The aging process is inevitable. It’s a normal part of life that brings with it an abundance of experience and wisdom. However, it’s also completely normal to want to gently press on the brakes and slow down the hands of time just a little bit. Thankfully for all of us, there are steps we can take to help us age gracefully inside and out so we can enjoy the later years of our lives to the fullest.
Understanding Aging
While age is just a number, aging is the noticeable process that leads to a number of physical, mental, and social changes over time. Although we usually associate the aging process with older adults, the truth is that each and every one of us begins the process of aging from the moment we are born. With each day that passes, we get a little bit older and a little bit wiser, and in those early years, we also become taller, stronger, smarter, and more independent.
However, after those first 20 to 30 years, we hit the peak of this curve and begin the slow decline that is often associated with aging. It’s at this point that we may start to notice some of the more obvious signs of aging, such as the appearance of grey hair and wrinkles. And as even more time passes, these changes become more obvious and more widespread: we begin to lose some of the strength we’ve become accustomed to; we find it more difficult to see and hear; we struggle to hold things in our short-term memory.
Why does this happen? Here’s the short answer: our cells aren’t designed to last forever; over time, the structures and functions within them deteriorate. On top of that, it becomes more difficult for our cells to repair themselves as time goes on, which makes our bodies more susceptible to being damaged by external factors like our environment.
What Happens to Our Bodies as We Age?
As you go through life, your body will undergo an array of changes, with no bodily system being left untouched. From your bones and joints to your digestive system, from your cardiovascular system to your brain, every part of your body will experience aging in some form or another.
Here’s a quick overview of some of the most common changes you can expect as you age:
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Bones and Muscles. As time goes on, bones and muscles tend to become weaker. Your bones will become smaller in size and lose some of their density, making them more fragile than they used to be. Meanwhile, your muscles will start to lose some of the strength, flexibility, and endurance that you are used to, which can impact your coordination, balance, and stability.
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Eyes and Ears. Aging can impact your ability to see and hear. You may notice that it becomes more difficult to see things close up or that you become more sensitive to change in light. Additionally, your ability to hear might change, especially when it comes to high-frequency sounds.
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Digestive System. Constipation, heartburn, and food sensitivities may increase with age as the digestive system is affected by changes to muscle strength, lifestyle choices, and medications.
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Cardiovascular System. With time, your blood vessels and arteries will likely become stiffer, requiring your heart to work harder to pump blood throughout your body. This increased workload on your heart can cause changes to your heart rate and blood pressure and increase your risk of heart-related health conditions.
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Nervous System. Your nervous system will also undergo changes as you age, and this is especially true for your brain, which shrinks and experiences a decrease in blood flow over time. These changes are most likely to impact your short-term memory and thinking skills, making you more susceptible to forgetting names and words and can make it more difficult to focus or multitask.
The Role of Genetics vs. Lifestyle in Aging
While we all age in a similar fashion, the journey through this process is unique for each of us. So what exactly determines what this journey looks like? Some people may say that genetics is the key factor, but that isn’t necessarily true.
This isn’t to say that genetics aren’t important when it comes to aging; they absolutely are. Some of the traits we inherit from our families will absolutely impact how we experience the aging process. However, genetics are only one part of the story; the rest of the story is made up of environmental factors like our lifestyle choices. In fact, when it comes to life span, researchers estimate that genetics only contribute about 15% of the deciding factors, while the rest is influenced by external factors like lifestyle.
The way we choose to live our lives works with our genes to determine how long we live and how well we age. For example, genetics may put you at higher risk of experiencing issues with your cardiovascular health, but choosing to prioritize a healthy lifestyle that includes a healthy diet and regular exercise can help lower that risk while a lifestyle that is sedentary and involves a diet full of processed foods can increase that risk.
So while we can’t change our genes, we can impact how they work by altering our lifestyle and choosing to engage in habits and activities that will help us maintain a healthy life for years to come.
Key Lifestyle Changes for Longevity
So, how exactly can we ensure we are forming healthy lifestyle habits that will support the long, healthy life that we are striving for? The answer is by making small adjustments to a few key areas of our life.
1. Skip Tobacco and Alcohol
It's well known that drinking too much alcohol and using tobacco is bad for our health. Engaging in either of these habits can lead to faster aging and a shorter life span. Smoking in particular is especially harmful, as it hurts the lungs and hearts, can speed up the aging of your skin, and may shorten your life span by up to 10 years.
Similarly, drinking can also accelerate aging. While drinking in moderation is generally acceptable, excessive consumption of alcohol has been associated with biological aging, which is the rate at which your cells age, which indicates that long-term drinking and excessive consumption of alcohol is damaging to not only your brain, liver, and heart—it’s also harmful for your cells.
With that in mind, kicking your smoking habit and cutting back on alcohol can go a long way toward slowing your natural aging process.
