Wanna live to 120?
There is compelling science that shows that strength training and intermittent fasting are two key ways to slow the hands of time.
I went for a walk with a friend of mine yesterday who has been tweaking his diet and taking daily icy plunges off his wharf into the North Atlantic.
Kim’s one of my friends who has been committed to increasing his vitality as he gets older. He’s one of my friends who is still keen for an adventure. The past few summers we’ve gone on his little green wooden boat out to Big Duck Island where we hike and swim (naked) in the pristine waters of Mahone Bay.
He’s been playing around with making the timeframe he eats during the day much shorter. Eating less and allowing ourselves to feel hungry turns out to be a good thing for our biology and the cellular messaging that tells cells to either die, change or thrive.
If you remember anything from high school biology…the cell is truly where it’s at. They are the silent soldiers that either keep us healthy or spiral us into decline. For years we’ve been told that ageing is something we have no control over.
Forget that piece of bad information.
Science is proving that we all have two very effective mechanisms for influencing ageing: intermittent fasting, and strength training. It’s really common sense…eating less and moving more.
The fasting..not going without food for days but shortening the window of eating through the day, creates a condition in the body called autophagy. This is the way the body rids itself of damaged cells.
As we age our cells lose their identity. Skin cells forget they are skin cells and liver cells forget they are liver cells. This process creates an unravelling of the DNA and we get ageing. Autophagy is a process where the body recognises these rogue cells and disposes of them.
We need strength training not more stretching.
Likewise, strength training creates a lowering of inflammatory markers in the blood by creating more mitochondria in our muscle cells. These cells signal the body that it is not headed for the great sofa in the sky. They improve our available energy and create better stability and balance in the body.
I don't want to try to explain it any further because Harvard researcher David Sinclair does it eloquently in his new podcast called Lifespan.
https://hubermanlab.com/dr-david-sinclair-the-biology-of-slowing-and-reversing-aging/
And if that interests you then:
Another terrific podcast I listen to regularly is from neuroscientist Andrew Huberman from Stanford University. He explains things in a way that anybody can understand. The field of neuroscience is exploding with exciting finds and tweaks you can make to your life that will help you be healthier, happier and able to do the things that bring you meaning and joy.
What do you think about these podcasts?
Do you want a Timeless Body?
I am passionate about staying informed about all the top research in terms of exercise that keeps us strong, stable and well-balanced. My Timeless Body Membership is a place where you can access an evolving body of work contained in four weekly movement lessons.
This month we are working on the neck. It's one of the areas of the body that gets short shrift in exercise and is often a willing and painfully ill-prepared pitch hitter for other parts of the body that don't pull their full weight.
We're doing exercises that awaken us to find an optimal position of the head and neck on top of the spine. Also we're doing isometric strengthening exercises of the front, sides and back of the neck. That's in addition to a full-body workout that targets the areas of the body that need for support and attention as we age.
These are definitely NOT chair yoga type of classes. We do work, standing, sitting, kneeling and on the floor. We work smart and deep. We challenge you but don't overwhelm you.
Rethinking stretching?
If you still think stretching your neck or having it adjusted is the solution to your neck tension or pain, studies now show that strengthening the neck has a better long-term outcome than stretching or passive treatments like adjustments or massage. I'm not saying that getting someone to give you some TLC on your neck is a bad thing but adding some consistent strengthening in there might help you create stability and mobility in your neck in the long haul. More strength and stability equals less pain and better function.
Check out all my courses at my online studio, and find one that will work for you.