Do you have friends who were born in the same year as you, but you look years apart? Have you ever been mistaken as looking older or younger than your actual age? Well, it’s not uncommon!
The Aging Study
For the study, which was led by Daniel Belsky, 954 young participants between the ages of 20 and 40 were evaluated to determine how quickly they were aging. The researchers used 18 different measures.
According to the findings, a person’s physiological age seemed to match their physical age. This means that the participants who showed to have aged mentally and functionally also had aged at the same pace physically. Therefore, those who looked older were, in reality, aging faster than others in their same age group.
Aside from this, Belsky and his team also found that 80% of the factors affecting age are completely within a person’s control. In other words, your behaviors and lifestyle can possibly affect your age even more than your actual genetics.
Due to this research, many doors have opened for future studies and treatments. Researchers are now able to measure a person’s aging pace, thereby tracking whether certain anti-aging treatments are effective or not.
Yet, more researches are needed to exactly determine what lifestyle choices and behaviors are directly related to slow down or speed up aging.
What You Should Do To Stay Young?
Here are some of the tips you can follow for you to stay young:
A Healthy Diet
When it comes to healthy aging, dieting is extremely important. The type of foods you eat can have a huge impact on your health and well being. By sticking to a balanced diet, you’ll be able to improve physical performance, reduce your risk of disease, and positively affect your mood.
The best kind of diet includes:
- Emphasis on vegetables and fruits
- Eggs, poultry, lean meats, and fish
- Whole grains, beans, and nuts
- Limited processed foods (trans fats, saturated fats, and high levels of salt and sugar)
- Fat-free or low-fat dairy products
- Controlled portion sizes
Daily Exercise
When it comes to maintaining a youthful lifestyle, exercise has long been on the list of beneficial activities. Aside from improving the muscles directly involved in the specific activity, daily exercise has also been proven to improve the immune system, mood, hormones, and cardiovascular system.
Exercise can literally improve your cellular functions and keep you young and healthy.
Getting older is just a part of life. Fortunately, you can slow down the process by developing some behaviors and habits that can keep your body physically and psychologically youthful, and give you the healthy, happy life you deserve!
