Healthy Habits to Slow Your Biological Aging

12/11/2023

Are you looking for the science behind biological aging and want to know the factors that may influence the rate at which we age? Well, you are in the right place. Let’s dive into ways to help you slow down this biological process and maintain a youthful & healthy lifestyle. 

Quality sleep: 

Undoubtedly, sleep plays an integral role in your aging process. From preventing you from chronic diseases to keeping you active throughout the day, sleep helps you in many ways. Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep refreshes you mentally and physically. People who compromise their sleep daily are prone to develop chronic ailments like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, depression, etc. Therefore, you should aim to get enough sleep to slow down your aging process.  

Not getting enough sleep makes you look tired, sluggish, and irritable. A study by UCLA reveals that not getting enough sleep for a single can make cells age quicker in older people. The requirement for sleep varies in each age group, but adults should get at least 7 to 8 hours to repair and rejuvenate their bodies. 

Start getting moving: 

In an era of a sedentary lifestyle, you need to start getting moving to keep yourself away from serious health conditions. Lack of physical activity is also a popular factor that affects your aging process. People who spend their day on the office chair or couch seat without physical activity age faster. A sedentary lifestyle leads to serious diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. 

One should aim for moderate to vigorous exercise once or twice a week for at least 150 minutes. Being physically active leads to several benefits, such as: 

• Helping in maintaining the right weight 

• Reducing the chances of coming across life-threatening diseases 

• Boosting your energy levels 

• Improving mental health 

• Slowing down cells’ aging 

Cut off bad habits: 

Alcohol and smoking have become way more common than ever among youngsters, affecting their mental, physical, and sexual well-being drastically. You will be shocked to know that smoking stands as the leading cause of preventable demises in the United States, becoming responsible for more than 480,000 deaths every year. 

Your skin becomes less elastic and appears more aged & wrinkled when you smoke because it increases the production of an enzyme that damages collagen. Smoking can affect your skin’s ability to repair, making your skin dull and more aged.  

Hence, if you are engaged in such bad habits, it’s high time to break these habits to keep your overall well-being safe. Smoking and alcohol have the potential to affect all aspects of your life. 

Eating healthy: 

Eating from outside and avoiding homemade healthy food has become a ritual for everyone. Your eating habits play a very important role in your aging process. Not giving what your body deserves will speed up your aging process. You should focus on a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, healthy protein sources, whole grains, etc. Eating a balanced diet will keep your overall well-being healthy and protected. 

Dodging a diet full of processed food and high in sugar and salt will prevent you from chronic diseases and slow your biological aging. 

Strive for a healthy weight: 

Maintaining a normal weight doesn’t only improve your well-being but also boosts your confidence. We live in a society where everyone wants a perfect body that brings compliments and limelight. 

Being overweight doesn’t only lower your confidence but also expands your risk of developing a serious condition. In case you are someone who is overweight, you must aim to shed those extra pounds and control your unnecessary eating habits. If your Body Mass Index falls between 18.5 and 25, it is considered healthy. On the other hand, if it is higher than this, it indicates overweight.   

Take time to relax:  

In the times of bullet trains, having a slow-paced body doesn’t help you out. To maintain your speed to tackle tricky situations and accomplish your daily tasks, you need to give your body time to relax. When your body is tired and overworked, it won't work the same way. Therefore, always care for your health by giving it what it deserves. You can ensure your body's needs by giving it the required sleep, diet, and rest. 

Controlling blood sugar levels: 

Diabetes is one of the most common health conditions across the world, affecting thousands of people yearly, irrespective of age. Increased blood sugar level leads to diabetes. The increased blood sugar can damage the arteries in the heart, brain, eyes, and kidneys. Therefore, you should keep it under control by eating right and exercising. 

Conclusion: 

Aging is an inevitable procedure that we all have to go through. There is no magic available to stop this process completely. However, you can just slow down this process by following the right strategies. Some lifestyle changes, such as getting quality sleep, eating healthy, keeping weight in check, controlling blood sugar levels, etc., will slow biological aging. These are some common lifestyle changes that do miracles for your overall well-being. Other than this, if you have any existing medical condition, kindly take your medicines on time and follow the instructions stated by your doctor. 

FAQs: 

1. Can stress accelerate aging?

Stress affects your mental, physical, emotional, and sexual health drastically. Higher exposure to stress leads to inflammation and damage to the cells present in the DNA, which fastens the aging process. If you are someone who is always stressed out, you should practice some mindfulness activities such as, 

• Practicing yoga or hitting the gym 

• Keeping yourself away from negativity 

• Cutting down on bad habits

2. Are there specific foods that can slow down aging?

You can’t completely stop the biological aging completely. However, you can slow down this process by incorporating healthy habits. What you eat plays a major role in your aging process. You will age faster if you eat something unhealthy that lacks valuable nutrients. There are some foods that slow down the aging process, such as: 

• Extra virgin olive oil 

• Vegetables 

• Fruits 

• Green tea

• Fatty fish 

• Dark chocolate 

• Avocados 

• Blueberries 

• Nuts 

• Flax seeds

3. What are some key healthy habits to slow down biological aging? 

No wonder biological aging is an inevitable natural process that everyone has to go through. However, sometimes aging is too fast in certain people. For example, they look over 60 despite being in their early 50s. The reason behind this could be a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, alcohol consumption, unhealthy eating habits, etc. By incorporating certain habits, you can slow down the aging process: 

• Eating a balanced diet 

• Hitting gym

• Keeping your mental health stable 

• Cutting off bad habits 

• Getting required sleep 

• Taking time to relax 

4. Are there any specific exercises recommended for anti-aging?

There are several anti-aging exercises available that can help you look younger than your age. However, before you add any exercise to your routine, please consult your doctor. Everyone has a different body that reacts differently to different things. Some of the best anti-aging exercises are:  

• Squats 

• Standing calf raise 

• Hanging leg raise 

• Walking 

• Climbing stairs

• Arm and leg crosses

• Aerobics

• Resistance training