How You Can Control How Fast (or Slowly) You Age

No one wants to get older but unfortunately, until they discover an elixir of youth, it’s fairly unavoidable.
But just because you have to get older, no one said you had to do it quickly. And no one said you couldn’t age well and keep your youthful good looks, energy and health!

Many of us make the assumption that getting old automatically has to mean getting covered in wrinkles, losing our ability to walk around and eventually developing incontinence and dementia. As it happens though, none of the-se things are inevitable and most of them are only partially related to age!And you can see this too just by looking around!

While some people seem to be struggling to stand up straight and remember their name at age 65, others are still playing sports and writing books well into their 80s and 90s. Is the difference entirely genetic? Not at all! In fact, there are numerous lifestyle changes that can make all the difference to the way you feel as you age and many of the problems that are associated with old-age can actually be avoided entirely.

So yeah, Aging is still inevitable. But the way you age is almost entirely up to you! The difference comes down to your knowledge and your ability to apply that knowledge to make the most of your own body and health. YOU have the choice and the sooner you take action, the more effectively you can stave off the most unappealing aspects of getting older.

Yes, that’s right, this isn’t just a book for ‘old people’. It’s for young people too. In fact, it’s more aimed at young people because you are the ones who have the time to ensure you get the very most out of your body and mind as you get older.

But How Do You Slow Aging?

Anyone can claim that Aging is something you have control over. The hard part is backing that claim up with some hard evidence. How can you really slow down your Aging? And how can your decisions end up putting your body in ‘fast forward’ mode?

Here are some examples…

Mobility

A lot of people will tell you that your knees have a finite amount of time be-fore they start to tire out. The same goes for your back. But more and more, we’re discovering that’s not true. The ‘functional strength’ crowd are making it very apparent that you can keep on training into old age and that in fact, things like running should give you more longevity.

The problem is just the way we’re training. And our lack of activity generally. The way it goes for many people is that they stay very fit and healthy when they’re younger because they run around, play sports and generally en-gage in activity. Once they’re middle aged though, they slow down and they start sitting at the computer all day long.

Their metabolism slows down yes but most of the changes they see in their body are really a result of being constantly stressed and constantly static. This results in muscle imbalances caused by maintaining the same posture for so long and it results in injury when they do get active. Don’t use your back long enough and it’s sure to go when you try and lift that suitcase!

This injury then leads to ‘corrective’ posture and biomechanics. You have a bad knee or back, so you put more weight on the other leg/you hunch over. This in turn means that you actually exacerbate the muscle imbalances that you already had. And the longer this goes on, the more of a hunch and a limp you can start to acquire and the more pain you can expect to experience. The solution is not to be less active but to be more active – while making sure to use the correct technique.

Energy

Meanwhile, staying active can also boost your energy levels and help you to start feeling better. That means the tiredness and sluggishness that we feel as we get older again isn’t inevitable. Actually, when you combine the right exercise regime with the right diet, you can increase not only your heart strength and circulation but also the efficiency of your mitochondria.

Mitochondria are the small ‘energy factories’ of your cells. They exist to help you convert glucose into use able energy (ATP) and their number and strength is one of the big determining factors that influences your energy output and the way you feel. In fact, differences in mitochondria have been suggested to be one of the main differentiating factors between the energy levels of young children and those of older individuals. It’s why kids seem to be able to run around and around in circles for hours screaming, without ever tiring out.

Nutrition

Nutrition is also responsible for a large proportion of the problems you’ll struggle with as you get older. Contrary to popular belief, many of the health issues associated with old age are actually cumulative and result from years of poor nutrition. A lack of nutrients can lead to problems with vision, problems with hormone production, problems with bone density and much more. Thus by eating the right diet, you can stave off numerous con-ditions and stay healthier and stronger into older age.

Toxins, Cell Damage and Heart Problems

Many of the health complaints associated with old age can also be com-bated with the right lifestyle. Sure, it’s always possible to be unlucky and to suffer from cancer with no ‘cause’ as such. But this is much less likely if you are able to protect yourself with the very best, healthy lifestyle choices.

For example, heart disease is one of the leading killers in men by far but it is very much possible to reduce the risk of this problem by getting plenty of exercise and sticking to a diet designed to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol at the most desirable levels.

Brain
The same rules apply to your brain as to the rest of your body. In other words, if you keep your nutrition up and actually keep using your brain it will stay nimble.We’ll get into all of this and a lot more in greater detail in the subsequent chapters but hopefully this is enough of an explanation to make a believer of you.

The point is, you do have control over the way you age and if you take the right precautions then you can stay healthy, mobile and able well into older age. This article is going to act as your road map and your blueprint to help you do exactly that. Follow these tips and you’ll be able to fortify your body against the invading forces of old age!