Timeless Ageing

Middle age spread spreading? Energy flickering like a candle in the wind? Libido languishing? ‘Once you hit 40 it’s all downhill’ – absolute rubbish!  You don’t have to succumb to what society says is just a normal part of aging.

Age is just a number.

It’s your physical fitness, health and wellbeing that matters and if you invest in it you are drinking from the true fountain of youth.

From ATP to SRT, this article explores the power and importance of exercise and how it will keep you younger longer, so you can do what you love –  longer.

Energy

When we are young we are brimming with an abundance of never ending energy. Forward wind a few years and the energy levels might not be quite what they use to be. But there is a way to produce more.

Sure, you need to eat food for energy but did you know where energy is actually made in the body?

You get energy from ATP: Adenosine Tri-phosphate.

It is the sole source of energy for the whole body. It is produced inside cells by mitochondria and do you know how you get more mitochondria? You can’t buy it online – through exercise. Exercise produces more and larger mitochondria which can then churn out more ATP, which means you have more energy.

So, if you want to sustain your energy levels – keep exercising.

Stay active

 We all know exercise is important but we often neglect the importance of every day activity. You can’t go to the gym and then sit on your butt for 10 hours at the office. The gym workout might not even counter balance the ill-effects of being sedentary all day.

If you want to stay healthy, you need to exercise and be active.

We have all heard the importance of aiming for 10,000 steps per day. What science is telling us is the more we move the better our health. So, if you are only managing 4000 steps per day aim for 6000, if you are managing 8000, aim for 10,000.

Everyday movement also helps to dissipate stress. If you sit glued to your desk, stress will accumulate. Small, regular, incidental movement helps to counter the build-up of stress.

So, if you want to have more energy and less stress in the office, get up and move every 60-90 minutes.

Fascia

Do you know what fascia is?

It is a connective tissue that holds the entire body together. It binds muscles into neat bunches and holds the organs in place. It basically keeps everything where it should be.

It is supportive and flexible and kept healthy through hydration and movement.

Ever noticed when you wake up you are a little stiffer but as you get into your day you regain normal movement? This is because when fascia doesn’t move it starts to form cross-links that start to inhibit movement and its naturally flexible state.

A lack of movement will cause fascia to become hard and stiff, contributing to feeling older.

If you want to keep it healthy, you need to move regularly.

Sarcopenia

Do you know what sarcopenia is?

It is the natural loss of muscle that occurs after the age of 30 years old. You start to lose 3-8% of your skeletal muscle per decade.

Muscle is not just for big bodybuilders, it is vital for normal physiological function. It allows you move and stay active.

As we get older, we start to lose our physical effectiveness and we become more prone to injury because we no longer have the robustness we had in our youth. Instead of bouncing, we break.

Do you notice there are things you can no longer do?

Ever assessed your biological age?

Biological age relates to your percentage of lean muscle mass and body fat.

If you want to stay younger longer, you need to lift weights twice a week to maintain your lean muscle tissue.

Weight training is probably the closest thing to the real fountain of youth because it helps maintain muscle mass and keep us looking and functioning longer.

Flexibility

Look at the difference between a baby and a pensioner. The baby is supple and flexible in every direction. An elderly person has long lost the ability to touch their toes

Can you touch yours from a straight leg position?

As we age we get less flexible.

With reduced flexibility comes reduced function and an increased risk of injury.

We find it harder to do everyday things like put on our shoes.

Being sedentary such as sitting all day at the office – reduces flexibility.

Unfortunately, we don’t stretch enough. Even at the gym we don’t stretch nearly enough. It’s merely a few 20 second stretches at the end of the workout, if that. What would be more effective is to stretch for 30-45 seconds and repeat two to three times. The longer the better so a yoga class or two would be excellent.

If you want to stay younger longer, you need to invest in maintaining flexibility and stretch more.

Posture

Young people tend to have naturally good posture and as we age we slowly start to slump into poor postural habits such as rounded shoulders and forward head position – where the head sticks out beyond the straight line of the spine – have a look in the mirror and check your natural head position.

Good posture gives an air of authority, confidence and health.

Poor posture doesn’t look good and is associated with low energy and low mood.

Poor posture is also significantly linked to injury because parts of the body are not sitting in correct anatomical alignment hence causing undue strain on other parts of the body.

Consider the head. This weighs 4-5 kilograms. With increased screen use we are constantly looking down. This increases the stress on the neck and upper back by 500%! Think about that constant strain all day, every day for 30 years. It’s no wonder chiros and physios are fully booked with a new modern condition called ‘tech neck’.

Sit, stand and walk tall.

You will look and feel better – longer with less aches and pains.

Walk faster

Studies suggest that those who walk faster live longer. According to research conducted by Francesco Zaccardi, PhD, a clinical epidemiologist at the Leicester Diabetes Center in Leicester, England: women who walked briskly, at over 4 mph, could enjoy a life-expectancy boost of up to 15 years longer than those who walked at less than 3 mph. The increase for men could be up to 20 years. So put your skates on and pick up your walking pace!

 SRT

So how do you rate your physical health?

It’s far simpler than how fast you can run a mile or how many push ups you can do, it’s called a Sit to Rise Test: how easily can you get off the floor from a seated position without the need to put other limbs down.

This has been shown in studies to be an effective indicator of longevity.

Think about, when you were young and spritely you could probably bounce to your feet in one go. Now imagine your Gran or elderly neighbour and how hard it would be for them to get off the floor without pulling themselves up with a walking frame or piece of furniture.

We are somewhere in this range and the further we are from the latter, the better.

Give the test a try: Sit down in a crossed leg position and try to get off the floor without putting your hands or knees down. The easier you can do this – the better.

Warning: do not try this if you have hip, knee or back injury.

Conclusion

Age is irrelevant. Staying active is what counts.

If you want to stay younger longer, have an abundance of energy and continue to do the things you love (and need to do) free from aches, pains and injuries you need to move and exercise – it is the closest thing to the fountain of youth there is.

• Exercise increases your energy producing capability.
• Exercise is important but everyday movement is equally, if not more, important for keeping young and healthy.
• Slow the sarcopenia ageing process and lift weights twice a week to maintain lean muscle tissue. Your biological age is based on maintaining muscle.
• Stretch more to maintain flexibility. Stiffness equals oldness.
• Sit, stand and walk tall. Good posture looks and feels better.
• Try the SRT test, to assess your longevity: the easier you can get off the floor, without using your hands or knees, the longer you will live.

About

Timo Topp is wellbeing coach, author and speaker with 25 years experience. “It is my passion and purpose to empower people to live healthier lives”. He is the author of EAT, MOVE, LIVE and creator of ‘Well for Work’ a workplace wellness program to help people prevent burnout so they can ‘Work and Live Well’ so that companies can thrive.

Get in touch

Want to stay younger longer contact Timo on timo@timotopp.com or check out the website www.timotopp.com