According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2030, one in six people will be over age 60. This means that the population for this demographic will increase from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion in just the next 10 years. Individuals who are 80 and older are expected to triple in number between 2020 and 2050. The truth is our world is aging at an incredibly fast rate.

How healthy will this new elderly generation be? Based upon current trends of the typical American, they will have some significant health problems. What about you? How healthy are you aging? In this article we hope to highlight some of the best natural ways to age gracefully.

A Healthy Mindset

Aging gracefully starts with a healthy mindset. The focus is on a marathon-type mindset, not a sprint, when it comes to aging gracefully. It’s about doing most of the things right, most of the time. This mindset helps to focus on creating habits and behaviors that are destined in the long run to pay off with healthier DNA and a healthier body.

Foods That Prevent Aging

Aging gracefully has a lot to do with increasingly eating foods that prevent aging and eating fewer foods that damage our DNA which speeds up aging. Eating whole foods, close to the source, and as fresh as possible is a good first step. This includes eating a vast variety of protein and vegetables. Avoiding processed foods may be the most powerful way to age gracefully as they disrupt our DNA replication and create detrimental changes to our genetic code. This is one of the main factors in the production of cancer cells. The simple fact is; that eating fewer foods made by man and more foods made by God in their natural form, produces a healthier younger body.

I would highly encourage you to increase foods that are rich in polyphenols. Polyphenols protect your mitochondria—the power plants of your cells—from oxidative stress, which keeps them young and allows them to produce a lot more energy. The stronger your mitochondria, the less fatigue and brain fog you’ll experience in daily life. Robust mitochondria are especially important as you age as they produce the energy and vitality that we associate with being young. Polyphenols are found in fresh fruits, especially berries, leafy greens, fresh herbs and spices—ginger and turmeric in particular—and in dark chocolate, coffee, red wine and olive oil. Incorporate these foods into your diet to naturally slow aging.

Move Like A Child

If you have ever been near a child for any length of time you know that one defining characteristic is that they don’t slow down. Moving like a child requires starting with a good diet and adequate sleep to produce the energy needed for movement. But, if you find yourself fatigued and left with little motivation to move, don’t worry just begin with small walks. Walking is a great way to begin an active lifestyle. Focus on frequency not quantity. Go for several short walks throughout the day to keep your joints lubricated and your blood flowing. As time progresses your mitochondria will begin to produce more energy that you can harness to produce more movement.

Transitioning to the incorporation of more strength training and high intensity interval training will greatly improve your energy levels and brain function. Again, prioritize frequency over quantity. It is much better to do a short 10-20 minute workout that you can not only fit into your daily planner but also ensure that you are not too sore the next day. Overdoing it to the point where you can not workout is the opposite of aging gracefully!

Sleep Like A Child

Sleep is very important for better health. Sleep is when the body repairs, regenerates, and grows. This is why children often sleep for 8-10 hours each night. Their body needs the downtime to make new healthy cells for their growing body. As an adult, we need this downtime as well to repair injured tissues, kill cancer cells, and to refresh the brain. Prioritizing sleep is vital to staying younger.

Unfortunately, adults struggle more than most children at getting a good night’s sleep. A couple of thoughts on how to achieve a great night of sleep:

  1. Begin your sleep routine each night at the same time and in the same pattern about 30 minutes before you want to fall asleep.
  2. Turn off your phone, T.V., and other devices at the beginning of this routine. These are the most common disruptors of quality sleep.
  3. Perform 5-10 minutes of gentle yoga, foam rolling, or stretching. This has a calming effect on the brain and can prevent the achy feeling of tired muscles that can keep you up at night.
  4. Journal for 5 minutes. Take a pen and paper out and reflect about your day (Remember to not use your phone or tablet). Highlight the good and bad moments in just a paragraph or two. Also, write down tomorrow’s to-do list as this allows the brain to forget about these necessities, temporarily lowering your stress about the day to come.
  5. Read for 10-15 minutes. Reading a relaxing book or devotional before bed helps the brain slow down and prepare for sleep. This helps to reduce your cortisol levels before bed. Cortisol damages your tissues and speeds up the aging process.
  6. Turn off the light and fall asleep. The most restful and restorative sleep occurs between 10:30pm and 2:00am. Try to maximize your sleep during these time periods to maximize your graceful aging.

 

Key Ingredients To Support Healthy Aging

Aging is not for the weak at heart and to age gracefully we need all of the help we can get. Here is a list of the top supplements that have been shown to help reduce the speed of which we age.

Curcumin- Decreases cancer risks and balances out excessive inflammation in the body by reducing free radical and oxidative damage. This powerful antioxidant has been helpful for many as they report less arthritic pain in the major joints of the body.

Multivitamin– An essential way to make sure you are getting enough of the essential minerals and vitamins for energy production. Not all multivitamins are helpful though, in fact most are not. Make sure yours has a complete B-complex and is easily absorbable. B-vitamins produce energy, produce healthy hair and skin, and improve many cardiovascular conditions. Watch out for cheap ingredients like calcium carbonate that may indicate an inferior product.

Fish Oil- Contains the healthy fats needed for repairing blood vessels, improving blood pressure and cholesterol, increasing brain health, and reducing inflammation.

Fasting and Aging

I wholeheartedly recommend fasting to promote graceful aging. With regular fasting, you can actually train your cells to age more slowly, increasing your health span and helping you live longer. Fasting activates autophagy. This is a process where the body’s cells clean themselves out, getting rid of any built-up waste and replacing old or damaged parts with new versions. By turning on autophagy, fasting makes your body younger and more efficient at a cellular level. It’s an amazing tool for aging healthfully.

Use Technology To Age Gracefully

Biohacking and wearable technology top this list for simple ways to help us age gracefully. Using an Oura Ring, Fitbit, or an Apple Watch to track heart rates, steps, calories burnt, and your sleep patterns are extremely helpful to keep us fit. They are fantastic to keep your goals in mind and your attention on the small daily activities that lead to big results.

You Need A Team

Aging gracefully is not a passive thing, it takes work and focus. It also takes a team. A team of professionals, family, friends, and accountability partners. At [Core] we hope to be a part of that team partnering with you to help you become healthier and younger than you have ever been.


Daryl C. Rich, D.C., C.S.C.S.