Many of us see our parents or grandparents and dread getting older. However, we rarely do anything to maximize our longevity until we get a wake up call from our doctor.
As we age, we know that our mobility decreases, our stability becomes impaired, our brain begins to decline, hereditary illness start to show and suddenly the way we treated our bodies for the past 50 to 70 years begins to catch up with us.
Those things will happen regardless of what you do, it is just the biological process. However, you can control the extent in which they occur, what age they happen, and to what degree they will impact your life. That is power.
“Take control of your health and maximize your wellness.”
I am sure you have seen this posted on my website, business cards or instagram. It is what I try to encourage my clients, and you, my members, to do. Realizing that you have control over your health, and you have the power to dictate how you feel right now, and how you age is incredibly powerful.
However, I see it over and over again:
- people give into the idea that they will be overweight or feel kind of crappy for the rest of their lives.
- they get comfortable thinking that it is inevitable they will be old, sick and dependent at the age of 70, so they decide to do and eat whatever they want until then.
- they have a strong family history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, alzheimers, arthritis, colon cancer, etc, and they believe that it is just a matter of time.
You control your future.
In order to maximize your longevity, so that you can enjoy your later years, you will need to sacrifice a few things now. At first it may not seem like it is worth it because you hate working out, or you love your donuts. However, you need to realize that you aren’t just doing it so that you can age gracefully and have an active, happy life after 70. You are also doing it to set an example for the generations that follow you, and offer inspiration for change. You are doing it for your child that wants their parent to walk them down the aisle at their wedding, and the grandkids that want to have a meaningful relationship with you. Most importantly, you are doing it for your right now, so that you can feel your best throughout your life.
Okay, enough with the motivational speech here. Let’s get to the good stuff.
What accelerates aging?
- Smoking
- Excess alcohol
- Unhealthy fats and chemicals in foods
- Poor or deficient diet
- Overeating
- Stress
- Pollution
- Inactivity
- Negativity
- Holding onto anger, grief, depression, loneliness
What can you do to maximize your longevity?
1. Ensure your digestive system is working optimally.
Digestive health plays a big role in longevity. If you are not digesting your foods properly due to low stomach acid, fatigued pancreas or overburdened liver, then you are not able to break down foods into usable nutrients that you need. Poor digestion can result in bone loss, muscle atrophy, poor oral health and tooth decay, cognitive decline, bowel disease, decreased thyroid function, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and so much more. Make sure you are investing the time and money into your digestive system NOW so that you can enjoy your years to come.
2. Never stop being active, and don’t forget to stretch.
Exercise plays a key role in decreasing our risk of osteoporosis. In order for our bones to continue strengthening, we need to use our muscles so that they pull on our bones and stress them enough that they keep rebuilding. Activity also helps lubricate our joints and helps us maintain the muscle we need to be mobile and stable. Stretching is also very important for our joint health and to keep us moving youthfully. Lastly, exercise is important for our cognitive function. It can increase the size of the key brain regions, improve responses to stress, reduce inflammation and so much more. The number of studies supporting the benefits exercise has on cognition are outstanding.
3. Don’t be discouraged by hereditary illnesses.
Let’s talk about hereditary illnesses. A hereditary illness means that it “runs in the family”. It is an illness that can be passed on from a parent, to a child and so on. Knowing your family history gives you a huge advantage. For instance, if you know that several people in your (blood) family have had colon cancer, then you know that you need to increase your fiber intake, ensure you are having healthy, regular bowel movements, ensure your digestive tract is functioning optimally, and that you need to be getting regular colonoscopies after the age of 30.
Just because it “runs in the family”, doesn’t mean you will get it. In many cases this genetic mutation predisposes you to this illness. But that genetic mutation isn’t always activated. The activation of this mutation can depend on you and your lifestyle. That is why it matters what you put in your body, and how you deal with imbalances in your body from day one.
If you have a family history of a hereditary illness, here is what I suggest. As a member you can request that I do a Health Chronicles post about it. If there are several people looking for info on the same topic, I will write one and give you all the info you need. Or you can connect with me directly and we can arrange a one-on-one assessment to ensure your systems are balanced and that you are doing all the right things.
4. Decrease exposure to toxins.
The toxins you consume and expose yourself to takes a toll on your body. It will do its best to eliminate them and prevent them from damaging cells, but as you age this becomes more difficult. If you are in your 40s and your liver is overloaded and struggling to eliminate toxins, then how will it do when you are 60 and your kidney function is declining (as it naturally will), and it is no longer able to eliminate the toxins at the same speed it used to. The toxins will begin to back up into your body and the domino effect begins.
Decrease your exposure to chemicals, food additives, pollution, free radicals, etc, so that your body systems are free to keep doing exactly what they are meant to do, without the added strain. (Read more about toxins in our Health Chronicles post on antioxidants).
5. Focus your diet on wholesome, natural, local foods.
Choosing foods that are local means that the food is higher in nutrients, and there is a decreased chance that they have added chemicals to speed up growth or ripening process.
Eating natural and wholesome foods increases your intake of nutrient-dense foods. It also decreases your exposure to additives, preservatives, as well as sugars and refined products that can deplete your nutrient stores.
6. Undereat.
Generally, we consume way more calories than we need to. We need to be focusing on eating good quality, nutrient-dense foods, not on eating ALOT of whatever is around. When the communities with the greatest number of centenarians were studied, they found that they consumed significantly fewer calories than would have been expected for someone of their size and activity level. However, they did find that their food was very nutrient dense. So although they didn’t seem to be eating “enough”, their nutrient intake was exceptional in comparison to other communities such as ours.
7. Surround yourself with friends and family.
“Dozens of studies have shown that people who have satisfying relationships with family, friends, and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer. Conversely, a relative lack of social ties is associated with depression and later-life cognitive decline, as well as with increased mortality.” (Harvard, 2020)
This was also found in the studies on centranarian communities. Their focus was not on materialistic items, wealth, or how to get ahead. They took great joy in sharing their meals with family, friends and even strangers. They truly put their community first and themselves second.
It is important to note that following these steps are not a guarantee. Even if you do everything right, you may still get sick. All of this information is proven to “reduce your risk”. However, sometimes the cards you are dealt just can’t be changed. But the effort will never be for nothing. If you are diagnosed with colon cancer at 65, you may have been diagnosed at 45 if you hadn’t put in the work to maximize your longevity. If you take control of your health, you will never regret it, because you know that you did what you could.
If you have any questions or concerns about the content, you will have an opportunity to ask questions this month during one of the two video chats. Otherwise, please feel free to comment on the chat board, the coinciding Instagram post or contact me directly via email or Instagram.
Sources:
The President and Fellows of Harvard College. (2020, June 20). Strengthen relationships for longer, healthier life. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/strengthen-relationships-for-longer-healthier-life#:~:text=Dozens%20of%20studies%20have%20shown,well%20as%20with%20increased%20mortality.
Robbins. J. (2007), Healthy At 100 : The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World's Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples. Random House Publishing Group