5 sustainable habits for healthy ageing
Published on
28 Sep 2023
Contributors
Introduction
Embarking on the journey to discover the secrets of longevity often fills us with a surge of enthusiasm, prompting us to explore various lifestyle modifications that could potentially amplify our healthspan. However, as time passes, it’s not uncommon to find ourselves grappling with doubts about the sustainability of these new practices and the ideal time to integrate them into our daily lives. Fortunately, sustaining these healthy habits is more straightforward than it appears and doesn’t necessitate sacrificing the quality of your living experience.
Exercising
A regular fitness regimen is one of humankind’s most robust anti-ageing strategies. It could increase the lifespan by up to 31%! More than a mere stress buster and social conduit, exercise is a formidable ally in preserving cognitive function and cardiovascular health. Recent research even hints at its potential to foster the generation of new neurons in the hippocampus, a vital area of the brain associated with memory and learning.
To negate the adverse effects of ageing, such as joint pain and mobility loss, weaving exercise into your daily routine can be a game-changer. Not only does it shield your bone mass and strength, but it also wards off ailments like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
Tips to make it last:
- Consistency is Key: Incorporate workout hours into your weekly routine, making it easier to stay committed.
- Chart Your Progress: Keeping track of your improvements can be a phenomenal motivator. Aim to set clear, achievable goals using the SMART criteria.
- Find Your Fun: Discover a workout or sport that resonates with you, making the journey enjoyable.
Diet adjustments
Embarking on the path to longevity necessitates a thoughtful approach to diet. While there isn’t a universal formula, tracking the effects of different foods on your body can offer insightful guidance. The ability of a cell to discern and assimilate nutrients, known as nutrient-sensing, tends to wane as we grow older. This process can lead to various malfunctions and diseases associated with elements such as protein synthesis regulation, cell cycle, DNA replication, stress responses, and maintaining blood glucose levels, marking it as a distinctive sign of ageing.
Research, primarily centred on animal studies, indicates that adopting caloric restriction diets might serve as an efficient mechanism to curb alterations in nutrient-sensing pathways. Similarly, practices like intermittent fasting or opting for diets abundant in healthy fats such as Omega-3 and lower in proteins, similar to the Okinawan diet, might exert comparable benefits. Notably, inhabitants of the so-called Blue Zones, regions celebrated for their significant number of centenarians, exhibit extended average lifespans. This hints at the potential efficacy of these dietary habits, although a deeper exploration through clinical studies on humans is imperative to unravel the intricacies of these complex pathways.
By nurturing a robust microbiome and reducing inflammaging, thoughtful dietary choices can potentially retard the ageing process, echoing not only in a lengthened lifespan but also in an enriched quality of life.
Tips to make it last:
- Mindful Eating: Treat each meal as an opportunity to nourish your body with purposeful choices.
- Culinary Adventures: Experiment with diverse recipes that prioritize healthy fats and a plethora of ingredients, turning mealtime into a gourmet experience.
Adjust your sleep routine
Restorative sleep forms the bedrock of a healthful existence, acting as a rejuvenating agent for the body and the mind. It facilitates the body in healing from physical strain and injuries, aids the brain in assimilating the day’s learnings, and ensures the seamless operation of various organs. It comes as no surprise, then, that a prominent link exists between sufficient sleep and an extended lifespan. For instance, a 2007 study by Finnish scientists revealed that individuals getting less than 7 hours of sleep were markedly more susceptible to premature mortality.
In the Ogimi community in Okinawa, renowned for its higher-than-average elderly population, a pattern of extended sleep durations seems to correlate with better health and longevity, outpacing the rest of the Japanese populace in these aspects.
Conversely, inadequate sleep has been linked with a glucose metabolism imbalance, potentially fostering obesity and heart diseases. Therefore, prioritizing sleep management could be pivotal in sculpting a successful longevity blueprint. This becomes especially pertinent considering individuals between 50 and 70 exhibiting irregular sleep patterns face a 30% heightened risk of dementia onset. Cultivating a habit of a consistent 8-hour sleep cycle may pave the way for a more restful and revitalized mid-life period.
Tips to make it last:
- Wake up, eat and sleep at regular hours. By accustoming our body to a routine, we can significantly decrease the amount of time to fall asleep, have more stable sleep cycles, and it also feels much easier to wake up in the morning. Victories all over the board!
- Find a routine you truly enjoy. Get some lovely dimmed lights, find some books you will long to read and treat yourself to comfortable beddings. Make your bedtime something you are looking forward to.
