Everyone is afraid of old age, especially women. We are afraid of the loss of beauty, health, physical energy. We don't want to become incapacitated and become a burden to our loved ones. Meanwhile, you can prepare for old age and not perceive it as an “age of survival.” The famous psychologist and Ph.D. Pamela D. Blair analyzed her own experience, the experience of her patients and friends and wrote (at the age of 65!) a book “Myths about a woman’s age” (RIPOL Classic Publishing House), in which she debunked the most popular misconceptions about the age of “fifty plus.” Even if you are not yet thinking about old age, show this article to your mother and grandmother - perhaps you will change their lives for the better!
First of all, the author asked general questions, at what point old age begins, whether there is such a concept at all, and what is the best way to call older women. The scientific view is simple: gerontologists describe people under the age of 40 as “young,” “middle-aged” as 40 to 60, and “old” as 60 to 80. But these terms are too broad. Other definitions, for example, “aging” and “elderly” contain a negative connotation, and many women perceive “grandmother” with hostility. Pamela suggested using the terms “wise woman” or “older woman,” and replacing “aging” with “development” or “maturation.”
The book consists of short essays on a variety of topics related to women and aging. Each essay is accompanied by questions for the reader, which the author invites to answer honestly and even advises keeping a diary - in her opinion, this helps to engage in the process of understanding oneself during aging or to get an idea of how to build the next years of life. “We should all plan and prepare to live long,” Pamela Blair is sure and advises not to perceive age as a personal catastrophe. Here are her top tips:
Be positive about aging
Scientists say that genes are responsible for about 30% of the physical changes that occur in old age, but most changes are caused by other factors, and attitude is not the least of them.
“People who perceive aging positively tend to live 8 years longer than those who perceive it negatively. In fact, positive emotions have a greater impact on life expectancy than normal blood pressure, low cholesterol, regular exercise, or quitting smoking. A fiery temperament also makes aging easier, and along with this, a person's desire to remain independent can help overcome physical ailments. One study I read suggested that an optimistic outlook on life, for example, has a measurable effect on preventing heart disease,” the author writes.
Jeanne Kalman smoked for 95 years, quitting only at the age of 117 after surgery. But she maintained good spirits and optimism until the end of her life - 122 years
Accept change and learn to live in the moment
We are getting older every day. When we think about the future, we draw disappointing images, worrying about how we will cope with ill health, the inability to see or walk. At such moments, you need to learn to return to the present and accept reality, live for today. “Since my friend Joan turned 55, she has been constantly lamenting her aging. She defines it solely as the collapse of the body and its functions. On the other hand, my friend Tita, who is over 80 years old, talks about interesting events that fill her life. She doesn't focus on the pain. She travels, reads, laughs, keeps in touch with her friends, children and grandchildren."
Don't stop being a woman
Many women's self-esteem deteriorates with age, for the most part this is due to a loss of external attractiveness. The author of the book also went through this: “After I crossed the fifty-year mark, I felt disconnected from my body, and the weight gain after menopause depressed me. I had to ask myself: Am I so attached to how I looked when I was young and thin that I can’t perceive myself correctly now?” Pamela created new self-confidence for herself - she began going to water aerobics classes and the gym, watching her diet and taking makeup consultations. This is how she gained an inner sense of her own beauty and self-confidence. The author also believes that the key to an attractive appearance and good health as you age is the desire to try new things - new hairstyles, wardrobe colors, even new foods.
“My friend Sari Martin says, “No matter what age you are, plan an event every day that you can dress up for—a trip to the grocery store or the post office, a walk with your grandchild, a cup of tea with a friend. Women can become lazy, especially after retirement, and end up wearing a robe half the day or wearing sweatpants and a loose T-shirt. Loose clothing affects your posture and the way you walk, which can negatively impact your energy. If you make an effort to dress up, it means you feel good.”
The grandmother of the heroine Sophie Marceau from the film “Boom 2” looks beautiful, is pleased with herself and knows how to enjoy life
Train your mind and memory
The common belief that the brain declines over the years is completely false. The brain is like any other muscle in the body and needs to be exercised. For example, you can study foreign languages, play chess, learn to play a musical instrument, read classical literature, solve crosswords or Sudoku.
