“You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.”
– George Burns
It may surprise you to know that the growth phase of most humans stops at around age 25, and the process of aging can begin as early as age 30. Once the growth phase is complete, the body starts to age, and although we may not see or feel actual signs of it in our 20s or even our 30s, the process has still begun, whether we like it or not.
Why do some seem to age so well, while others look and feel much older than their chronological age? Although genetics plays a small part in this process, science proves that lifestyle choices significantly affect how well we maintain our youthful qualities.
Unfortunately, by the time many reach their 40s and 50s real signs of aging have begun rearing their ugly heads. You may be experiencing physical aches and pains, a lack of mental sharpness, overall exhaustion, and creeping weight gain. The assumption is that these are typical and unavoidable signs of aging that we can do anything about could not be further from the truth, as many blue zones cultures have proven. By adopting the lifestyle practices of some of these longest-living communities, you too can age well, live longer and better than you ever thought possible.
What lifestyle choices and habits of blue zone communities keep them mentally sharp, physically agile, and engaged in life for so many years? It is a series of small and consistent daily practices that precisely feeds their body what it needs to function optimally and offset disease and illness through a robust immune system. There is no magic pill or secret fountain of youth but specific daily practices and behaviors that enable us to be less vulnerable and more resilient with age.
Top lifestyle practices of those who stay younger longer and age well:
Eat real and natural food while eliminating factory-made and highly processed food loaded with chemicals, additives, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives.
Eat lots of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Eat seafood and other forms of high-quality proteins from various sources
Add a variety of healthy fat options in small amounts into your daily diet
Eat less – One of the consistent practices of all blue zone communities is eating less food and smaller portion sizes.
Drink plenty of clean water
Choose an active lifestyle that keeps you moving more than sitting.
Be mindful of your posture and gait, as these often ignored physical defaults will have the most significant effect on the way you age and move.
Keep your mind sharp with mental challenges and physical movement
Stay socially engaged as social connections are a necessity to aging well
Take care of your significant relationships.
Manage your stress levels and implement meditation, quiet time, rest, and relaxation.
Laugh more and enjoy life’s little moments
Get a restful and good night’s sleep
Here are a few lifestyle practices that accelerate aging, weaken the immune system, and put you at risk of “age-related” illness and disease.
Eating highly processed, fast, and cheap food.
Eat oversized portions that put stress on the digestive system
Eating foods high in sugar, fake fats, and chemical preservatives
Drinking high-calorie beverages with little to no nutritional value
Sitting more than you are moving
Chronic poor body alignment through lousy posture, improper walking patterns, and unaddressed aches and pains.
Watching too much TV that does not educate, inform or positively motivate you
Isolation and lack of social connections
Remaining in toxic relationships
Having a pessimistic attitude about life in general
You have probably determined from the two drastically different lists above that aging well is a lifestyle choice and one that you make every day. I always tell my clients that aging is not for sissies, and it helps to be proactive, intentional, and purposeful about the small choices you make every day. Although each behavior may seem insignificant at the moment, it is precisely those behaviors that ultimately play an enormous role in the quality of life we end up living as older adults. If you want to live a long well-lived life, you must start paying attention to all the small things you do throughout the day and begin practicing positive health habits that will enable you to live by design and begin aging well.
If you want to learn more about how to age well, build a robust immune system, enjoy a fully functioning body, be at your ideal weight, sleep well and stress less, sign up for our How to Age Well group health class this starting at the end of this month. Registration is now open!
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