- Get most of your sun exposure early in the day and limit blue lights around bedtime. The circadian cycle regulates our sleep. By adjusting our exposure to lights, we can send the right signals to our body: it’s time to sleep.
Meditation
In recent years, meditation has surged in popularity, transitioning from a niche practice to a widely accepted method for fostering wellness, with potential benefits extending to the molecular level, potentially aiding in enhancing longevity.
Recent research suggests that meditation can be a powerful tool in reducing cortisol levels for many individuals. Often dubbed the "stress hormone," cortisol sees a sharp increase during episodes of mental stress. High concentrations of this hormone are associated with several adverse health effects, such as weight gain, muscle weakness, and hypertension. With high blood pressure being a significant factor that can reduce human lifespan, incorporating meditation into daily routines is a promising strategy. Given the potential of meditation to manage elevated blood pressure—a well-documented consequence of high cortisol levels—adopting a regular meditation practice could serve as a vital component in safeguarding one’s health and potentially extending lifespan.
Furthermore, meditation might play a role in maintaining the length of telomeres, the protective end caps on our chromosomes. As we age, these telomeres progressively shorten with each cell division, eventually reaching a critical length that signals the cell to either die or cease dividing, a phenomenon termed "telomere attrition." This process is recognized as a central ageing marker and implicated in cellular ageing and the onset of various diseases. A notable factor in the acceleration of telomere shortening is psychological stress and depression. Therefore, through mitigating stress responses and warding off depression, meditation might serve as a protective agent, preventing the rapid erosion of telomeres and promoting a longer, healthier life.
Tips to make it last:
- Attach to an Existing Habit: Incorporate meditation seamlessly into your daily routine by aligning it with another established habit.
- Accountability Partner: Find a friend who shares your enthusiasm for meditation, fostering a community of support and encouragement.
Surround yourself with your loved ones
In the journey towards a longer, healthier life, nurturing personal relationships takes a significant stance. Regions such as Sardinia in Italy, renowned for its high centenarian concentration, demonstrate the potential longevity benefits of maintaining communal solid ties. The close-knit communities in these areas often foster a sense of belonging and support, which positively impacts the inhabitants’ lifespan.
Research conducted by Holt-Lunstad et al. in 2010 vividly highlights that individuals with robust social relationships have a 50% increased likelihood of survival, underscoring the vital role relationships play in our well-being.
Building relationships rooted in trust and mutual respect emerges as a critical strategy for enhancing lifespan. Initiating regular gatherings, participating in community activities, or simply sharing moments of joy and sorrow with loved ones can forge bonds that not only enrich life but possibly extend it.
Tips to make it last:
Take the Initiative: Don’t hesitate to reach out as you reminisce and a loved one comes to mind. Being the first to bridge the gap not only revives cherished relationships but often brings a burst of joy and warmth to both parties.
Take the Initiative: Don’t hesitate to reach out as you reminisce and a loved one comes to mind. Being the first to bridge the gap not only revives cherished relationships but often brings a burst of joy and warmth to both parties.
Resources
１．Exercise
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/exercising-more-than-recommended-could-lengthen-life-study-suggests/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32646997
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2021.625497/full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5684300/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6650634/
２．Diet
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01690-9
https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/49/3/395/5730334
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5454828/
https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/calo-restriction-and-fasting-diets-what-do-we-know
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31116995/
https://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2021/01/a-healthy-microbiome-builds-a-strong-immune-system-that-could-help-defeat-covid-19/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01690-9
https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/49/3/395/5730334
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5454828/
https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/calo-restriction-and-fasting-diets-what-do-we-know
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31116995/
https://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2021/01/a-healthy-microbiome-builds-a-strong-immune-system-that-could-help-defeat-covid-19/
３．Sleep
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17969458/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1440-1819.2002.01014.x
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17969458/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1440-1819.2002.01014.x
４．Social
https://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/2019-global-wellness-trends/meditation-goes-plural/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3057175/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC534658/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17437199.2020.1760727
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6371989/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22187-コルチゾール
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/meditation-and-a-relaxation-technique-to- lower-blood-pressure
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3303565/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15983235/
https://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/2019-global-wellness-trends/meditation-goes-plural/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3057175/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC534658/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17437199.2020.1760727
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6371989/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22187-コルチゾール
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/meditation-and-a-relaxation-technique-to- lower-blood-pressure
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3303565/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15983235/
