Aging Gracefully By Pamela Holtzman

The middle-age and older population of the world is growing very rapidly! In the coming years they will represent nearly half of the population. We must pay attention!

LIVE LONG – LIVE HEALTHY!

The vast majority of people in that demographic want to live a good life, feel viable and purposeful as we age. We want to stay physically active, healthy and fiscally comfortable. Health and vitality are more than the absence of sickness; they are the products of us being proactively involved in our own well-being by regularly working on ourselves psychologically, spiritually, and physically. This is what makes the difference between those who are the epitome of health, and those who are lethargic and consumed with chronic conditions as they age.

“The idea is to die young as late as possible.” – Ashley Montagu

As we age, we become the sum of our life experiences; we have had decades to develop and maintain good or bad habits. The environment, including where we live, work, and how much exposure we have had to toxins, can be detrimental to our health. In addition, the rate of aging is strongly influenced by genetics; however, the fact that our parents may have suffered chronic illness does not mean we are destined to do so. Biology is not destiny, and proper nutrition and regular exercise can slow down the degenerative cellular activity that leads to aging. We can make healthy lifestyle choices, which are the best weapons we have to turn around genetic predisposition to disease.

“If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” - Eubie Blake (age 100)

FREE RADICALS and AGING – What’s that all about?

Among the processes in the body that contribute to how we age is the production of free radicals. Every cell in your body contains mitochondria, which process all the calories you consume, then combine with oxygen to produce energy. This oxidation process creates free radicals, which are very unstable electrons that react quickly to other compounds in order to capture an electron and become stable. This “chain” of free radicals creates an effect similar to ’rusting’ inside our body, damaging DNA and cell membranes. The resulting effects are inflammation, damage to the brain, skin, organs, and cardiovascular system, as well as an increased risk of developing cancer. The best defense against these is managing your stress, exercising regularly, and eating all the colorful fruits and vegetables you can, (8 – 14 servings/day is best), as they are rich in antioxidants.

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