Slow Down That Aging Process (First of a 3 Article Series)

[Amela Mirpuri-Ucol (HS '73)]

It can be done! There is empirical evidence that attests to the possibility of being able to slow down, and even reverse, the biological process of aging. Success depends largely on the individual’s determination and frame of mind, coupled with the knowledge of appropriate measures to take toward the pursuit of retaining one’s everlasting youth.

My goal is to share pragmatic and proven ways to combat the effects of aging. This article is geared for ordinary folk whose perception of anti-aging isn’t based on overly challenging, costly or high risk methods such as drugs, plastic surgery, or the type of athletic activity that wins medals. Rather, our approach is one of a healthy lifestyle that combines the right foods with appropriate physical activity, the maintenance of ideal body weight and practice of caloric restrictions, and filling an individual’s mind and spirit with positive interests and thoughts that allows one to appreciate and live the precious gift of life to its fullest.

In the 21st century, 50 is the new 30! The advent of extensive advances in science, medicine, healthcare, nutrition, and an improved awareness of healthy lifestyles have made this phenomenon a reality for a good number of knowledgeable and health conscious inviduals.

This is welcome news particularly for the country’s 77 million baby boomers, the sector of American population born between the years 1946 – 1964 (to which my husband and I belong). The Harvard School of Public Health - MetLife Foundation projected in 2003 that baby boomers will expect to live on average to be about 83, and that many will live well into their 90’s.

That having been said, my main objective in publishing this article is to reach out not just to our fellow baby boomers but to all individuals in various age groups who plan on living healthy, meaningful, clean fun-filled lifestyles with extended life expectancies. Whether you are a 16 year old high school student planning for college and beyond, a young professional in your mid-20’s who has just broken into the career of your choice, in your late 20’s through mid 30’s whose dreams for purpose-filled living mean single blessedness or may now include your partner in life and maybe some young offspring, a successful individual in your early or mid 40’s – 50’s actively planning your semi-retirement that will blend business, leisure, and civic interests, or someone in your mid-60’s or older already in retirement – this article promises to be of interest for you.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The benefits of exercise are universally proven to foster health and improve physical, mental and psychological well-being. If there is only one thing that an individual can do to thwart chronic disease and prevent early death – it has to be regular physical activity. However, despite irrefutable evidence of the link between exercise and health, a significant portion of the adult population will come up with all sorts of excuses to avoid exercise. Part of the problem is the mindset that exercise has to be grueling to be effective, which is a total myth.

A minimum amount of regular exercise such as 30 minutes of aerobic activity most days a week is guaranteed to reap significant rewards by lowering the risks for heart disease, hypertension, cancer, osteoporosis, depression, diabetes, and obesity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends moderate-intensity exercise, which means your heart rate gets going but not so much that you are huffing and puffing and unable to carry on a conversation. Think biking, inline skating, using an elliptical trainer or treadmill, and swimming. Strength training like lifting weights can also help prevent bone and muscle loss and shore up joints stressed by arthritis or pain. Walking your dog 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening also qualifies.

The body starts to lose an average of 10% of muscle mass per decade starting at the age of 50, which makes it even more critical to stay active in older age than at any other stage in life. Kerry Stewart, director of clinical and research exercise physiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says, "It's really important for young people to stay active to maintain health, but for older people it may be even more important to stay active to have some way of fighting off the natural processes of aging and resist chronic diseases." The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that older adults follow the same 30-minutes-a-day routine, including aerobic activity and strength training.

For individuals confined to the home, strength training can be done using furniture. For example, an elderly person could hold on to a chair for balance while slowly lifting and lowering the leg to build up hip and thigh muscles. A study presented at the ACSM's annual meeting last December ‘06 found that gardening activities like weeding, mulching, and transplanting seedlings were enough to qualify as low or medium intensity exercise and easily fulfill the 30-minutes-a-day plan. And research published in the spring showed that older adults who participated in an hour-long tai chi class three times a week for 12 weeks improved their balance, strength, endurance, and flexibility.

Keep an eye out for a couple more articles from me that will continue to provide helpful information on how to help one stay "forever young".

About me: Hi, I'm Amela Mirpuri-Ucol and am presently employed as a healthcare executive at NIA/Magellan Health Services in Rancho Cordova, California. Having worked in the US healthcare industry with medical insurance companies, clinical professionals and healthcare consumers for over 15 years has created an acute awareness in me and allowed me to gain knowledge around the vital need to be in control of one's state of health by proactively maintaining a sound holistic wellness program encompassing mental, physical, emotional and spiritual capacities. I also previously created and managed a website called FitnessWellbeing.com (albeit now defunct) that facilitated sharing of success stories and proven health techniques among individuals seeking to live life to its fullest by maintaining healthy habits and a generally positive outlook in life.

[Andrea Lizares Si (HS'73,AB '78)]

Thanks for posting the first article in our new Health and Welness category, Amla. Perhaps you can edit this post to add at the end, a note about what in your background qualifies you to write about this. You can also add a clustrmap that shows the location of people who read the article. I've added this map to several of my pages because I want to see who is reading what.