“There are a number of simple strategies that can help your memory work at its best and keep your mind clear. Aerobic exercise can improve your memory by 20% or more. Of course, use errand lists and sticky notes. Get some sleep. Organize your belongings properly or reduce the number of things you need to remember. Remember to control your stress. Hormones released as a result of stress affect the brain's ability to remember detailed information."
Watch your health
With some effort, modern women can be in shape and feel great even after 50. It’s easy to find information about healthy eating and nutrition on the Internet. Pamela D. Blair advises starting to take care of your health by changing your eating habits. “Before I turned 50, I used to eat apple pie for breakfast, fettuccine alfredo for lunch, mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch, tiramisu for dessert - who would want to change that menu! But the extra pounds of weight stuck to me faster than I could count them. I want to reduce my risk of heart disease, so I started eating two or three servings of whole grains a day. I have a cup of oatmeal for breakfast and a sandwich with whole grain bread for lunch. These days I use brown rice instead of white rice for lunch and a cup of popcorn for snack time. I'm working on moving away from processed foods that contain a lot of fat or sweeteners and towards unprocessed foods that contain protein-rich whole grains and other foods."
When playing sports, the author of the book recommends not setting dubious goals for yourself and not trying to meet beauty standards imposed by myths - it is enough to keep yourself in shape and slow down the inevitable deterioration.
Get creative
Creativity for a woman is a great way to relieve stress or get out of depression, lift your spirits and strengthen your spirit. It is in the second half of their lives that women, who once devoted themselves entirely to family or work, can return to long-delayed favorite activities and hobbies.
“When we are creative, blood circulates better - the blood vessels of the brain dilate, and cell renewal occurs. If you're stuck in the mindset that creativity is all about smearing paint on a canvas, writing a novel, or carving a marble sculpture, your creative spark may be extinguished forever. Isn’t cultivating a garden creative? Writing a letter to a friend? Isn't the bright selection of colors when setting the table an act of creativity, when every detail catches the eye like oil paint on a canvas? Isn’t creativity a beautifully made bed, an artfully arranged bookshelf, or a collection of candlesticks?”
Consider how comfortable you are in your home or apartment, perhaps renovating or even deciding to move to a smaller, more self-sufficient home that will better suit your needs.
Appreciate your friends
In her book Myths About Women's Age, Pamela D. Blair states, "Singleness is a choice, not a condition." Whether we will be lonely in old age depends only on us. “How you approach life now will affect the quality of your old age and whether you become a burden. Try to contribute to the world in the wider sense of the word by making friends with people of all ages. In addition to your old friends, make new, younger ones. Younger friends will keep you interested in new ideas, keep you physically active, and help you maintain a youthful outlook and lifestyle,” she advises.
Doctors and scientists Rhonda Wright and Ruth Winter wrote the book “Fitness after 40,” where they collected important scientific arguments on how not to age, how to maintain a youthful body and good spirits, despite the years. With the permission of Alpina Publisher, we are publishing a chapter from this book.
Aging does not imply a sudden and irrevocable transition from activity to frailty.
In fact, this popular belief is a myth. Years do not condemn you to powerlessness. And energy, joy from life and activity can be maintained for a long time.
Why then do people believe this myth? I declare that you “don’t work hard” like you used to, precisely because you “don’t work hard” like you used to. Do you know what I mean? To maintain strength and energy, you need to work hard, just like in your youth. The human body masterfully knows how to adapt to circumstances and is capable of constant activity, provided that you part with stereotypes and obstacles that mistakenly seem to be inevitable accompaniments of aging.
Today, the success of the entire team often depends on athletes over 40. Looking at the professional baseball players, hockey players, triathletes, wrestlers and amateur athletes who literally fill the streets, sports fields and stadiums, one can see the most beautiful old age of the best of the best.
