SEC-S16 / W6 | "The Science of Aging👩"

Oh gosh! Am I classified under the “oldies” on Steemit?

I cannot help but wonder, as all these “Science of Aging” invites are hitting my notifications. After day 3 of the contest, I am already sitting with 8 invites.

Okay, you’ve asked for it, so here I am!

In the intro to the contest post, it is mentioned that aging normally starts after the age of 40. Do I agree with this?

Nope! I don’t.

I disagree with scientists. For me, you cannot put an age on aging as we are all different. I remember when I turned 37. My brother told me that I was now old as I no longer appeared on the roulette table. (A roulette table only has 36 numbers). All of a sudden, I mentally felt so old. It was, however, not what my body told me.

When I got to the age of 40, I was pretty much doing the same as what my two children were doing, if not more. It was only years later when I woke up one morning, got out of bed, and my legs felt stiff that the thought of aging crept into my mind. It happens to all of us, but it happens when we allow it to happen.

Jeanne Calment was a French woman who passed away in 1997 at a documented age of 122 years. It was such an extraordinary happening and a record for the longest-living human being that a millionaire, Dmitry Kaminsky, set up a reward of 1 million USD for whoever could break this record. Read more

The oldest living person to date is another woman, Maria Branyas, who turned 117 in March this year. Will she pass the record of Jeanne Calment? Only time will tell.

However, our bodies were not created to withstand extreme aging. It is not the way they were created; the food we eat, our interaction with our toxic environment, and our personal care drive our bodies to change.

Let’s take a plant. It stands in sunlight, wind, rain, and hail. Eventually, it causes structural changes in the plant. The human body is no different.

My son told me it even goes further, and it is what they, the medical professionals, call “the Hallmarks of aging." There use to be only nine factors but these days scientist refers to twelve. What interest him most of is genetic changes.

As he explained it, genetic changes take place, and poor functioning and cell death eventually take place over the years. In other words, the core of life, the regeneration of new cells, slows down with age. This causes the body to not function properly anymore, and eventually, organ failure happens.

Am I afraid of getting old? I was never afraid of getting old until recently. Okay, afraid is not the word. Sceptic is more of the word I would like to use.

My mom is turning 87, and when I look at her, I cannot help but be filled with sadness. She is no longer the woman who cooked and baked for us. She was the one we could run to for advice or just a hug. The one who wiped our tears from our faces and whispered in our ears that everything would be okay. Now, in her world, there is only one person, and that is herself and her memories.

Then I look at those old people forgotten in old age homes who depend on someone to feed them, bathe them, and change their nappies. It is not something I want.

I don’t want to be dependent on others, I don’t want to lose my memory, I don’t want to not know my children by their names anymore, and I don’t want my grandchildren to laugh at me when I say silly things.

I definitely don’t want to break that record of 122 years! What will I do with a million dollars at that age anyway?

Now over to those three nutritional items that can prevent aging.

I am afraid this is a myth, as nothing you eat can prevent aging. If that were the case, why do we have scientists working around the clock to find a solution for “reversing age?”

Eating healthy, taking your medicine and supplements, and making sure you get enough nutritional value will slow down aging. I wish my children would listen to me when I tell them to make sure that they get enough vitamin D, calcium, potassium, fiber, and polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats from their daily diet, as I did not listen to mine.

All that is left is for me to address the exercise aspect of aging.

This time the question refers to naming exercises that can make you look younger, even at an older age. My answer is YES!

As I mentioned earlier, it is on a bright morning that you realize that you are older. Older is not only what you do and how you feel, but also how you look. I believe that exercising goes so much deeper than just looking good. It helps you with your movement and your mind.

Best of all, it is the one thing that you can reverse when it comes to aging.

Three things for me that give aging away are not the lines on your face bu;

1. the position of your chin
2. how you get in and out of a chair, and
3. your rounded shoulders or posture

A silly exercise you can do is to exercise pulling your chin back. You look a lot older when your chin is pushed forward. Not only will this exercise make you look younger, but it will also take a lot of pressure off your neck.

The biggest sign of your age is the way you get in and out of a chair. Don’t laugh! It’s true.

When you get older, you tend to use your arms to perform the movement, and in the process, you make your leg muscles lazy. It is the one exercise you must perform daily. Sitting on the edge of a chair, nose over hills, pushing forward from the hills, and standing up. Without using your arms!

Lastly, fix those rounded shoulders. This happens to all ages, especially when you sit in front of a computer all day. The best exercise for this is standing up straight and pulling exercise bands apart.

Just remember... Don’t worry, it happens to all of us!

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