Although it might have seemed impossible in your teens and twenties, the truth is that aging is a normal part of life. Age does not discriminate and will come to visit us all, regardless of our wealth or social status. However, you may have noticed that celebrities and television stars tend to age slightly slower than the rest of us. Genetics play a role in how fast we age. Still, many other factors influence the appearance and experience of aging, such as exercise, diet, and stress. If you had a team of fitness coaches and nutritionists working hard to prepare you for your next action movie role, you’d probably seem a little younger too! Luckily, it would not cost a million dollars or a team of assistants to stop the aging process.
Whether you’re young and full of energy, whether you’re experiencing the creaky knees and aches and pains that come with age, it’s never too late or too early to start caring for your body. After all, you are in it for the longer term!
How to age with youth and vitality?
We’ve created a list of tips for age with youth and vitality:
1. SLEEP
It may seem quite simple. But if you want to age with youth and vitality, make sure you get enough sleep. The average person needs at least 8-9 hours of sleep a night to function at their best. And as we get older, the responsibilities and stresses of everyday life can make it difficult to relax.
According to one report, men’s intellectual health was worsened by a lack of sleep than women’s. Restorative sleep is important for controlling brain activity and staying alert, and aging with youth and vitality.
A few tips for getting a good night’s sleep include:
- Not eating right before bed
- Removing laptops, phones, and other electronics from your bedroom
- Creating bedtime habits such as drinking a cup of calming camomile tea every night as you wind down
- Starting to read instead of television if you need something to do while you relax
2. EXERCISE
Exercise is important to age with youth and vitality and has been shown to slow the aging process significantly.
A 2018 research conducted by the Universities of Birmingham and King’s College London compared 125 amateur cyclists to a control group of people who did not exercise daily. The researchers discovered that the expected loss of muscle mass and strength associated with aging was not present in the cyclists. They also discovered no increased body fat or high cholesterol levels in the workout group. And the participants in the study had consistently high testosterone levels. Daily exercise benefits the immune system as well. You don’t have to run out and buy a track bike either. According to research, just 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day is enough to age with youth and vitality. So there’s no reason not to keep moving.
3. SUPPLEMENTS AND DIET
“You are what you eat,” as the adage goes. And this is no more true than for aged bodies. When you’re young, you might be able to eat a daily double cheeseburger and fries without thinking twice. But as you get older, your metabolism slows, and your food choices become more important. To keep the cells healthy, eat foods rich in antioxidants such as blueberries, broccoli, and kale. Be sure you have lots of fiber, and it will help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.
Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial to heart health and are present in fatty fish such as tuna and salmon. A daily supplement is a great way to promote a balanced diet and ensure that you’re getting the well-rounded nutrients you need as you age.
4. Drink plenty of water!
Water is needed for all of our organs and systems to function properly and age with youth and vitality. Proper hydration helps regulate body temperature and the lubrication of joints, allowing for optimal mobility. Water also serves as a vehicle for the nutrients that keep us energized and healthy.
As we age, our thirst sensation decreases, leaving us vulnerable to dehydration. This highlights the importance of drinking plenty of water every day. A healthy adult needs 1.5 to 2 liters (48 to 64 ounces) of water every day.
Fluids that help in hydration include the following:
- Water
- Water infused with fruits
- Decaffeinated beverages
- Fruit juices
- Non-fat or low-fat milk
5. SMOKING
If you are a smoker and you need one excuse to quit smoking, consider your age. Smoking not only leads to and causes plenty of health problems that can cause you to age prematurely, but it also wreaks havoc on your skin. Smoking disrupts the blood supply that keeps your skin plump and smooth. And some reports say that the average smoker appears 1.4 times their non-smoking counterpart. According to one Johns Hopkins study, smokers were four times more likely to report feeling tired after a night’s sleep. If you’ve tried to quit before and are having trouble quitting the habit, look for a support group online to help you succeed. Your older self will be grateful.
6. Get Hooked on a Great Habit
You must develop some excellent habits to include in your morning routine. Some of the habits practiced by the world’s most successful individuals include:
- Reading a book
- Working on a Passion, such as music, painting, art, cooking, etc
- Communicating with friends via e-mail, social media, and so on
- Keeping in touch with the outside world, for example, by reading the newspaper
- Doing meditation
7. Meditate: It’s an exercise for the mind
Sara Lazar, a Harvard Medical School neuroscientist, has researched the impact of meditation on the brain. Her 2005 study found that daily meditators have more grey matter in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the brain’s executive area. Moreover, 50-year-old meditators had the same amount of gray matter as 25-year-olds, leading Lazar to hypothesize that meditation could reverse or delay the brain’s natural age-related atrophy.
Another of her research found that just eight weeks of daily meditation practice may thicken the hippocampus, the brain’s memory area, and reduce the stress reaction in the amygdala, the flight-or-flight area.
Lazar and colleagues analyzed 12 studies on meditation and cognitive decline in 2014. They concluded that meditation techniques could offset age-related cognitive decline and perhaps even increase cognitive capacities in older adults.
8. Good relationships promote health, happiness, and longevity
Healthy social relationships improve physical and mental health, work as a buffer against depression, lengthen life, and help to age with youth and vitality.
Why? Social relationships that are safe and respectful help to relax our stress-response system. Lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol mean less wear and tear on the brain and body, a longer life, and more joy in everyday life.
The Bottom Line
Thus, these are some of the methods to age with youth and vitality. At any age, you can make yourself look and feel your best. Start from inside and work your way out. Thyroid health, stress and sex hormones, blood sugar, cholesterol, and Vitamin D levels are important factors in the aging process. So, control them to age with youth and vitality.
