Options For Aging Optimally
Posted on Jul 16, 2022

Lifestyle Habits For Aging Optimally


Everyday we make decisions that will impact our future. Perhaps the most important decisions are those we make about our health.

Factors like diet, exercise, and supplements can give us a leg up in terms of our potential health.

These decisions shouldn’t cause us undue stress though. We can add these elements to our lives slowly and by pacing ourselves, so they don’t feel like a burden. And after a while, they’ll be a part of our routine, not necessarily something we have to do.

It’s never too late to work on yourself and make these changes for your future. The human body is capable of great things, and healing itself naturally is one of them.


Establishing Active Habits


Exercise is one of the key elements to leading a healthy lifestyle. The prospect of exercising regularly may feel daunting, but don’t worry.

The best news about living an active lifestyle is that it doesn’t have to involve running marathons, mountain climbing, or pulling out the old boxing gloves.

You can implement activity into your routine by starting small. Maybe park further back in the parking lot and give yourself time to walk to the store. Eventually, you’ll be able to increase your walking time and maybe incorporate walks after dinner into your routine.

Other low-impact exercises that are great for your overall health include swimming, yoga, and cycling. Gardening is a great place to start as well.  

Exercising as you age can lower your risk of chronic diseases. One study shows that exercising for 30 minutes everyday can lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This is 30 minutes a day at zone 1 or ideally, zone 2. Zone 2 is when it is possible, but not comfortable, to have a conversation during the activity.  

As you exercise, you’re also improving your strength while lowering inflammation - another contributor to painful joints and age-related diseases. Most scientists now agree that osteoarthritis is basically a disease of chronic inflammation.  

And as we age, our bone density decreases, but exercise can help maintain our bone density. A decrease in bone density can lead to a higher risk of fractures and poor balance.   Poor bone quality will also lead to weakness and problems with basic function.  


A Diet For Decreasing Stress and Aging Optimally


Another key element to aging optimally is your diet. Dr. Warner is a big advocate of the Mediterranean Diet, because (in her opinion) a large amount of studies show that it’s most effective in lowering your risk for disease and maintaining good health.

The Mediterranean Diet focuses on whole foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, fish and seafood.

If you want to stick to the Mediterranean Diet, a good rule of thumb is to avoid processed foods, and keep your consumption of processed red meat and sugars to a minimum.

This diet focuses on sharing meals with family and friends, and encourages a less stressful environment.

Physically, the Mediterranean Diet can reduce your chronic inflammation and oxidative stress levels.

When you focus on whole foods, you’re getting the most nutrients out of them. A couple examples of this include fatty fish like salmon which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, while fruits and vegetables are often high in antioxidants.

By reducing chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, you’re able to lower your chances of age-related diseases like cancer, arthritis, diabetes and more.

However, even with the best diet it can be difficult to get all the nutrients your body needs on a daily basis. That’s why supplements are a great alternative that can also help you age optimally.


Supplements That Can Improve Your Longevity


Well Theory’s Longevity Series is designed to help you age optimally down to the cellular level.

This three-part series includes Resveratrol, Berberine, and NMN.

Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant supplement that activates AMPK, and encourages mitochondrial health and energy homeostasis. This single-ingredient capsule is highly anti-inflammatory, and can even lower neuroinflammation which contributes to cognitive decline and brain-related conditions.

 

Berberine also activates AMPK, and therefore increases insulin sensitivity and lowers blood glucose levels. It’s so effective that it seems to mimic the actions of the diabetic drug, Metformin. This single-ingredient capsule can potentially reduce aging at the cellular level and improve all five markers of metabolic health!

NMN is a precursor molecule to NAD+, a critical molecule for cellular health. This molecule decreases as we age, so supplementing with NMN is shown to slow down your aging process at the cellular level, boost your metabolic health, increase your mitochondrial health and repair DNA damage caused by oxidative stress.