Let's Look Under The Hood

Have you bought a new or new to you car? Remember how that felt? It had a great smell. Everything was working, no rattles, clunking or expensive repairs. That was good, but eventually, the car started to break down. Brake pads, shocks, transmission, etc: Now it costs thousands to get all the yellow maintenance lights turned off.

In a similar way, the cells of the body are like cars. As they age, parts need to be replaced or even removed. A healthy lifestyle can give you the preventative maintenance that your cells need to help you feel younger and fitter for longer. Even people in their 90s can improve their muscle strength through regular exercise. Most research on aging aims to improve our health and quality of life as we grow old, not make us live forever. Scientists are looking for ways to avoid, or even repair, the damage that causes aging.

What makes you age?

In his groundbreaking book, Dan Buettner reveals how to transform your health using smart eating and lifestyle habits gleaned from new research on the diets, eating habits, and lifestyle practices of the communities he's identified as "Blue Zones"—those places with the world's longest-lived, and thus healthiest, people, including locations such as Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California. Cellular damage is at the root of all aging. Dan Buettner, argues that avoiding cellular damage is the best way to protect against signs of aging. This sounds like common sense, but many of us aren’t always aware of what damages our cells the most, and what factors cause cellular damage to take place.

Our cells are constantly reproducing, fending against toxins and generating energy. They do complex work for our bodies. One indicator of cellular health and aging is the length of our telomeres—the caps found at the end of our DNA. 

Telomeres

Telomeres protect our DNA so they can properly express our genes, allowing cells to do their specific jobs within the body.

Scientists have found that the length of telomeres is a good indicator of age. The longer we live and the more damage is done to our cells, the shorter our telomeres become. So what impacts telomere length and cellular health and, consequently, aging?

What we put into our bodies has a huge impact on cellular health. Think about it in simple terms: Our cells have to harness energy from everything we eat, and this work can take a toll. 

Unfortunately, our cells’ ability to fight free radicals declines with age. This is why eating fewer calories (within healthy limits, of course) is easier on both your waistline and your cells. Be careful of foods that contain high levels of glucose. Most of us are aware of the growing problem of insulin resistance.

Here are 4 habits you can implement now to improve your cellular health.

Research the food you are eating 

Exercise every day 

Plan ahead

Fact: "If standard of living is your number one objective, quality of life almost never improves. But if quality of life is your number one objective, standard of living invariably improves.” — Zig Ziglar

Donald Grandy

Precision Nutrition Certification - Pn1
Sport and Exercise Coach

dongrandy@gmail.com

*This content is strictly for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a personal physician. All viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.