The reality is that there is a fundamental revolution at hand in the way people age …
In the old days, we’ve been led to believe that there’s a steady curve from 50 to death.
Certain aspects of aging are inevitable: our hair will become grey, skin more wrinkled, our maximum heart rate will decline, and reading glasses will become indispensable!
While we may not like this, we’re stuck with it.
Part of an evolutionary “default to deteriorate”, thousands of years ago it freed up resources at the eating trough for the next generation during times of famine.
What we CAN do with surprising ease, however, is override these innate “deterioration signals” within our bodies.
How? You need to have the EDGE:
E Exercise,
D (a sensible) Diet
GE General Engagement with life.
The first “E” – for EXERCISE – is by FAR the most important, and is the GREAT KEY to aging gracefully.
Why?
It’s quite simple when you think about how we have evolved as a species.
Exercise – the physical work of hunting and foraging in the spring – has always been the single most powerful signal we can send our body & brain that life is good, that it’s springtime, and therefore time to live and grow.
In response to the chemical signal sent by that exercise your body becomes lean, powerful, and efficient.
Bone strength and joint health increase to handle the repetitive shocks of the travel.
Your heart and circulatory functions increase to supply the blood and oxygen to your muscles, and the muscles themselves become strong & coordinated.
Immune function increases to repair the ongoing wear and tear, also the sprains, cuts, bruises and minor infections that accompany an active outdoor life.
Quite simply, we have to play on the physical stage in order to take control of our Darwinian evolutionary bodies …