How is this possible? Isn't the human body genetically programmed to slow down internal processes? One of my favorite sportswriters, John Hank, in his article for Best Life magazine (in which he interviewed me) puts the answer to these questions very well:
« It seems as if in the 21st century, older athletes, both amateurs and professionals, are living out the story of Benjamin Button in reality: by intelligently combining proper training, balanced nutrition and the achievements of sports medicine, they overcome the immutable laws of nature and turn back time, or at least stop it. Today, professionals are busy turning their forties into their thirties.».
These lines are inspiring, but in reality everything is not so simple. It is obvious that over the years it becomes more difficult to achieve success in sports. It's more complicated. And at the same time, the degree of productivity among “aged” athletes increases unprecedentedly.
As a doctor and scientist, I wanted to find out what the human body is capable of. I set out to prove that through constant movement we can really maintain youth and prevent the negative consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. These include more than 33 chronic diseases, included in the “sitting death syndrome,” that literally suck the life out of people.
I started watching experienced amateur athletes because they are ordinary people (not professional athletes, like you and me, and do not receive money for training and competitions) who invest in their health every day. This observation made it possible to exclude the factor of inactivity and see what the body is capable of if you remain active and in good physical shape after 40.
How not to grow old: how much does the slowing down of processes in the body depend on nature and how much on us?
In a sense, the cells of the human body are immortal. They know how to share and renew themselves. However, over the years, recovery processes slow down, tissues lose elasticity ness and function worse. In nature, we see many examples (from insects to humans) of how performance decreases with age.
This general decline also affects our physical capabilities. But how much of it is due to inactivity, and how much is due solely to the nature of age-related changes? Is there such a thing as an age-related decline in activity that does not depend on any additional medical factors?
To answer the question about the rate of aging, it is necessary to analyze how this process occurs in the healthiest people - elderly Olympians. Even in old age, these athletes live full lives and do not lose mobility, and therefore they can be taken as a model.
I will repeat my question: to what extent the slowdown of processes in the body is caused by inevitable biological factors? To get the answer, I looked at the performance of 50- to 85-year-old runners who competed in the 2001 National Senior Olympics.
As expected, running times increased with age across all distances, from the 100-meter to the 10-kilometer. Until the age of 75, the deterioration in performance occurred slowly and gradually, but then the time required to complete the distance (from 100 m to 10 km) increased sharply, which indicated a significant weakening of physical capabilities.
When I discussed these results with the Olympians themselves, they confirmed that they felt this change. However, many believed that only their performance was deteriorating, and not that of all athletes their age.
At the age of 50-75 years, distance completion time deteriorated gradually - by less than 2% per year. Moreover, the results of runners of different ages are approximately the same, but when we analyze a group of 75-year-old athletes, the picture changes. From this moment on, the time to cover the distance increases by almost 8% per year.
Track and field athletes show high results until the age of 50, then a moderate decline occurs until the age of 75, and a sharp decline at 75. It turns out that, if factors such as inactivity and illness are eliminated, it is possible to maintain physical activity and independence until at least 75 years of age . If activity is lost earlier, then this is most likely a consequence of illness, inactivity, genetic predisposition or bad habits..
Stable performance is also observed in sports such as swimming, triathlon, cycling and weightlifting. Hirofumi Tanaka and Douglas Seals, leading scientists in the field of sport physiology, have published numerous studies analyzing changes in performance in swimmers over the lifespan. Scientists compared the highest performance at long (1500 m) and short (50 m) distances and found only slight deterioration of maxi low results at the age of 40–70 years . But after 70 years, swimmers’ results deteriorate even more significantly than runners.
To find out how performance and age correlated, Tanaka and Seals compared data from swimmers and runners. They found that while both groups showed stable performance and showed little decline in performance until age 70, runners experienced a 30% greater decline as they aged. This means that athletic success depends not only on physiology or training organization, but also on the task we perform.
