Here are the top lessons to keep in mind if you want better health after age 40:

Control Your diet

At any age–but especially once you reach your middle years–diet is the key to health and well-being. As they say, crap in, crap out. If you want to look and feel great, you need a diet that gives you energy but doesn’t weight you down with calories.  You should focus on a proper distrubution of the three macrso–carbs, protein, and fat. Reduce your intake of of heavy, starchy carbohydrates and get most of your carbs from vegetables (especially green veggies). Make sure to consume at lease some protein at every meal, focusing on grass fed beef and pork, chicken, eggs, and beans. And continue to consume fat–just make sure it’s mostly healthy omega-3 fats found in walnuts, salmon, olive oil, etc.

Cut out the sugar

There is almost nothing more detrimental to your body that daily intake of harmful added sugar. Whether through ice cream, cakes, or coffee sweeteners, added sugar will spike your glucose levels and insulin, over time leading to metabolic syndrome. If you’re having trouble losing weight and getting rid of your belly, try cutting out sugar. Your body should rapidly begin to heal itself.

Walk every day

Human beings are bi-pedal animals. We evolved specifically to walk, and there is no better way to get your daily exercise. A good brisk walk–with swinging arms–will activate every cell in your body. It has both cardiovascular and muscular benefits. It will help you drop weight. And it’s a great way to clear your mind after a long day.

Get more sleep

Sleep is now recognized by most physiologists as important as diet and exercise in maintaining good physical health. In fact, sleep appears to be the master switch that oversees every physical and neurological process. If you want immediate better health, make sure to get 7-8 quality hours of rest each night. And take short naps as needed.

Start meditating

Being healthy is not just about the body. It’s also about cultivating a clear and strong mind. Daily meditation and mindfulness practice will help you gain control of your thoughts and emotions, and allow you to live a more centered, principled, and purposeful life–all of which is necessary to put into practice the other priorities on this list.

Bottom line: good health is yours to claim. But it may require changing a few bad habits and embracing some new approaches to healthy living. Start slow, but keep going. You’ll get there!