By: Adam L.
In the first part of this series on age, we looked at 4 of the most obvious signs your body is aging faster than average.
A lot of these signs only become evident once you know them.
So today, we’ll continue to explore the 8 obvious signs you can recognize to see if your body is aging faster.
These signs are a little less conspicuous but still noticeable. And once you know what they are, it’ll be far easier to form a plan of attack to restore youthful vigor into every aspect of your life.
8 Signs Of Aging and What You Can Do To Reverse It – Part 2
1- Joint Pain:
Joint pain, something we automatically assume comes with age.
And while it seems to be a given, some kinds of joint pain are indicative of something going wrong inside the body.
Take, for instance, the kind of joint pain that results from chronic inflammation. This kind of joint pain can start attacking the body as early as the 30s, and by your 50s or 60s leaves you doubled up in pain.
Immobility due to chronic inflammation manifests itself in a myriad of ways.
Rheumatoid arthritis, for instance, is the result of chronic inflammation. Like chronic fatigue (which we mentioned in pt1), rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune condition that results from the body attacking itself after inflammation persists.
The same is true of osteoarthritis.
In the presence of chronic inflammation, the cartilage between joints begins to dissolve. By reducing inflammation in the body, the immune system will start to operate normally, and the dissolving of cartilage will begin to cease.
2 – Weight Gain:
Obesity is a sign that your body isn’t handling blood sugar properly, and your insulin sensitivity is compromised.
Weight gain at any stage of life adds an unbelievable amount of stress to your cells and tissues and bones and can age your body well beyond your chronological age.
For instance, the frequency of fractures, and the likelihood you’ll develop diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoarthritis all go up when you’re overweight.
People who are 20-30% heavier than the recommended weight for their frame have morbidity rates that far outpace those who are the right weight for their body type.
While you can expect to gain some amount of weight as you age, the younger you are, and the heavier you are, the more damage it does to your body.
To fight against aging due to obesity (or even moderate amounts of weight gain) is rather simple.
Practices like intermittent fasting help to protect cells from aging too fast and have even been shown to turn on pathways that protect the body from age. Eating a diet that is anti-inflammatory helps with blood sugar control and keeps weight off. And exercising a few times a week keeps the body safe from the effects of age.
3 – Changes In Skin Appearance:
Getting old will absolutely produce changes in how your skin looks.
There’s no way of getting around that. However, if you’re noticing changes in the appearance of your skin early on, and you feel like your skin resembles that of someone 10-20 years older than you, there’s a possibility you’re missing essential nutrients your body needs to preserve itself.
Changes in the appearance of skin typically occur as collagen production begins to wane.
If you’re not eating enough of the right foods, your body won’t be able to convert the nutrients needed to form collagen as effectively as it once did.
The reason this matters is that collagen helps to keep skin (as well as ligaments and tendons) toned and tight. Collagen is a protein matrix necessary for connectivity between all of your body’s major organs and appendages.
Skin, being the largest organ of the body, is the first to exhibit deficiencies in collagen.
Which is why the onset of wrinkles is an indication your body is aging faster than it should.
To prevent this, take collagen supplements, or eat collagen-rich foods like bone broth, chicken, or fish. You can also eat foods that boost your natural collagen production. A list of foods helpful at collagen production is garlic, berries, and most citrus fruits.
4 – Significant Loss of Strength:
Only the infirm, or the extremely young and old should struggle with lifting items weighing 20-30 pounds.
But if you’re finding that a bag of sidewalk salt is too much to handle, it may be that your body is aging too fast.
The most likely cause of a loss of strength is generally a non-active lifestyle. And a sedentary lifestyle is strongly linked to many dangerous health conditions.
And while Dr. Barry Sears, MD, who wrote the book The Zone Diet (and its offshoots) says you can expect to lose some strength as you age, you don’t lose muscle, and you should be strong enough to do many ordinary things well into your 70s and 80s.
Eating a diet that’s balanced with healthy proteins and fats, and exercising by lifting weights may help the fight against aging too fast.
So, What Are The Absolute Best Ways to Combat Aging?
Fighting aging isn’t tricky.
All it takes is a commitment to eating well, eating foods known to preserve strength and bone mass while simultaneously controlling blood sugar and reducing inflammation.
There are dozens of dietary protocols that do just that.
You should also exercise. You don’t have to become a triathlete but getting into the gym 4-5 times a week for 30 minutes will do wonders for you.
Lastly, you can take supplements to combat aging.
Most of the research on fighting the effects of aging center around taking supplements to combat the effects of aging. While the scientists who conduct this research point to exercise and diet as some of the best modifiers of health, they believe supplements hold the keys to prolonged and healthier lives.