Triathlon- a rapidly growing sport. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, about 3 million people practice it in the United States, 43% of whom are 40+. Romuald Lepers, Beat Knechtle and Paul Stapley found that during the period of 19 years - between 40 and 59 years - both men and women begin to complete the distance faster . The performance of triathletes over 44 years of age - both men and women - has improved slightly over the next 25 years in swimming, cycling and running, and their level of physical fitness has also increased. Overall triathlon performance declined by 13% for men and 15% for women over a decade until age 70. Performance in cycling did not deteriorate as sharply as in swimming and running.
About the same thing was found among weightlifters.. David Meltzer estimates that they deteriorate at a rate of 1–1.5% per year, and that the rate of deterioration increases once they reach age 70. During the experiments, it turned out that the strength of an 85-year-old weightlifter and a 65-year-old member of the control group was approximately equal. This means that the age advantage of weightlifters is at least 20 years.
These three studies prove that amateur athletes can achieve almost the same results as in their youth, if they pay attention to physical activity every day .
What happens if you stop?
Wondering how quickly we age, I, as a physician, became interested in whether activity helps maintain strong bones. In two studies, I found that older Olympians aged 70-80 years and older actually have very strong bones. In addition, it turns out that if a person plays high-impact contact sports—or, as I like to call them, “bone shaking”—it affects bone health just as significantly as age, gender, genetics, and weight.
Research has proven that bone fragility can be avoided and that constant mobility is the key to their health for many years .
I know for sure that few people think about bone health until they get a fracture - then it’s hard to think about anything else. You want your bones to live as long as you do, but osteoporosis and osteopenia can develop without symptoms for years - until we fall and break something. The consequences can be the most dire. One fracture will be followed by another. Osteoporosis is usually considered a disease of women, but it affects 2 million men in the United States. And its consequences can be fragility, loss of motor independence, decreased growth, even death.
When an older person falls and breaks a hip, there is a 6.3% chance that they will die in hospital
. And of the 93.7% of those who decide not to see a doctor, a third will die in the first year after a fall. (The risk increases if the victim is elderly, male, and lives in a medical facility
boarding type). Of the 2⁄3 who survive, 50% will never return to their previous activities and will not be able to cope without daily outside help. That is, they will not be able to live in the house where they raised their children, or return to the life they like.
These numbers are puzzling, but our research shows that Daily exercise can protect you from fractures .
How not to grow old: I found the fountain of youth
It seems that today many of us, following the example of Juan Ponce de Lion, travel to distant lands in search of that very elixir of youth (in the form of a pill, diet, cream, etc.). But, most likely, constant movement, and not some kind of “magic water,” helped Juan maintain his youth.
A recent large and long-term study showed that even minimal physical activity reduces mortality and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Scientists from New Orleans published data in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that Jogging for just 30 to 60 minutes a week reduces the risk of early death by 30% and the risk of death directly from a heart attack or stroke by 45%. .
That is, you don’t have to be a marathon runner to largely maintain your health. Not at all necessary! At the genetic level, you are programmed to move. The body does not know what you are doing: whether you are hunting, picking berries right in front of the cave, or going somewhere far away to get them. The body simply recognizes the movement. And activity supports the work of genes that encode health, mobility, strength of muscles and bones. If you sit idle, the body decides that you are waiting for the end of winter and puts your metabolism into “hibernation” mode. .
How does activity help not to lose youthful energy? One of the most important points here is maintaining lean muscle mass.
When talking about their own aging, people very often complain about weakness. They can no longer bear weights, walk long distances, and get tired much faster. One reason this can happen is muscle loss. Numerous population studies have shown that lean muscle tissue loses cells and fibers with age, becoming stiff. Loss of lean muscle mass, or muscle mass, leads to loss of strength and endurance.
In a study of sedentary populations, Walter Frontera and his colleagues found that in people aged 50-75 years, muscle mass decreases by about 15% per decade, due to which working capacity decreases by three to four times .
In addition, a study of key health indicators in patients aged 70–79 years found that in sedentary people, the muscles are covered with fat. In other words, a huge amount of fat accumulates between muscle fibers and even in the cells themselves - like on a steak.
What happens to your muscles if you move regularly and actively? My colleagues and I decided to answer this question by observing elderly amateur athletes training 4-5 times a week. Thanks to MRI images, I was able to track changes in the volume of lean muscle mass. The result shocked me.
