Your body changes as you age, but that doesn’t mean you need to give in. You can slow down the march of time, and the sooner you start, the better your chances are of extending longevity.
The anti-aging steps you can take may seem like the same advice you’ve probably heard many times. But you may not be aware that issues like diet, exercise, and weight can slow or accelerate aging.
Chetanna Okasi, MD, at Women’s Wellness MD, in Columbia and Greenbelt, Maryland, works closely with women who want to slow aging, creating personalized plans that meet their lifestyles. Here, she offers four anti-aging tips.
A healthy diet is essential at every age to optimize health and vitality. However, getting adequate nutrition can also help you slow aging.
The foods you eat can fight disease-causing inflammation. Your nutritional status can also slow the cellular and DNA damage that accelerates aging. A well-balanced diet is crucial for avoiding common age-related problems like muscle loss and frailty.
The basics of an anti-aging meal plan are similar to the Mediterranean diet. However, pay extra attention to nutrients, such as:
One of the challenges older adults often face is that they tend to eat less, yet their nutritional needs remain the same or increase. As a result, they may not get the anti-aging nutrients they need.
We’re here to help if you have questions about nutrition and aging or want to learn more about creating a nutrient-rich meal plan that meets your needs.
Staying active has incredible health benefits, from losing weight and boosting energy to improving mood and managing chronic diseases.
Exercise also delivers anti-aging benefits. Getting regular exercise slows biological aging by protecting DNA from degeneration.
Regular physical activity is the most important preventive strategy for avoiding age-related muscle weakness and frailty.
Other anti-aging benefits of staying active include:
Your muscles gradually but progressively lose mass and strength as you age. The loss can begin as early as 30 but worsens every decade after 50.
The top reasons for age-related muscle weakness include too little dietary protein, minimal physical activity, hormone imbalances, and your overall health.
You don’t need to join a gym or engage in athletics. You only need to start walking. However, if you have any physical concerns that may limit your mobility or it has been a while since you exercised, you should consult a healthcare provider before jumping in.
Next to diet and exercise, losing weight (if needed) and maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best ways to fight aging. Being overweight or obese speeds up cell death and hinders mitochondrial function. (Mitochondria are the structures inside cells that produce energy.)
The amount of excess fat you carry, your diet, and your activity level affect your genetic activity. These don’t change your genes, but your lifestyle influences gene activation, turning them on or off.
A nutritious diet, active lifestyle, and healthy weight can change genetic expression positively. But the opposite is also true: an unhealthy diet, a sedentary lifestyle, and being overweight can cause changes that accelerate aging.
Women experience dramatic hormone changes during menopause when estrogen levels fall. However, estrogen regulates many body systems. As a result, it affects aging.
Without enough estrogen, muscle strength declines, and bones lose density. Your skin thins and loses elasticity, making you more vulnerable to dry skin and wrinkles. Low estrogen can also affect brain function and memory.
Over time, your body produces less melatonin and growth hormone, and you need both to slow aging. Growth hormone supports muscle strength, memory, and fat burning. Melatonin prevents cellular aging and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Restoring hormone levels is the easiest of all the anti-aging steps you can take. We prescribe the hormone therapy you need and monitor your blood levels to ensure you regain balance.
Call Women’s Wellness MD or book a consultation online to learn more about the steps you can take to fight aging.
