One of the biggest misconceptions about anti-aging medicine is how we get older. There is no doubt: all the statistics confirm that ours is one of the oldest countries in the world, where you live for a long time.
Prevention, the national health system, the climate, balanced nutrition et cet. However, the point that is never sufficiently highlighted, and that I have also addressed in the new book “Il Metodo Ongaro”, is that it is not only important to age, to live longer (a desire that is understandable from every point of view), but you need to do it right. That is to age while maintaining good health, living with the ailments of old age, sheltered from debilitating diseases for the body and mind.
The real goal of anti-aging medicine – I would speak better of angi-aging lifestyle – is precisely this: to age while remaining young as long as possible, and not only in spirit.
How to have a healthy body
I have already talked about ideal weight as an ideal weight, a measure that allows you to determine if your body, in the ratio of lean mass to fat mass , is in good condition. We all openly desire a better body on an aesthetic level, but age and genetics decide otherwise. However, lifestyle seems to have more importance.
It is now established by science that the most serious diseases almost always depend on a combination of lifestyle and genetics, with the former predominant. Chronic and debilitating diseases that reduce life expectancy are also attributable to an erroneous lifestyle, especially from a dietary point of view.
Western consumer culture also weighs on everyone, emphasized by the fact that the advanced countries were emerging from a devastating war and privations unimaginable today.
Years of hardship that our grandparents have known have irremediably reflected in the children, who in turn have passed the baton to their grandchildren and so on. The latest studies confirm that more and more young Italians are adopting incorrect eating habits, which refer to the American way of life.
On the one hand, if it is difficult to reject the cultural influence of this consumerist system (also because everything, even the work shifts, is conformed to it), we can make daily decisions that keep the body healthy .
Exercise regularly
Doing sports at an amateur, amateur or professional level plays an important role in delaying aging and physical decay of the bones, heart, lungs and brain.
Over time, the muscles are affected by hormone production, both in women and in men. Instead, regular exercise tends to counteract the production of hormones that contribute to the formation of fat deposits (including within blood vessels). The constant oxygenation of the fibers and cells allows to keep the cellular metabolism alive.
Choose the physical activity you like : you can do the gym, run, brisk walking, hiking and trekking, biking and exercise bike, swimming or tennis, climbing and team sports such as football, basketball, volleyball. In any case, try to do something that you are passionate about.
I can assure you that once you get started your body will get used to it creating a positive addiction to exercise and over time you will taste the benefits.
If you do not feel sufficiently motivated to do physical activity, do it with a friend, an acquaintance, your partner, or to be followed by an instructor or a personal trainer.
Plan your day to match your work and family needs, don’t be afraid to get up early or get active after the workday or before meals. If you do not have time, eliminate the use of the car when you can, in favor of a walk . This should help you out, but it’s best to make a commitment.
People over the age of 50 should take the opportunity to play with children and grandchildren , do playful movement activities, go outside whenever the weather conditions allow. Walk for a long time on every possible occasion.
Don’t smoke or drink alcohol
Over the years, the population that has decided to quit smoking has increased, thanks also to the closure of public places to smokers and to prevention and information policies .
Result? Fewer tumors in general. In fact, smoking is among the main causes of high incidence cancers that affect even at a young age. As soon as you quit smoking, the body begins a healing period that slowly but surely extends life expectancy.
If you don’t know how to stop, first try! It is not a question of willpower, it is a question of habits. Try to write down in which situations you tend to turn on security and you will see that by doing one thing instead of another you can gradually eradicate one of the triggers.
Research has shown that if you eliminate the cause (for example, the cigarette is often associated with coffee, eliminate coffee or anticipate or delay it), the effects are also eliminated. Provided you replace the habit with another. It’s not easy, but the game is worth the candle.
If you don’t succeed, switch to a specific program, choose a medical consultation or get help from people close to you. The cigarette is a faint five-minute pleasure that takes years of life away from you and aggravates the conditions of those left over.
Over 50 : it’s not too late to quit smoking. No doubt you are starting to feel the weight of too many cigarettes smoked. It is true that there are long-lived people who have smoked all their lives and have reached 90 years and over, but it is the exception due to genetics.
Since lifestyle is much more important, do not trust the sensations too much, try to quit or at least reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke. Do not smoke in the car, during breaks at work with friends, have regular medical exams and ask what impact smoking has on the outcomes .
The same goes for alcohol . It should be drunk in moderation. Do not drink alone, when you are invited to parties or dinners or special events, try to drink non-alcoholic, avoid in any way that alcohol consumption itself becomes the theme of the evening (when you are young it’s easy).
If you are over 30, you should have known long ago that alcohol is harmful. Ruin your health, your relationships, your performance at work.
