OK, boys and girls, we’re going to have a little talk about our bodies and some of the recent changes you may have been noticing. That’s right, screw puberty, if you are a young professional (YP) around the age of 30, you may be experiencing some of the less-than-pleasant physical and psychological shifts associated with aging. Such changes can include the new-found inability to drink like we used to, lose weight like we used to, recover from injuries like we used to, and not give a damn like we used to. To try to make sense of the various changes that occur in and around the big three-o, we have once again turned to our favorite young professional MD, Dr. Jamie Rusen (you may remember him from this popular Notable article).
Oh, to be 25 again!
Dr. Jamie, a surgeon working at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital, knows all too well, both professionally and personally, just how aging can affect the YP life. “As a surgeon working in a busy trauma hospital, it doesn’t take long for the changes of thirty to become apparent.”
We hear ya, Dr. J! Can you tell us why? According to the good doctor, most human beings reach their physiological peak around age 25. At that point, he says, “we have usually fully developed from a physical and psychological perspective. Bone mass is at its peak, metabolism is occurring at its most efficient and maximum rate, our cognition and memory are constantly being tested and honed, and our internal organs have not yet been subjected to the damage or strain of aging.” From there, however, it’s pretty much all downhill – at least at the physiological level. “Thirty seems to be a notable year,” says Dr. Jamie; “it represents the beginning of a transition period from the more care-free days of our youth to an adulthood filled with mounting responsibilities and increasing physical and psychological stressors.” Because thirty seems to be such an obvious benchmark in the life of YPs, we went to Dr. Jamie with a few of our most common complaints to try to make sense of them, as well as learn ways to compensate. Here are a few examples:
Notable: Why can’t we drink like we used to?
Dr. J: “As we age, we often find ourselves unable to consume alcohol like we did in our twenties. This can be due to multiple factors, including a decrease in the liver’s ability to detoxify alcohol from our blood, our kidneys becoming more damaged by toxins, lessening their ability to filter efficiently, and also a decrease in frequency of actually consuming alcohol. This can result in a lowered tolerance without us being aware of it. If you decide to drink, consider keeping alcoholic beverages to a preset minimum, or to alternate alcoholic beverages with glasses of water in order to prevent dehydration.”
Notable: Why can’t we lose weight as easily as we used to?
Dr. J: “Our metabolism slows down with age, resulting in a decreased number of calories our bodies can burn over time. This means that it becomes much easier to eat more than we expend, which will lead to weight gain. As we reach 30, it is important to continue to engage in cardiovascular exercises several times a week, at least a half hour daily. This will continue to exercise the heart and lungs and prevent a dangerous increase in body weight. Frequent medical checkups, decreasing sugar and simple carbohydrates, and increasing cardiovascular activity, can minimize risk.”
Notable: Why can’t we easily recover from injuries like we used to?
Dr. J: “As we get older, our musculoskeletal systems degenerate from wear and tear injuries, and overuse syndromes (like the texting claw). Cartilage wears out, muscles become stiffer and more prone to tearing, bones become more brittle; additionally, skin loses elasticity so wounds take longer to heal. Injuries can occur if proper precautions are not taken, like frequent resistance training and stretching exercises, in addition to cardiovascular exercise, and avoiding high impact activities like running if joint pain is a problem. Also, keeping a healthy bodyweight can majorly decrease stress on problematic joints”.
Notable: Why can’t we just not care like we used to?
Dr. J: “As we develop further into adulthood, our brains age along with the rest of us, which can lead to changes in our emotions. We do, however, become better able to analyze and express those emotions. We have lived more of a life and have had multiple experiences, both positive and negative, and because we have had more things happen to us we are able to develop an awareness of how we liked or didn’t like certain feelings in the past. By allowing ourselves to understand that we are human and are capable of mistakes as well as successes, we can keep a balanced outlook on stressful events and can better know how to behave when they occur.”
Overall, it’s apparent that we are no longer able to simply rely on our bodies to naturally take care of us anymore around age 30. If you are a YP around this significant age, now is the time to become proactive and to consciously make health and wellness a priority. So keep up with physical activity, mix in a water when you’re out on the town, and just enjoy your mature ability to give a damn about your life.