This is a shot of a 40-year-old triathlete's thigh. It looks like a piece of lean beef. The muscles are in excellent condition, the muscle is not swollen with fat, there is practically no subcutaneous fat. Next we see a photo of the thigh of a 74-year-old man who leads a sedentary lifestyle. It's a completely different picture, isn't it? And just below that is the thigh of a 70-year-old triathlete: the muscles are in about the same good condition as those of a 40-year-old athlete.
Constant mobility preserves lean muscle mass and prevents fat from swimming around the muscles and loss of muscle strength.
Somewhere deep down in every girl’s soul it seems that she will remain young forever. This can even happen unconsciously. Yes, we all know that there is no need to be afraid of old age, that it is even somehow sinful. But when you age 5 years in one month, it can be psychologically difficult to adapt to it.
This happened to me too. Under the influence of stress, in a very short period I began to turn from a 16-year-old girl into a 35-year-old aunt. Yes, until about 26 years old I was considered a schoolgirl. When my second child was born, the maternity hospital workers mistook me for a teenager. The age listed in my documents surprised them a lot. Everything changed in a few months.
I believed that I was protected from the worries associated with aging. It was thought that this would be very easy for an Orthodox woman to bear. Perhaps this would be the case with gradual aging. But the “fading” at such a speed turned out to be not what it seemed.
So I started to get old. What to do?
- Love your age.
Check if you are psychologically stuck as a teenager? If you compare your appearance with high school and college girls, then most likely it is so.
You need to tell your psyche that: “my age is older than these girls, so I stop looking up to them.” In addition, it is important to love your age, to understand for yourself all its advantages and possibilities.
Actress Lyudmila Chursina once said brilliant words: “I respect my age, I don’t want to look younger, I love every wrinkle I have. And I won’t refuse one. Because these are my victories, my losses, tears, joy and laughter.”
It seems to me that every woman should have such a position.
- Work on the appearance.
Firstly, this way you will go through the adaptation period faster. Secondly, your loved ones will be happier to see you well-groomed and beautiful.
This is important because aesthetically, even with the very initial signs of facial aging, your usual clothes, hairstyle and makeup may no longer be suitable (if you use decorative cosmetics). Yes, a little about cosmetics: if you haven’t put on makeup, you may have to start doing it, but, fortunately, minimally. As you age, your skin color changes, which can make your loved ones concerned about your health. Constant questions at work, like “Are you sick?” are also useless. A lot of makeup on the face ages it, so you shouldn’t get carried away either.
If you haven't taken care of your face with creams, it's time to do so. No, I'm not saying that you need to apply these incredible stages of hundreds of tubes, which in turn need to be used 2 times a day. Buy a good day cream and put it next to your toothpaste so you don't forget about care. If you have thoughts of buying up all the anti-aging products, discard them - it’s useless and even funny.
About the hairstyle. Who else but a woman knows how much a hairstyle can age or, conversely, rejuvenate a face. Gray strands look untidy, so it’s worth thinking about how to regularly make your hair color look beautiful. These can be synthetic paints or natural ones such as henna and basma. You can choose a hairstyle to match your photo thanks to online services where you can easily change the look by trying on the color and shape. It can be helpful to see what suits you before trying something new.
Cloth. Unfortunately, as you age you have to pay more attention to your wardrobe. This is due not only to the fact that the figure is no longer the same, and it is necessary to hide flaws. Some clothes look a little strange when combined with an aging face. Here you may need outside help from your spouse or friends.
Posture. The most important thing you can do to always remain beautiful is to take care of your posture. Exercise regularly, exercise and watch your back. Nothing spoils a woman's appearance more than hunching over.
In general, with the onset of aging, the body’s first signals about some problems appear - for example, the legs get tired faster, swell (varicose veins), dizziness becomes more common, and some people worry about the heart. All this requires more self-care.
- Stop looking in the mirror often.
