Written by: Rita Trotter, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As we age, it's easy to look at the signs of ageing and think we have nothing to do with it. But you are responsible for your ageing, as with anything. Lifestyle plays a huge role in how you age and whether or not you look youthful.
Ageing is a natural process that affects all of us. You've probably heard at some stage or another that we are all going to die, but your perception of that statement should be challenged. As we age we accumulate more experiences and knowledge, which means we have an edge when it comes to knowing how to live our lives well. The lifestyle you choose impacts your ageing, as well as the quality of life you lead from one year to the next.
What is a biological age?
Biological age is a measure of how well an organism has aged and developed. Human beings have many things that can be measured, including height, weight, body composition, and even DNA. There are also things you cannot measure with your own eyes or hands, such as the depth of wrinkles on your face or the colour of hair on your head.
But what exactly is biological age? It is a measurement of how well a person's body has aged over time. Biological age is not to be confused with chronological age or chronological age plus "mental" age. Chronological age refers to how old someone looks physically; biological age describes the state of health and functional ability of an older person.
The most common way to estimate your biological age is through your risk factors for disease. These include lifestyle choices such as smoking and obesity as well as biological factors such as genetics. The American Council on Exercise recommends that physically active adults under 40 should try to reduce their risk factors for heart disease by losing up to 10 pounds (4 kilograms) and eating less than 1,200 calories daily.
The study found that people who ate more calories than they burned over time experienced an increase in telomeres—the caps at the end of your chromosomes that protect genetic material from damage. The longer those telomeres were, the younger they looked, and the healthier their cells were overall.
Those who were more physically active had longer telomeres than their inactive counterparts. In fact, when it came to telomere length, even sitting still increased your odds of having longer ones!
As we get older, our bodies have a harder time producing new cells. As a result, we lose muscle mass and bone density, which can lead to osteoporosis and arthritis. Our organs also start to weaken with age and we may experience vision problems or hearing loss from damaged inner ear cells.
So how do we keep our cells young?
What you eat
You can't tell me that you haven't wondered about the ageing process, about how your body changes when you get older. You know that looks fade, that your skin sags and wrinkles come to the surface, and that your hair becomes thin and brittle. You know there are aches and pains that come with age, and when they do they're often worse than they were in your youth.
What you eat contributes to those changes in your body. What you eat also contributes to how quickly those changes will occur. So if you want to look younger than your years, then it's important for you to pay attention to what you put in your mouth.
The good news is there are plenty of ways for you to keep yourself looking young as well as feeling great. But first, let's take a look at some of the things that contribute to ageing and how we can help prevent them from occurring in the first place:
If you want to age well, it’s important that you eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants that help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. In addition, they are also high in fibre—a type of carbohydrate that can help lower cholesterol levels by partly blocking the absorption of LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) into your bloodstream.
When choosing foods high in fibre, look for whole grains like brown rice or whole wheat bread instead of white bread or white rice; whole-grain pasta instead of refined pasta; beans; nuts or seeds (e.g., almonds); dark leafy greens like spinach; broccoli/cauliflower Florets (which are chopped up into florets); applesauce made from Granny Smith Apples instead sweetened ones like Red Delicious Apples because the latter have more sugar added during processing which slows down digestion making food less satisfying when eaten later on down the line."
How active you are
One of the most important factors in slowing down the ageing process is staying physically active. Studies show that people who exercise regularly tend to live longer than those who don't exercise at all or only do so sporadically. Even if you don't consider yourself an "athlete," walking around your neighbourhood or going for a walk after work can help boost your metabolism, which means calories burned during physical activity will help shed pounds more quickly than if you were just sitting on the couch all day long.
You don't need to be an elite athlete to benefit from exercising regularly. Walking briskly for 30 minutes each day helps improve your overall health and well-being, which may help counteract some of the effects of ageing on your body as well as improve your chances of living longer than someone who doesn't engage in physical activity at all.
The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity three days a week, plus muscle strengthening exercises two or more times a week. If you're overweight, the AHA recommends losing 10% of your body weight before starting an exercise program. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease, start with less than this amount and increase as needed to lower risk factors for these diseases.
The more active you are, the better off you'll be. A baby born today won't live as long as a baby born in 1900 because we've changed our lifestyle over time. But if we keep changing our lifestyle, we can change this trend and prolong life expectancy further.
Inactivity is one of the most basic causes of early death and disease in our society today. It's estimated that an inactive person aged 20 has half the chance he would have aged 30 if he had been physically active at all times during his life. Inactivity also increases the risk for many other health problems including heart disease and some cancers such as colon cancer or breast cancer.
How much you drink and smoke
Smoking and drinking are the two most common causes of premature ageing. Smoking increases your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Drinking alcohol speeds up the ageing process and can lead to age-related diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, causing more than 480,000 deaths each year. This is more than all forms of obesity combined! It also causes lung cancer, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), chronic bronchitis, emphysema and many other diseases that shorten life expectancy.
Alcohol use has been linked to many types of cancer including liver cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer. Alcohol abuse can cause cirrhosis of the liver, which leads to liver failure or liver cancer. Alcohol abuse increases your risk of heart disease by increasing blood pressure, cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels in your blood.
You can reduce your risk of premature ageing by quitting smoking and drinking alcohol now before it's too late!
How much sleep you get
Sleep is one of the most important factors in health and ageing. Sleep is essential for your body and brain to heal. Having adequate sleep can help you recover from illness and injury, stay strong, and maintain a healthy weight. In fact, getting enough sleep has been shown to be one of the best ways to reduce your risk for diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
How much sleep do you need? It varies by age and activity level. Babies and young children need 14-17 hours per day; teens need 11-13 hours per day (on average). Adults typically need 7-8 hours per night. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults aged 25–54 get between 7-9 hours each night; those aged 65+ should aim for about 8 hours of shut-eye each night.
While our lifestyles impact how we age, it is important to keep in mind that they do not control ageing. ageing has a genetic component—older parents are more likely to have offspring who live longer. The best thing you can do for longevity? Stay active, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly. It certainly isn't easy to completely avoid all the things that lead to premature ageing, but those small steps we take may be one of the best defences against the onslaught of time.
If you put health and fitness at the forefront of your priorities, you will feel proud looking back and seeing how much you were able to accomplish throughout the years. By prioritizing your own well-being, the quality of your life will improve significantly when all is said and done.
Ready to prioritise your well-being? Start your health and fitness journey with me today!
Rita Trotter, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
My passion, work, and philosophies focus on the joy factor, self-acceptance, physical and emotional cohesion, and authentic wellness and I enjoy sharing my wisdom for all that is connected to a successful and healthy life. My foundation in women’s health comes from my own struggles with weight, sleep, energy, productivity, and health and my passion to share this with the whole female collective. I am a Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach, Behaviour Change Specialist, Long Covid Rehabilitator, Women’s Hormone, and Pre and Post Natal Specialist, Health for Business Coach, published author of three globally selling books, and the creator and facilitator of The Self-Health System Programmes.
