s bad for you and bring it home, you’ve already lost. Keep the bad food out of your house. When shopping, focus on foods that are whole or pure. The less your food is processed, the better.

Limit your eating window

There are people who wake up at 6 a.m., eat breakfast and continue eating until they go to bed at 10 p.m. Try to limit yourself to 12 or even eight hours of eating during the day. If you wake up at 6, maybe you can have breakfast at 8 or 9 a.m. and then eat your final meal at 6 or 7 p.m. If you limit the amount of time you eat, your body will have time to process your food. I know there’s some discussion on the idea of fasting but if you give your body a chance to not only digest what you’ve eaten but also put it to use instead of storing it away, you’ll feel the benefits.

Where you sleep matters

We all know there are numerous benefits to getting a full night of sleep but we’ve been bombarded with so much information that we’ve tuned it out. I think we should keep it simple: Strive for eight hours a night but be mindful of where you sleep. Your bedroom should be a sanctuary. It’s not a place to watch TV or play games on your phone. It’s for sleep. If you treat it as a sanctuary, you won’t feel the need to pull out your iPad to stay busy when you’re going to bed. When you go into your bedroom, you go to bed. It’s as simple as that.

Walkers, embrace the weather

People realize the numerous benefits of walking but they consider it a seasonal thing. People who live in cities that are cold six or more months a year usually change their walking habits, even when they commute. Buy appropriate clothing so you can stay dry when it’s raining and warm when it’s cold. If you walk all year long, your health is going to not only improve, it will also stay consistent.

Empty nesters should refocus

When your children leave home, don’t stick with the same routines you’ve established for the past 20 or 30 years. It’s time to think about yourself again in every way—your health, your financial well-being, your spirituality, your relationships—and to make the effort to improve. You have the time now, so no more excuses. Do the things that will make your life better.

Chicago-based Michael Green, MD, specializes in anti-aging and regenerative medicine. He is also a board-certified emergency physician.