2. Stay Active
It’s well known that regular physical activity has a wide array of benefits, and many of these benefits can help slow the hands of time, at least a bit. For example, regular workouts can help you maintain muscle mass as time goes on, helping to ensure you stay as mobile and flexible as possible in the years to come. Additionally, exercise also boosts cardiovascular health and bone health, and supports healthy cognitive function, which is important for helping to delay some of the negative effects of aging.
With that being said, start incorporating less sitting and more physical activity into your daily routine, aiming to get at least 75 minutes of exercise each week.
3. Prioritize Nutrition
There is an English proverb that says “don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.” While this may seem a little dramatic, it does ring true. The foods we choose to fuel our bodies with play a surprisingly large role in our longevity and vitality. This has best been highlighted by the Blue Zones Project, which has investigated the populations around the world that are known for living the longest. While the demographics and culture of these populations are all vastly different, there are surprisingly similarities when it comes to their diets.
For example, many of these populations consumed diets that had a “plant slant,” meaning the vast majority of their daily meals consisted of plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and turning to foods like beans for their protein intake. While the people in the communities weren’t following a strictly vegetarian or vegan diet, they did only eat small portions of meat a few times a month.
Why does the plant slant work so well for supporting a healthy aging process? It’s likely because eating a diet rich in natural, whole foods is much more likely to provide your body with all of the nutrients it needs to truly thrive.
This is especially true for nutrients that are considered antioxidants, which are compounds that combat cell damage by neutralizing harmful free radicals and lowering oxidative stress. Some of the most common antioxidants found in natural foods include vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and chlorophyll. By including a variety of foods that are rich in antioxidants into your diet, you can be proactive about protecting your calls from unnecessary damage, which will go a long way toward helping you live a both a longer life and a healthier life.
The Role of Superfood Supplements
While following a healthy diet seems easy enough in theory, we all know it can be a lot more difficult in practice. In the busy world we live in today, it’s all too easy to turn to convenience foods and take out. Plus, even if you are diligent about cooking plant-based meals at home, the truth is that you still may be missing out on some of the key nutrients your cells need to stay healthy. This is where all-natural superfood supplements can come into play, especially when we are talking about steps you can take to slow the aging process.
Finding a supplement that will not only provide your body with key nutrients, but that is also designed to support your cells and keep them healthy throughout the years can go a long way when it comes to keeping you looking and feeling your best.
With that being said, if you are looking for a supplement to support you on your journey through the years, choose carefully. There are thousands of different anti-aging supplements on the market today that claim to be the key to longevity, but remember that not all supplements are created equal. Products with artificial ingredients or fillers can do more harm than good, and supplements that are truly safe and effective can be hard to come by. Spend some time doing your own research so you can find an all-natural supplement that is truly safe and effective.
4. Improve Your Stress Management
Stress is an inevitable part of life, but constant, intense stress can not only wreak havoc on your mental health, but it can also age you. Not only can extended exposure to stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline cause damage to your cells, but chronic stress has also been found to limit your body’s ability to repair damaged cells throughout your body. This means that ongoing stress will almost certainly increase your biological age, spreading up the aging process.
To combat this, it’s best to spend some time evaluating your normal stress levels and experimenting with stress management techniques that can help you relax both your body and mind and keep your stress levels under control as often as possible.
5. Don’t Skimp on Sleep
Sleep is vital as it allows your body time to recharge and repair. It’s a time where your brain can slow down, your muscles can rest, and, most importantly, your body can work on repairing damaged cells. Not getting enough sleep at night does more than just make the next day more difficult, it also can have a major impact on your overall health, especially when it comes to your biological age. In fact, researchers have found that getting insufficient sleep for just a single night can accelerate the aging of your cells.
If you are looking for ways you can adjust your lifestyle to slow down the aging process, making changes to your sleep routine to ensure you can get a better night of rest each night can be extremely impactful.
Slow Down the Hands of Time with Renew
You may not be able to stop yourself from getting older, but you can take steps to ensure that you age gracefully and are able to live not only a long life, but a healthy one. Here at New Earth, that’s exactly what we want for you, which is why we have spent the time to formulate a powerful superfood supplement to help you do just that—Renew.
This all-natural supplement is a breakthrough product that can help you age gracefully by nourishing and supporting your stem cells*, which are the cells your body uses to replace the ones that it loses over time. What makes Renew so powerful? It’s the variety of natural ingredients it’s infused with! Renew contains green tea extract, vitamin D3, carnosine, and organic Wild Microalgae™, which are all known to promote better health on their own, but are even more powerful when combined.
Adding Renew to your daily routine can help you live a healthy and vibrant life while also helping you put the brakes on the aging process. The best part is, you can put it to the test risk-free with our 60-day money-back guarantee!