Written by Menswear Style in Health & Fitness on the 22nd January 2021

It would be amazing if our bodies could stay as fit at 50 as they were at 20. Unfortunately, ageing comes with certain side-effects, many of which can impact our health. That isn’t to say that you can’t still be strong, active and flexible in your older years, as many men are. It’s just that deterioration in parts of your body can make you more vulnerable to various illnesses and disorders. Luckily, you don’t just have to sit around and wait for them to impact your life. Plenty of these problems have solutions which, even if they can’t get rid of whatever ails you, can stop these issues from ruining the older stages of your life.

Enlarged Prostate 

When you’re younger, you probably don’t give your prostate gland much thought. In fact, some guys don’t even know it exists. However, it can be hard to avoid it as you get older because men are prone to developing an enlarged prostate in their later years. That can really impact your quality of life, especially if you’re having to urinate every couple of hours and in the middle of the night. Luckily, if a doctor confirms that you have this issue, there are plenty of ways to deal with it. If regular exercise and a good diet don’t relieve some of the pressure, then herbal remedies ought to do the trick. Surgery may even be an option, although this is usually only reserved for those with severe symptoms.

Flu 

The flu isn’t something that only affects the older generation. Everyone can get it, and when they do, the experience isn’t exactly enjoyable, no matter what age you are. However, the older someone is, the more risks that come from catching the flu. This is because a person’s immune system typically weakens with age, meaning your body struggles to fight the contagions in your body. For someone in their senior years, the flu can lead to all sorts of problems, including pneumonia or sepsis. It can also put a lot of strain on vital organs like the lungs and heart, which is why prevention is so essential. Thankfully, we have flu shots which are designed to protect those who are more vulnerable to the effects of the virus. If you get one of these every year, your chances of being knocked down by the flu can fall dramatically. 

Erectile Dysfunction 

It’s not uncommon for men to struggle with erectile dysfunction in their later years. Fortunately, if this is something you experience, there are multiple ways to resolve the problem so that you don’t have to sacrifice having fun in the bedroom. Viagra is probably the most widely discussed solution; however, this offers more of a quick fix instead of something permanent. A penile implant, on the other hand, makes it possible for a man to become erect whenever he wants, without any waiting around. You can learn more about what it entails and how to find a specialist at ED Solutions. Although, a penile implant might not be a doctor’s first suggestion for someone dealing with erectile dysfunction, as this resource shows, it could be what you need to remove any issues in the bedroom.

Weak Bones 

You might think of your bones as always being strong enough to support you. However, like everything else in your body, they can weaken over time. That’s not ideal for someone in their advanced years, especially given that older people are more prone to falls due to loss of balance. The weaker your bones are, the longer it can take to heal, meaning a lot of time confined to your bed when you want to be making the most of still being active. While you can’t prevent your bones from weakening, you can slow down the rate at which their strength deteriorates. By giving your body plenty of vitamin D and calcium, as well as lifting weights and avoiding smoking, you can make a big difference to your bones in the future. 

High Blood Pressure 

High blood pressure is something else that no-one is immune to when they’re younger. If you have a poor diet or are exposed to a great amount of stress, then you can easily develop this issue well before your older years. The problem is that high blood pressure can affect you greatly in later life because the longer it goes untreated, the greater the risk of a heart attack or a stroke. It’s believed that half of all heart attacks are caused by high blood pressure, meaning it’s a significant risk to your longevity. To make matters worse, a person with this issue doesn’t typically display any symptoms, so they can live with it for years without knowing they have it. Fortunately, you can do something about that. To ensure your blood pressure never gets too high – or too low – it’s recommended that you have it checked by a doctor every one to two years. Between tests, you can help to keep it a stable level by staying fit, eating properly, getting plenty of sleep, and doing your best to avoid stressful situations. This won’t make you immune to high blood pressure, but it will significantly reduce the risks of it affecting you.

Heart Disease 

Heart disease and high blood pressure are relatively similar for two reasons. Firstly, they’re typically caused by poor lifestyle choices, meaning the less effort you put into being fit and healthy, the more at risk you are. Secondly, they can be more problematic for older men because it takes time for the issue to develop and reach a critical point. Luckily, with heart disease, you have more of an indication that something’s wrong because you may experience chest pains, heart palpitations, and breathlessness. When these occur, it’s your body warning you to introduce some lifestyle changes to reduce the chances of suffering a heart attack. The more you change now, the better it will be for you during your later years. It can be scary to think about how many health problems await us in the future. However, a lot of these can be avoided – or at least be less of a risk – if you just live a healthy lifestyle now. Your future self is bound to thank you for it later. 

Aches and Pains 

Aches and pains can happen at any age but as we age we become predisposed to problems such as arthritis and chronic fatigue. Problems such as joint problems also come to light, such as knee issues, hip problems and shoulder pain. The good thing is of course that pain can be well managed with CBD oil. It is non-addictive and long term use does dramatically decrease the chronic pain and aches that we get. Of course consult your doctor before use but knee pain and hip pain is often associated with walking and the way in which we sit. It is very common. Shoulder pain is often associated with the tension that we hold day to day. Pain lasting at least 3 months is defined as chronic, or prolonged pain. Chronic pain may be continuous, or appear intermittently such as joint pain. Chronic pain may indicate some health condition that may be treatable. In most tissues and organs in the body there are sensory nerves. When these nerves detect damage, or a condition that may cause damage (e.g., heat or pressure), chemicals are released from the damaged tissue and these stimulate the sensory nerves in that tissue. These nerves and muscles weaken with age. Start looking at some exercises that will assist such as yoga and perhaps swimming. Gentle exercise will greatly assist you as well as looking at other supplements such as Omega 3. Don’t allow yourself to feel chronic pain, because whilst older age comes with the traditional aches and pains, you can avoid it as much as possible.

We feature Enlarged Prostate, Flu, Erectile Dysfunction, Weak Bones, High Blood Pressure, and Heart Disease in this blog post on How to Resolve Health Problems That Come With Old Age.