By: Roland Pankewich
If you own a time machine, then this article is not for you. IF you obey the laws of physics like most of us, then you will really want to keep reading….
The concept of anti-aging is an interesting one because we cannot change our age chronologically no matter how much you alter your ID or lie on forms when asked. What you CAN do is change your age BIOLOGICALLY and I hope to be able to set the tone of understanding and give some strategies of how to do so!
An easy way to understand biological age is how your body regulates itself in its operating system. From the time we are born until about 25yrs old, we are in a growth phase, and we accumulate resources. The term to describe this is “anabolic”. As we cross that age threshold, we begin to change our pattern of operation to an increased utilization of resources and as a result the body shifts into its “catabolic” opposite as the body begins its breakdown which takes place over decades so don’t worry that it’s all over after 25! The key when understanding anti-aging lies within this relationship. The decline of health and vitality DIRECTLY correlates with our body’s energy and adaptability. The steepness of this drop which we call the line of senescence is what determines how well we age and how efficient our immune system remains.
If someone lacks energy and adaptability, they become compromised in terms of their health. This can mean that someone who is only 45 years old who is in a poor state of health can have a physical operating system like that of someone who is 54 years old. In this model, biological age is GREATER than chronological age. If the same person decides to take responsibility for their health and improves ALL aspects of their life that support health, they could conceivably change their internal operating system (via the enhancement of adaptability and more overall energy) and begin to operate like that of a 35-year-old biologically. THIS is the fundamental concept of anti-aging in a nutshell. The goal is to make the person; look, perform, and feel younger than they are. Another aspect of anti-aging isn’t just about appearance or performance but rather the QUALITY of our individual march of time. One who ages well and seems younger than they are will likely age without degenerative illness and the associated physical and mental decline. I personally think this is the most powerful aspect of the whole thing because we are all getting older by the second, but YOU have a say over HOW you age, which is perfectly summed up by Clint Eastwood’s famous saying when asked about his secret to living long and healthy; “Don’t let the old man (or woman) in!”
At this point I hope you have a decent depiction of the concept of anti-aging armed with the knowledge that it is in your hands to a large degree. Now, as always, we must talk about where the gut fits in to all this. If we correlate poor gut function with unhealthy consequences, knowing that poor digestion, dysbiosis, leaky gut, and the associated patterns that unfold from this scenario, it is fair to assume the gut plays a very important role in everything to do with this process! As a body system, your gut, its degree of compromise, and how long one has been dealing with those symptoms are probably one of the strongest drivers of the aging process. We know that the microbiome is its own unique ecosystem and why this is important is that the more your microbiome becomes damaged and the further away it moves from its original makeup, the more we lose that adaptability because our bodies have lost coherence in a major body system that is able to negatively influence ALL other body systems via the different connection axes that the gut has within the body.
Keeping your microbiome intact is a pillar of aging well and luckily all the educational content we put out as well as all the products we make as a company fit into this idea. When you do your research and/or get proper guidance, you can help your body regain the necessary energy and adaptability to age well and deal with life’s challenges. This is of course if all the boxes as follows are checked; eat well, sleep well, balance your work/rest ratios, be mindful of your environment, move your body, spend time with good people, always have a strong sense of purpose in your life, and never stop playing. When you take care of your physical body and your mental/emotional states, they will return the favor and allow you to keep vitality into your later years. Each one of us has a unique recipe for this but luckily the base ingredients are all the same!