Must
We Get Old?
We
may not be able to avoid it, but we sure can postpone it.
Left
to its own devices, the typical human body loses about 30 percent of its
cells by age 75. Skin becomes less supple, the brain shrinks, heart output
drops, lung capacity decreases, bones become brittle, muscles atrophy,
the immune system weakens, and fertility fades.
In the end, it may be true that nothing is certain but death and taxes.
But we're discovering that, like an IRS auditor, the grim reaper does
offer an extension of time to file. By changing your lifestyle, you can
add years to your life. At least as important, the years you add are
likely
to be vibrant and enjoyable. You can look and feel 10 to 20 years younger
than the calendar implies. How do you do it? Here are a few key points:
- To
protect your skin, avoid direct exposure to the sun. Not only does
ultraviolet light cause skin cancer, it's a far more important than
age
when it comes to wrinkling and discoloration.
- Exercise—in
the form of extended moderate activity, such as brisk walking—directly
postpones the effects of aging. Studies have shown that
men who don't exercise may lose as much as 24 percent of
their heart's pumping
capacity
per decade after age 40. Men who do exercise, however, lose only about
5 percent of their circulatory capacity every 10 years.
Endurance exercise
also enhances the body's immune system. One study has shown
that fit elderly people have higher levels of disease-fighting
substances
in
their blood
and are much less likely to get respiratory infections.
- Weight
lifting has its own set of benefits. Pumping iron prevents
the loss of muscle
strength—about 30 percent, on average, between
20 and 70—and helps head off osteoporosis. A study
of 70-year-old men who took up weight lifting found that
they could add muscle
at nearly the same
rate as men 50 years younger. Men who strength train
also have better balance and are less prone to injury.
- Pick
foods that have high levels of antioxidant vitamins. Yellow
and orange vegetables—carrots and sweet potatoes, for example—and
green, leafy vegetables—such as spinach and broccoli—contain
vitamins E and C and beta carotene. These vitamins
appear to help neutralize substances
called free radicals, which attack healthy cells and
may be one of the main causes of aging.
Unlike
your accountant, I can't certify an automatic extension. But I can
assure you that you'll
feel better immediately knowing
that
the ultimate
accountant is more likely to knock on someone else's door.
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