Most of us have been lucky enough to enjoy a great upbringing, fun childhood, and a good start to life. Of course, that doesn’t mean it was boring! On the contrary, many of us would put our hands up and say we’ve had one or two (or more) wild rides when we were younger. Life in your teens and early twenties is, of course, all about having fun. We enjoyed those amazing life experiences we treasure the most now we’re much wiser.
Unfortunately, a lot of what we got up to back in the day could soon be catching up with us. There are lots of times when you might have thrown caution to the wind. You might have done a few things that you wouldn’t dare consider today. You got away with it, though, right? Not necessarily. Remember that college diet of fast food and packets of chips? Potentially, they’ve caused one or two problems with your health that you might only be noticing now.
Bad diets can lead to malnutrition. When we’re young, we seem to have boundless energy, so we don’t notice much. But if your body wasn’t well fed in youth, this can have a detrimental effect on the development and growth of your body. A lack of calcium might have affected the strength of your bones. A high-fat diet might have left some signs of arterial plaque that could cause heart disease now.
Living a clean and healthy life now can certainly help reduce your risk of problems. But if you enjoyed a few too many drinks when you were younger, you may have damaged organs like your liver. It’s never too late (or too early) to have a full check up and tests if you’re worried at all.
Have you noticed any changes to your hearing? Loud music in your youth could lead to an early decline in your auditory senses. It’s important you find the right audiologist to test your hearing and provide advice to help you protect your hearing in the future. We all love to turn up the volume, but it could be best to do that only in moderation. Most people suffer some hearing loss as they age, but there are hearing aids that can help here. Unfortunately, any damage is unlikely to be repaired.
Aside from alcohol, there may have been a temptation to try out other less-than-healthy substances. Smoking causes cancer. Some people try it for a while, quit, and never worry about it again. The lungs and your body can heal from smoking over time. However, it’s worth having regular checkups if you smoked heavily or regularly used recreational drugs. The toxins and chemicals might cause long-term problems.
Many of us would still encourage our own kids to have fun and enjoy life to the full. What advice would you give your kids based on your own wild experiences now there has been time for it to catch up with you? Chances are you’re in great shape and good health. Keep it that way, but have some fun too!
