A woman in your 20s? Nutrition, exercise and overall health advice

Áilín Quinlan looks at what women in their 20s should eat, the kind of exercise they need to take, the physical health issues they are likely to face, and the mental health challenges many encounter over this most turbulent of decades.

Nutrition and alcohol

What is it with women in their 20s and food?

Many simply don't eat enough, and the consequences can be severe, warns consultant nutritionist Gaye Godkin. "I'm seeing female college students who are experiencing recurring strep throats which turn into glandular fever or burnout. They're partying and drinking and there's a lot of living on coffee and counting calories. They're not eating enough."

Here's what you need:
Protein three times a day and from a diversity of sources, says Godkin, who explains that meat, eggs, nuts, fish and dairy products, especially natural (not low-fat) yoghurt, protects the immune system.

My daughter was Mammy’s cling-on – now she’s Daddy’s girl

---

Disabled sexual assault victims have a right to be believed too

---

‘I have to face the financial shock of becoming a mother’

---

Have lots of winter warmers like stews and casseroles and soups, she advises, adding that calcium and vitamin D are also very important for bone health for women in this age group.

Vitamin D is crucial for the transport of calcium across the gut wall and into the bones, Godkin explains, so eat lots of mackerel, butter, eggs and liver and take a vitamin D supplement.

“For calcium you need to eat natural yoghurt and cheese, or tinned sardines and nuts if you don’t eat dairy.”

For glowing, healthy skin, nurture your collagen levels, she recommends. “Collagen is the most absorbent protein in the human body and you need it for healthy skin. Eat lots of fish, which is an excellent source of collagen-building protein.

“Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant which is also very good for the skin, so eat lots of oranges, kiwis, blueberries, beetroot and potato as well as carrots, squash, sweet potatoes and green leafy vegetables.”

Go easy on the alcohol. Alcohol depletes the immune system and is a major factor in weight gain. “A lot of 20-somethings binge-drink, which suppresses the immune system,” explains Godkin. “Alcohol is also loaded with calories. Reduce your alcohol intake because it affects every cell in your body.”

Exercise

Your 20s is the time to start building a "bank account" of strength and fitness which will protect against natural age-related loss of muscle and bone density later in life, explains Dr Mark Rowe, GP, lifestyle medicine expert and author of two books on health.

“During your 20s, you are naturally at your physical peak,” says Rowe, who is based in Waterford and recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week (this is exercise during which you can talk but not sing) or 75 minutes per week of vigorous intensity exercise (during which you can neither talk nor sing).

He also advises building two 15-minute sessions of resistance training into your exercise regime, along with daily flexibility exercises – stretching – on top of any regular movement you happen to take during the day.

“Twenty-somethings tend to walk a lot in my experience. They are naturally on the move, but they also need to exercise strategically.”

Exercise, he adds, is also an important part of every young woman’s arsenal of positive help coping skills which help her deal, he says, with “the epidemic of anxiety, and negative stress that affects 20-somethings”.

“The biggest benefit of exercise for this age group is also that it acts as a stress-management technique, builds resilience and feelings of positivity, and increases your levels of feelgood hormones like serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine and anandamide.”

Health issues

A big issue for this age group is sexual health, warns Rowe. “In a situation where people have multiple partners, there can be an increase in the risk of sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia.

“This is a very common STI and may have no symptoms, but if you carry it for a long time it can lead to complications like infertility,” he says.

He urges young women to get the HPV vaccine. “This protects against about 70 per cent of the viruses which cause cervical cancer,” he says, adding that young women should also be aware of the prevalence of HIV. “There’s no point in sticking your head in the sand and presuming this does not apply to you.”

Another issue he has noticed among women of this age group is what he dubs “the quest for perfection”.

“This is a major risk factor for anxiety and negative stress, often triggered by social media and expectations around having a perfect life and having the perfect image,” warns Rowe, who adds that it is manifesting in an explosion in Botox and cosmetic surgery among young people.

“It’s around the fear of not being good enough,” he says, adding that young women should consciously reduce the time they spend on social media as this can feed into a sense of inadequacy.

Mental wellbeing

Research shows that twice as many women as men will experience depression in their life, according to Dr Harry Barry, GP, mental health expert and best-selling author.

“The 20s are a turbulent period for many young women because they may have moved away from home to attend college, are making new friends and are often trying to find a new relationship.

“One of the things they are inclined to do is drink very heavily in order to cope with the stress and anxiety of this period.

“However, this can cause huge problems in terms of their mental health,” he says, adding that many young women regularly consume large amounts of “shorts”.

Excessive consumption of alcohol can significantly increase your risk of anxiety, low mood, and the possibility of self-harm, he warns.

Tips for making the most of your decade

- Cut back on your alcohol consumption.
- Spend less time on social media and more time face-to-face.
- Be careful about your sexual health, use barrier contraception and get tested for STIs if you think you may be at risk.

“Know your own health and don’t stick your head in the sand about the health issues affecting your generation,” urges Rowe.

Health & Fitness advice through the Decades
- Women in their 20s
- Men in their 20s
- Women in their 30s
- Men in their 30s
- Women in their 40s
- Men in their 40s
- Women in their 50s
- Men in their 50s
- Women in their 60s
- Men in their 60s
- Women in their 70s
- Men in their 70s
- Women in their 80s
- Men in their 80s

Sign up for one of The Irish Times' Get Running programmes (it is free!). 
First, pick the eight-week programme that suits you.
- Beginner Course: A course to take you from inactivity to running for 30 minutes.
- Stay On Track: For those who can squeeze in a run a few times a week.
- 10km Course: Designed for those who want to move up to the 10km mark.
Best of luck!