Your lifestyle choices may be aging you prematurely…
Everyone is afraid to grow old. Not in terms of maturity or wisdom, but the slowing down of their bodies that comes with age. No one wants to wake up one morning to find that their joints are stiff, their bones are brittle, their muscles are weak, and their minds don’t work like they used to. We invest a great deal of time and effort into keeping our skin looking great with anti-aging skincare, but what are you doing for the rest of your body?
According to a study out of the Mayo Clinic, a lack of exercise and poor diet habits can contribute to faster aging. If you really want to hold back the ravages of old age, it’s time to lead a healthier life…
The study involved lab mice, which were given either a healthy diet or a “fast food diet”, one high in fats, sugar, and cholesterol. Not only did these mice gain a lot of weight over the 4-month study, but they had a higher risk of obesity-related diseases. This was due to the fact that most of the body fat they gained went to their midsection, right around their organs. The increase in body fat slowed organ function and metabolism.
The fast food diet also increased the presence of senescent cells, cells that contribute to age-related health conditions and diseases. Obesity can prematurely cause the formation of these senescent cells, essentially leading to heart problems, slow metabolism, and more. The higher the levels of senescent cells in your body, the greater your risk of cardiovascular disorders and diabetes.
But once the researchers introduced exercise to the unhealthy mice’ daily routine, the weight gain slowed and the amount of body fat stopped increasing. Not only did the exercise help to prevent fat increase, but it even suppressed the production of senescent cells in the mice’s bodies.
READ MORE: 10 Foods to Slow Aging
What does this prove? Simple: exercising and a healthy diet are one of the most effective ways to stave off the effects of age.
As we grow older, our internal functions begin to slow down–there’s no two ways about it. However, an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise contributes to the slowing down of our body. By making poor food choices and not working out, we’re speeding up the effects of age.
But, as this study proved, doing more exercise and eating a healthy diet can help to prevent age from claiming our bodies any sooner than it should. In fact, the study discovered that healthy diet and exercise helped to suppress the production of those senescent cells, essentially slowing down the effects of age and reducing the risk of age-related diseases.
You don’t need to be a marathon runner or an Olympic bodybuilder to slow down the effects of aging. All you need to do is add a bit more exercise to your life and eat a healthy diet. This means balancing your macro and micronutrients, getting plenty of protein, and limiting your calorie intake. A healthy diet is a challenge to follow, but once you make it your lifestyle, it’s a habit that will continue all on its own.
Exercise, on the other hand, will be a daily struggle. Don’t worry if you’re not a fitness expert yet–just start out slow and work your way up! Exercise will benefit you in many ways, no matter how high or low the intensity. Make it a goal to work out at least 3 hours per week, and you’ll start seeing the difference in no time.