Rapid aging forces a woman to turn to the mirror more often for two reasons. Firstly, has it gotten worse? Secondly, suddenly something changed for the better. This senseless looking at oneself brings only negative emotions. After all, inside a woman does not feel like she is aging. When you walk away from the mirror, you seem to forget what you saw in it and return to it again.
It can be excruciating. Only a strong-willed effort with a certain mood can cope with this. Do you know which one? Like Ivanushka from the fairy tale “Morozko”: “And I won’t look any more!” Well, not exactly, but I won’t do it that often anymore. Really, what's the point? There is no need to break the mirror, it will come in handy.
- Change your attitude towards beauty.
Firstly, television most often shows girls under the age of 25. From this our mind concludes that beauty is there. As I began to age, I began to deliberately pay attention to attractive older women. This allows you to understand that you can always look good.
Sometimes your brain tries to convince you that you are the only one aging so quickly. But this is a lie. A simple Google search of aging famous people can help. For example, the fading beauty of Duchess Kate Middleton is clearly visible in her photographs. These observations help convince your mind that only you have this problem.
Secondly, we absorb from the media that beauty is when men “stack up on their own” based on your appearance (from the movie “Girls”). The ladies are trapped.
In the head of perhaps every woman there is a maladaptive (that is, interfering with adaptation) attitude that beauty is when it sounds - “Oh, how beautiful she is” - by a male choir. Well, why did a married woman give in to this collection of male voices? Let there be only one - the voice of your spouse, but the content of the phrase about beauty needs to be replaced.
Let's give the word "beauty" a different association, one that is not so associated with appearance. After all, I think everyone has encountered the fact that no matter how beautiful a person is, his external data fades when he utters rudeness, shouts or does some kind of dirty trick. So, speaking of beauty, let's replace "stacks" with “Oh, how sweet and kind she is”. And let these be the voices of your spouse, children, relatives and friends, and not some abstract men.
When aging begins, it is easier for a woman to cope with manifestations of lustful passion in the form of flirting, etc. This is another bonus, isn't it?
- Smile.
Practice smiling, force yourself to smile with your eyes, train your facial muscles to do so. A smile is not only a component of etiquette when communicating. This is the main decoration of a woman's face. This is what changes everything around you, sets you on good notes. Smiling helps your husband and children know that you are happy. This in turn will make them feel happy themselves.
I set the timer and tried to keep a smile on my face for just one minute. I'll tell you straight, it's not easy. But very useful. You could say it's a cure for aging. Check it out for yourself.
- Grow spiritually.
The onset of aging gives us a lot of opportunities. One of them is spiritual growth. Everything seems to tell us that we need to look inside ourselves and find something beautiful there, throwing out all the trash. I think the most beautiful thing is love.
Aging seems to tell us that the time is not far off when we will have to part with our bodily shell: “Seize the moments. Live now. Manage to show love to your loved ones. Cleanse yourself of unnecessary things. Read. Learn spiritual things from the Holy Fathers.” Draw strength from the Sacraments of the Church. The path of self-knowledge will lead to the growth of the cardinal virtues. And “your youth will be renewed like an eagle” (Psalm 103).
- Develop your femininity.
If before the onset of aging you were prone to competition with your husband, masculine manners, etc., then this is the most blessed time to begin to discover the gentle feminine, delightfully weak nature within you. Reading can help with this. Great is the power of words from the letters and diaries of Empress Alexandra Romanova. The book recommended by Fr. was very interesting and incredibly useful. Pavel Gumerov “The Charm of Femininity.” Communication with women who have taken the path of liberation from women's emancipation also motivates and brings good results.
Here are some points that help me maintain a joyful mood and adapt to the appearance that has changed over time. Even if not as smooth as we would like.
In fact, the beginning of aging opens up countless opportunities to grow above oneself and improve one’s inner qualities. You can become more spiritual, less attached to decay, more feminine, happy, healthy and well-groomed. And at the same time give love and joy to your loved ones. All this is worth it to part with carefree youth without regret and love every wrinkle.
Ekaterina Solovyova
All people grow old - this is nature, a given, a fact. Now, as you read this, you are growing old, inevitably approaching your end. But old age is not only a decrepit body that is constantly sick and falling apart, but also a state of mind.
