On the date I am creating this blog post, I am also celebrating my 30th birthday. As I reflect on the past 30 years, I am grateful for what I have experienced and everyone I have met during this journey. As a very active person, I have often been told to just wait until you are in your thirties. I have been warned that I will slow down, and recovery time will double. As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I have to say that this message on aging is optional and not fate.
For the past six years, I have developed a lifestyle designed around optimal human performance, which includes optimized aging. My lifestyle was not set to look good or feel good, which is simply a side effect of the human experience. I could have bigger muscles and less body fat if my goal were to look suitable for Instagram pictures. Though that life looks glamorous on social media, it does not positively reflect longevity, and I want a lifetime of physical activity.
Aging has long been a mystery and simply thought of as an inevitable disease, but the question has always been how some people age slower than others. Science has gotten closer to the mechanisms driving aging and how one can slow or reverse the process.
The overarching cause of aging is linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. When the powerhouses of your cells are functioning sub optimally, then your body does not have the energy needed to repair and regenerate faulty cells. As time passes and regeneration and repair are hindered, your body begins to replicate damaged DNA, and the ineffective cells accumulate. The key is turning the mitochondria on, and recycling damaged cells and tissues.
The good news is that the process of turning back the aging clock is simple and quite fun after energy is restored.
How to age gracefully
- Fasting activates proteins called sirtuins which help to regenerate mitochondria.
- Eat an advanced plan diet with an emphasis on plant-based foods.
- Three days weekly of HIIT training to stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis.
- Perform “mini-workouts” every 20-30 minutes to limit sitting damages.
- Receive regular chiropractic adjustments to take the stress off the central nervous system, which drives cognitive decline.
- Decrease toxic exposure and mental stressors that increase inflammation and damages cells.