The Shell
Game
I recently
heard a comment from a fellow senior athlete that he was just a shell
of his former self. He couldn't get excited about doing eight minute
miles when once he averaged five minutes per mile. Aging is
inevitable, but that doesn't mean we don't have some say in how we
age. Everything we do affects how fast we age. What we eat and
drink, the amount of stress in our lives, even our exercise habits,
will all determine how our bodies react to aging. But does switching
to a healthier life style extend our lives, or does it merely improve
our quality of life as we age?
Extensive
research is being conducted on the affects of aging and possibilities
of slowing or even reversing it's affects. San Diego, California, is
where a lot of this research is being done. The Salk Institute,
Scripps Health, and Human Longevity are all doing ground breaking
research on aging. They are examining everything from stem cells to
cell regeneration. The belief is that the human lifespan could be
much longer. The researchers discovered that when cells divide,
proteins, called telomeres, shorten, contributing to some of the
conditions associated with aging. Through their studies, it was also
determined that a person was usually more concerned with a better
quality of life than just a longer life.
Elizabeth
Blackburn, President of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies,
states, “Psychological habits such as training to focus one’s
attention, avoiding habitual pessimism, reducing stress-inducing
things in life that are within our control and cultivating a few
close friendships can help increase the quality of our lives, as well
as, the longevity. Good sleep patterns and exercise, along with the
avoidance of sugar and refined carbohydrates, will also help”.
These activities help maintain the length of the cells telomere
proteins, minimizing the affects of aging.
How interesting
that making an effort to be happy is one of the healthiest changes we
can make in our lives. It's clear from Dr. Blackburn's comments that
exercise and eating a healthy diet are just pieces to the puzzle of
aging. Staying positive, optimistic, having a friend and a hobby all
contribute to slow the aging process. Perhaps she is right. All we
have to do is believe it and get started. A happy, active, mind and
an active, healthy, body are a winning combination.
It's not just a
step, it's a start.
Dave