And this condition may not depend on the biological age of a person. Have you often heard that you can grow old at 20? Everything is interconnected, and if you have aged in soul, your body will definitely correspond.
Premature aging: causes and signs
In addition to the age that is written in the passport, each person has a personal rate of aging - biological age. Scientists have long noticed that some people age earlier, while others remain young longer. You've probably seen this yourself more than once, and maybe even noticed it yourself.
In addition to genetically determined rates, the rate of aging is influenced by the amount of stress that causes unhealthy reactions to the world. Early old age has all the symptoms of “emotional burnout”, such as hypochondria, anxiety and a tendency to hysteria.
So, if there is a person in your circle who starts shouting and stomping his feet for any minor reason, perhaps this is a “young old man”. And it turns out that there are not so few of them.
38% of Russians have a biological age that is 7-9 years older than their passport age, and, most often, such people weigh more, get sick more often, and, in general, are weaker than peers whose biological age coincides with the date on their passport.
Of course, scientists decided to identify the causes of this “illness”, and it turned out that this is directly affected by the standard of living.
“Young old people”, as a rule, earn little, live in communal apartments or cramped, old apartments, do not have a decent education, eat poorly and are raising two or more children. Such people move little and hate their work.
That is, aging is directly related to the satisfaction a person gets from life.
Another reason for early aging is the fact that a person stops learning. This can happen for various reasons, and educational institutions have nothing to do with it. You can study all your life, learn something new, and never be a student.
So, the reasons for early aging:
- Dissatisfaction with life
- Decreased mobility
- Arrested development (learning)
What to do to avoid aging prematurely?
Eat less, move more
To give specific examples of extended youth, you can pay attention to centenarians - as a rule, they remain young longer, maintain health, mobility and a clear mind longer. Some - until death.
Almost every country has its own centenarians, only their number may differ. Many people have probably heard that Japan is famous for its long-livers. The average life expectancy there is 83.91 years. Also excellent performance in the Scandinavian countries and France.
One of the reasons for such a percentage of long-livers in these countries can be considered diet - in Japan and Scandinavia they eat a lot of seafood, and in France it is customary to eat small portions and eat slowly. Japan has a very low obesity rate - only about 3%, and in Scandinavian countries about 70% of the population engages in outdoor sports.
From interviews with various centenarians, we can conclude that most of them ate quite modestly. In addition, long-lived people tend to work a lot. So the phrase from the famous cartoon can be considered a secret on how to stay youthful and live longer.
Keep learning
From the very first day a person learns and gets to know the world, discovers something new for himself.
Interesting fact: the largest percentage of people whose passport age is very different from their psychological age was found among thirty-year-olds.
By the age of thirty, it may seem to a person that he has already studied everything he needs for life, acquired a specialty in which he will do the same thing for the rest of the time, and has stopped developing. Such a decision is invariably followed by aging.
When a person stops learning, he enters the stage of aging. A.A.Zinoviev
Because I like it
Back in 1860, Karl May, traveling around the Caucasus, where there was always a large percentage of centenarians, noted that people live long, because they like it.
A large number of acquaintances, relatives and neighbors, mutual assistance, warm relationships - all this helps to eliminate fear, loneliness, despondency and depressive moods. It turns out that the most important thing is psychological comfort and enjoyment of life.
Warm family ties help Italians live longer, despite the fact that Italy is one of the most smoking countries in Europe. The average life expectancy there is 77 years (in Russia - 69). The highest indicators outside Europe are in Cuba (76 years), and, again, one of the reasons for this is the natural optimism and cheerfulness of the Cubans.
And in conclusion, I would like to combine all the reasons and advice with the opinion of Lyudmila Belozerova, the professor who created the method for determining biological age:
Material well-being means a lot for prolonging youth, but attitude to life also plays a huge role. People who age slowly tend to move a lot and enjoy themselves, work a lot, eat everything, but little by little, are optimistic and friendly to others.
