40 Habits Doctors Don’t Recommend Doing After 40

9. You don’t have a proper oral hygiene routine

Flossing is not enough, even though it is indeed very important and should be part of everyone’s dental hygiene routine. Catrise Austin, DDS, founder of VIP Smiles in Flint, Michigan recommends following a simple four-step routine. Start by brushing your teeth and clean your tongue, then floss, and for the last step, rinse your mouth with an antibacterial mouth rinse.

By following these four steps, you’ll have a great smile in your 40s. And very important, don’t forget to visit your dentist twice a year, she continues.

10. You’re not paying attention to foot hygiene

According to Bruce Pinker, DPM, a foot and ankle surgeon at Progressive Foot Care in New York City, older people tend to neglect foot hygiene and have some unhealthy habits. Pinker says that the most common mistake people usually make is forgetting to dry between their toes after having a shower.

He explained that moist feet placed inside shoes can make your feet warm and wet which will eventually lead to fungus. Moreover, it can also lead to blistering and athlete’s foot. But luckily you can avoid these inconveniences or lower the risk of fungus by simply drying between the toes after having a bath or a shower.

Pinker even recommends using powders that can be found in every store, which can be used to prevent your feet from getting wet.

11. You only focus on cardio training

While cardio training is very efficient, weight and resistance training is also very important, especially after 40. According to Tafiq Akhir, a certified personal trainer and owner of Tafiq’s Physiques in West Hollywood, California, these types of workouts are a must for strengthening health factors that are usually affected by age, like bone density, hormone levels and metabolism.

Also, it would be better to get yourself a personal trainer if it’s your first time training with weights because you can get injured if you’re not doing the exercises correctly.

12. You’re sitting down all day

Some say that sitting is the new smoking because it can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease, according to Monica Lam-Feist, a certified personal trainer and lead fitness expert at AlgaeCal.

She recommends that people over 40 should get up every hour and have a quick walk, or stretch their muscles if they’ve been sitting down too long.

13. You’re watching too much TV

There is such thing as watching too much TV because it is associated with a high risk of heart disease, as a 2019 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found.

If you feel like you can’t resist watching TV, Kyle Varner, MD, a physician specializing in internal medicine suggests getting rid of the screen once and for all. If you don’t own a TV, you won’t be tempted to lay on the couch and watch shows for hours.

Varnes also said that she doesn’t have a TV because she considers it is a waste of time and life, and she prefers to do something more productive.

14. You wear skinny-fit jeans

If you used to wear pants that are too tight just because you felt like they’d make you look skinnier, now it’s definitely the time to throw them away for good.

According to Octavio Bessa Jr., MD, she explained in a 1993 paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine that wearing pants that are too tight can lead to bloating, abdominal pain and palpitations. It’s funny but this even has a name, and it’s tight pants syndrome.

15. Staying at a job you don’t like

If you don’t like your job or you feel like it’s not right for you, you should just leave. Leaving a job that feels like a burden can be so relieving, and not only improves your mental health, but it also boosts your physical wellbeing as well.

A 2014 study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine showed that people who don’t like their jobs and feel stressed at their workplace are more prone to developing type 2 diabetes.

16. Working way more than you should

While it’s understandable that you’d want to work as much as possible when you’re young, because you need money or want to achieve big things, when you reach the beautiful age of 40, you should definitely try to spend more time relaxing and doing what you love.

So if you care about your health and wellbeing, working extra hours after 40 might not be such a good idea. According to a 2016 study from the Melbourne Institute, working more than 25 hours per week appeared to affect negatively workers’ cognition.