| Posted May 13, 2014 | By Scott Lieberman, M.D. | Categorized under Men's Health, Women's Health |

As a physician, I knew what I needed to do to live a healthier lifestyle, but I didn't think I had the time or the discipline. After finally taking control of my time and choices, I now enjoy telling people that I haven't felt this good in years.

My success is due to changing little habits. For example, I've given up my beloved burgers and fries to eat to more fish and chicken, I've traded white vegetables for green vegetables, I exercise more and I've limited my caffeine intake to one daily cup of coffee.

Aging is inevitable; how our bodies react is not. Allow me to provide a decade-by-decade breakdown of how our bodies change over time and what you can do to mitigate the negative effects.

20s: Learn family health history

The 20s are a great time in your life, but it's also a period when we take on more responsibilities-professionally, financially and personally.

This decade is the ideal time to purposefully structure your adult life with a solid foundation of diet and exercise and a good understanding about diseases that run in your family. Some of the more common genetic diseases are diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. From losing weight to strengthening muscles to meeting regularly with a primary care physician, how we choose to care for our bodies at this age will impact our health—either positively or negatively—as we move into our 30s, 40s and beyond.

30s: Exercise and eat healthy

Now in our 30s, exercise and healthy eating become more important with each passing year. Responsibilities and time commitments continue to pile on as we settle down to start a family. If you thought work was consuming your free time in your 20s, throw some kids into the mix. And if you thought you weren't eating healthy then, throw some kids into the mix.

Trust me when I say you're not alone if you occasionally eat what you serve your children. By the time we get home from a long day at work followed by afterschool activities, we end up eating the kids' chicken nuggets, pizza and macaroni and cheese. Been there, done that. But it doesn't have to stay that way. There are techniques you can incorporate in your daily routine, such as freezing leftovers, that can help you make healthier choices during a busy week.

In addition to sometimes poor food choices, symptoms of genetic diseases and stress become more noticeable, and our muscles begin to show more signs of wear and tear. This breakdown typically is due to a lack of physical activity, hence the importance of building strong muscles in our 20s. However, it's never, ever too late to start an exercise routine.

Exercising doesn't have to be elaborate. It can be as simple as going for a walk with your family around the neighborhood. As little as 20 minutes a day four days a week will help you fortify your muscles and condition your body.

40s: Prevention turns into treatment

Now we're on to the 40s. This is a stage in our lives where preventive care now becomes secondary care to treating genetic diseases that have come to fruition.

As you take medications for high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes, you should talk with your primary care physician about possible side effects. Physical exams are imperative at this age.

And of course it's never, ever too late to exercise and eat healthier.

Physical examinations

Physical examinations are necessary for prevention when you're young and treatment when you're older. So how often should you get one? Follow this general rule of thumb:

• At least twice in your 20s
• At least three times in your 30s
• At least four times in your 40s
• Every year after age 50