There comes a day in every person's life when he thinks about what time leaves on his face, body, soul and health - an indelible mark, that is, old age is just around the corner. Why does the word “old age” scare people so much, especially the fair sex? Yes, simply because it is easily associated with the fact that as we age, we become ugly, not attractive and not as energetic. And who wants to look ancient and at the same time feel weak?Each of us wants to know the art of not growing old. Is it possible not to grow old or not to grow old so quickly? If you consistently follow all the rules given below, you can maintain health, vigor and attractiveness in your body for a very long time, and youth in your soul. Let's find out how to maintain youth and not grow old?
What should you do to avoid aging?
In order not to grow old for a long time, you just need to follow fairly simple rules. Below we will offer you 10 tips on how to live without aging.- Optimism
When you wake up in the morning and fall asleep in the evening, don’t forget to remind yourself that life is wonderful, and tomorrow will be even better. Try to find reasons for optimism in everything that surrounds you. And let your face reflect not doubts or depression, but the joy of a successful person. Smile at people you know and at strangers, children and animals, the sun, the sky, plants, and even yourself if you happen to meet your own reflection. Your smile that illuminates your appearance will never allow you to guess how old you really are. - Proper sleep
Do not neglect the laws of nature, which over millions of years have tuned the body to precise circadian rhythms. A night's sleep of at least six hours is the key to a long and active youth. By the way, circadian rhythms are regulated by the hormone melatonin, which rightfully bears the name “hormone of youth”, and melatonin is released during sleep in the dark. You must get enough sleep so that the body can fully replenish the spent energy and accumulate it. - Sufficient water regime
To maintain youth and health, a person needs to drink at least one and a half liters of clean drinking water, and still. Only in a liquid environment can biochemical processes occur sufficiently actively so that cells and tissues can not only function normally, but also be renewed in a timely manner. - Optimal room temperature
The habit of constantly being in a room with a temperature of 18 to 20 degrees Celsius hardens and prolongs youth. And in the bedroom the temperature should be another two degrees lower, then both sleep and health will be stronger. - Cleanliness and tidiness
Where you are must certainly be clean. One should take care of maintaining cleanliness and order, however, without much fanaticism. You still won’t be able to kill all the microbes, and that’s good, microbes also make their useful, albeit invisible, contribution to our lives. But clean, moist and cool air helps maintain the skin and protects it from the appearance of premature wrinkles. - Physical activity
Doctors are convinced that thirty minutes of walking at a fast pace helps prevent the occurrence of myocardial infarction and push back old age by a good ten years. When a person begins to move little, he begins to age, and in this case balanced activity is very important, since excessive activity leads to frequent overwork of the body and, as a result, it begins to age.
- Material wealth
Poverty ages a person, as he constantly worries about his life, the life of his family, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of your own material well-being in advance. You should not spend everything you manage to earn; money must be used rationally with the thought of tomorrow. At the same time, the work should bring sufficient income, but at the same time you should not, as they say, “burn out” at work because of money, otherwise in pursuit of it you will grow old very quickly. - Purpose in life
When a person has a goal in life, he has no time to think about what will happen to him in old age. By the way, a favorite job allows you to receive so much energy from the surrounding space that a person feels cheerful and optimistic until a very old age. And enthusiastic people look much younger than their peers, although they rarely pay enough attention to taking care of their own external attractiveness. - Loving and beloved person
Of course, you yourself need to love yourself, and your loved ones, and life, and this whole wonderful world, but it is the love and selfless devotion of another person that can push old age deep into the future. True love does not come along as often as we would like, but if you meet a person on your way who is inflamed with real feelings for you, do not push him away; think about the fact that a lonely old age is far from the best scenario.
When does a woman start to age? Women begin to age after menopause, it is then that the body is rebuilt and after that women age, some less so. For some people, to a greater extent, then this is so. Many may argue that women age after 30-35 years, but this cannot be called aging, this is growing up, a 16-year-old girl cannot be called aging, she is growing up. That is why during this period it is very important to support your body both physically and mentally.
That’s actually all we wanted to tell you about how you can avoid aging.