You are never too young to live a healthy lifestyle. The body can be very forgiving in your youth. You can have a diet heavy in fast foods, be a couch potato, and even drink a lot. Many years can go by without feeling the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle. The extra weight, the late nights will probably not catch up with you until you hit boomer stage. If you were lucky enough to have a health oriented family, you are truly ahead of the game. If mom cooked dinners from scratch and limited fatty foods and sugary desserts you are really lucky. If your family was into physical fitness and enjoyed outdoor activities you get another plus. Chances are you will continue your life making healthy food selections, exercising and dealing with stress in a positive way. It is important to have had disappointments in life and instructed in how to deal with them. They are part of life. Sometimes I get really exasperated when I see parents trying to shield their kids from disappointments. One does not get through life without disappointments. You are never too old to make some changes in your life. Perhaps you are in your fifties, sixties or seventies. You have not exercised much, put on some weight and still hunger for pie and ice cream. The big question here is: do you want to change? You may feel like you have reached your age somehow and want to just enjoy life, and do whatever you want. The downside of this is you may not feel so great, and could be taking prescription drugs and having unpleasant reactions to those. Please do not stop taking your prescriptions, and do not make any changes until you talk with your health provider.
Lets say you get the green light from your healthy practitioner to exercise.. It may be time to change your eating habits. Think veggies and fruit and lots of fish. Start walking, even one mile a day. Think about taking yoga or pilates for a gentle work out. Your stress level will shrink, your body will respond and you will feel good. Look into taking vitamins and supplements that work with a particular condition you may have. Think how self-righteous you will feel. It is truly amazing that making a few changes can create major changes in your life.