All in moderation : a beer with friends of course yes, wine at the table as well, but never overdo it. In spite of what we think, alcohol is a badly tolerated toxin by our body. In the long term it causes irreparable damage to fundamental organs such as the liver.
The same is true for recreational drugs and drug addiction.
Keep your weight in check and eat healthy
Many of the metabolic diseases, including diabetes, can be caused by a wrong diet (in the case of type 2). Keeping weight under control means monitoring the body so that its shape does not also become substance (the onset of certain diseases that affect old age).
Exercise , do regular tests, check your BMI from time to time , prevent cholesterol from rising, eat more vegetables, fruits and whole grains than refined carbohydrates.
In case you are over 50 , in addition to doing regular tests, do not overdo your idleness. Avoid spending too many hours in front of the TV, if you really have to do it, don’t gorge yourself on junk food and snacks, beers and carbonated and sugary drinks at will (perhaps while watching a game or a talent show). When you can, leave the living room for outdoor recreation. These tips are also valid for younger people attracted to TV series on Netflix or excessive use of the smartphone.
Do analyzes and tests on a regular basis over the years
The field of prevention is perhaps the most important in terms of healthy aging. The body has many enemies as time passes: bad habits, little movement, pollution, stress and depression.
Run regular screening tests . Specific tests can help you prevent and protect you against serious illnesses by discovering them in the early stages, when they are most treatable.
This applies to men and women (colon, breast, lung, liver, prostate exams).
Also regulate a complete check-up with all the necessary analyzes, under medical advice and never underestimate important signals , carry out heart tests and keep blood pressure and blood sugar under control.
Consider that if you lead a healthy life, with regular physical activity, without smoking or drinking or consuming drugs in a low environmental pollution context, you will almost always have positive results from exams .
You are playing with genetics and have a high chance of living a healthy and efficient life even in old age. Of course, you can’t eliminate the inherent risks of this fast-paced world, but you can do a lot.
Now let’s see what you should do to keep your brain and mood healthy. The mental profile is also important.
How to have a healthy mind and inner well-being
The brain is like a huge control room. If there is confusion at the highest levels, everything else can fall apart. In my experience as a doctor I have heard phrases several times like ” I am afraid of losing my clarity, of not understanding what is happening to me anymore, of becoming a vegetable “. Indeed, the fear of having a darkened mind is understandable.
Unfortunately, neurodegenerative diseases , despite enormous advances in science, leave no way out.
Everyone suffers from it: those who are sick, but also those around them . It is a world in which the normal social rules no longer apply, the affects are unhinged by the loss of memory, consciousness, mobility.
The brain, like all other organs, is at risk. But here the cellular decay produces more serious damage: it can involve the area of ​​memory, language, movements.
If you want to keep him in shape now or when you are older you must stick to the principles of good nutrition, enhancing health with movement, with socialization, with mental activity.
Exercise is also good for the mind
All research confirms that exercise improves the performance of our brain. There is greater oxygenation in the areas of the brain intended for the formulation of thoughts. By also lowering blood pressure, physical activity regulates blood sugar levels.
The main risks for the brain are given by high blood pressure, excess sugar, a disordered diet and environmental factors.
You can undoubtedly improve physiological health levels by acting on nutrition and pressure (by controlling weight, performing blood tests, eating balanced with low salt and limiting alcohol consumption) and you can avoid the onset of metabolic and endocrine diseases such as diabetes, which is considered a relevant risk factor for senile dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Exercise your mind day in and day out
Our brain is able to function well even in old age. Of course, the cell renewal process that involves our body tends to decrease over time and involves tissues and organs. But constant mental activity fights this decay:
- Try to eliminate stress : it produces excess waste (free radicals), removes mental clarity, affects rest and relaxation, induces anxiety and panic, causes local inflammation and negative thoughts, aggravates depressive states.
- Carry out group activities : as the years go by, you close yourself more in the family environment, you hang out with fewer people.
Compared to the youth spent at school or having fun, there are fewer and fewer opportunities to socialize. Social media like Facebook can be used to meet new people or go back to old ones, but they can’t be a substitute for personal relationships.
For better or worse, in all the municipalities of Italy there are social welfare plans that provide for recreational activities even for the elderly. But as I always say: prevent.
If you are over forty, do not abandon the opportunities to socialize, attend courses, cultural and sporting events, visit museums and places of artistic or naturalistic interest, walk outdoors. Get out of the house and meet new people , volunteer, join group tours and excursions.
- Enhance this intellectual curiosity by watching less TV and reading more, resume writing, perhaps a journal that can help you track your progress. Play games or practice brain teasers, puzzles, crosswords, checkers, chess, sudoku and so on.
Attend a university of the third age or join reading circles or learn a new language or a new skill (sewing, gardening, painting …). Practice your memory, keep your mind well oiled, setting it up to learn new things.
