Feeling Fabulous at Forty, Fifty and Beyond...
With summer on the horizon, there is no better time to walk further and a little harder and continue to feel fit and fabulous! In this article, I’ve put together a small amount of information on ‘anti-aging’, which, I hope, will strengthen your resolve and reinforce your decision to continue to be a ‘Wonder Walker’. As the average life expectancy of people in developed countries has increased through reductions in infant mortality and new treatments for infectious diseases, I’m sure that the next century will see huge advancements in longevity due to advancing research in nutrition, exercise and health.
Many ‘baby-boomers’ are starting to discover that some limitations occurring with increasing age are very much biological, but some are also socially imposed. So what can we change and what can’t we change as we age? Can we enhance longevity (in the absence of accidents) by improving our ‘fitness’ and if so how? Let’s start by looking at the main factors which contribute to the ageing process…
- Tissue oxidation – internal and external pollutants e.g. smoking, pollution, poor nutrition, dehydration and stress, cause tissue cells to degenerate more rapidly. The term ‘anti-oxidants’ is given to nutrients which help to inhibit some of these pollutants entering cell mucosa. (See below).
- Skeletal and muscular changes. Strength is reduced with aging, as the total number of muscle fibres and fibre cross-sectional area decrease with age. Bone also loses its density and integrity over the years if it is not stimulated. Hence as women age, and go through the menopause, oestrogen levels drop markedly and we lose the ability to hold on to our calcium stores. Osteoporosis is the health consequence and affects millions of women worldwide. So it really is a case of ‘use it, or lose it’!
- Aging also slows the nervous system’s ability to detect a stimulus and produce a response, hence our reaction time, co-ordination as well as thinking slows!
- Vo2 max (a measure of ‘fitness’ capacity) reduces by about 10% per decade from the age of 30.
- Respiratory changes with age are caused by a loss of elasticity in the lung tissue and the chest wall. This occurs more rapidly in sedentary people who never really ‘stress’ their lungs enough (and therefore the elastic tissue in lungs) through the ‘huffing and puffing’ which occurs during harder exercise.
- Aging also causes increased peripheral resistance, i.e. arteries and arterioles lose their elasticity and become less capable of vaso-dilation. Blood Pressure then creeps up as we get older.
Although these are some of the ‘recognised’ natural effects of aging, the good news is that many of these changes are also associated with increased inactivity as we age. If we keep participating in meaningful activity as we age, i.e. cardiovascular and resistance training, the rapidity of these effects are known to be lessened.
How quickly are you aging?
‘Biomarkers of aging’ is the term used to tell you the difference between your stated chronological age and your true biological age. Tests on aging use these biomarkers to determine how ‘old’ your body really is, and the tests cover everything from your hormonal status to your auditory and visual reaction times. You can get your GP to do these tests.
How do I enhance my lifespan?
As anti-aging research continues we are learning more and more about what it takes to maintain energy and vitality and enhance our years. Some things we can’t change, but scientific evidence shows that we can make a difference in some areas as we get older.
- Ditch the saturated fats and maintain a healthy weight – By selecting ‘low fat’ options at the supermarket and walking to reduce your weight, you can also reduce your risk of having high cholesterol levels which contribute to heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
- Eat healthy, living food, preferably organic, and ensure that you keep your intake of sugar and refined foods to a minimum. Insulin metabolism declines with aging, therefore the body is less able to handle fat and sugar as we age.
- Take Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) daily. One tablespoon daily of organic flax seed oil or add some almonds, avocado and other sources of essential fats to your daily diet.
- Increase and/ or maintain your lean muscle mass – this boosts your metabolism, strengthens your bones and muscles. A correct resistance training programme will strengthen the muscles which hold your frame up and stretch those muscles which are tight and perhaps pulling your frame out of alignment. Remember that degeneration of bones and muscles is entirely preventable, so add some strength training to your walking programme. Add some hill-work for intensity and walk a little faster to burn more calories.
- Know the vitamins that you need daily to counter the effects of cellular damage. Anti-oxidants protect and preserve your cells – know the foods which deliver adequate amounts of Vitamins A,C,D,E, and K and supplement these if your nutritional intake is inadequate.
- Remove stress from your life – stress reduces your life-span and depresses your immune response.
- Laugh daily – chemical messengers from the brain (endorphins), are emitted with laughter, making us feel good for longer. So Wonder Walk with a friend and laugh your way to fitness!
- Likewise, maintain a positive outlook, and get adequate sleep. Interrupted sleep patterns or inadequate amounts of sleep over a long time, contribute to increased levels of cortisol – a hormone that in too high a dose, causes weight gain and a compromised immune system.
Watch out for further anti-aging research. Melatonin, Co-enzyme Q10, Growth Hormone (hGH), DHEA, and Calorie Restriction Programmes (CR) are all topics of on-going anti-aging research.
It’s never too late to start making changes which enhance and expand your life. Walking at least 3-4 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time is a great way to start to feel fit and fabulous as you get older. And it’s never too late! As the saying goes –
‘Forty is the Old-Age of Youth, but 50 is the Youth of Old-Age’!…
References:
Wilmore and Costill (2008) Physiology of Sport and Exercise
Colgan, Michael (1997, Vol 1 No. 6) The Colgan Chronicles
www.antiaging.com – Los Gatos Longevity Institute, California Website, Biomarkers of Aging (2001)
www.scienceboard.net – numerous articles on anti-aging, longevity, calorie restriction to retard aging, melatonin-replacement et.al.
Wendy Sweet
(Copyright), 2008