70-90% of our health is determined by our behaviors, not our genetics. That fact should give us a sense of agency and optimism that we are in control of most of our health outcomes. The advancements in science and technology give us all an opportunity to live better and healthier. To take advantage of these advances, and the new ones soon arriving, we have developed a system. It’s called the 5 Pillars of SuperAging. These pillars are:
- Sleep
- Movement
- Nutrition
- Stress management
- Connection
If any one of these areas is out of balance, we are not optimizing our opportunity and may not be optimizing our health. Here are simple ways to improve each of these areas of your life.
Sleep
Don’t crash the plane. Develop a pre-sleep routine to help your mind and body ramp down before sleeping. Maybe that is meditating, light reading, taking a bath, or going for a slow walk. Sleep is a critical component of our health, enhancing physical healing and improving memory. Make your sleep environment the most restful you can, and practice good sleep hygiene. If you are not sleeping well, try to avoid pharmaceutical sleep aids. Instead seek out a sleep professional who can diagnose the problem.
Movement
Just move. Start with adding 30 minutes of movement to your day, even if it’s just going for a walk with a friend, swimming laps in a pool, riding a bike, or weightlifting at the gym. Try to get 180 minutes of dedicated aerobic activity every week. Strength training is also critical: try lifting heavy things 2-3 times a week.
Nutrition
Drink more water, eat more protein, and consume colorful foods. Our protein needs change as we age so making sure that we are reaching those is crucial to a healthy body, and you will feel more satiated after each meal. Diets vary wildly, so try not to get caught up in the weeds. You will gain more from not eating bad foods f than from trying to eat the perfect foods.
Stress Management
Add breathing exercises to your day. Take 4 deep breaths every morning, or when you feel stress levels rising. Chronic stress can increase health risks including anxiety and depression, heart disease and high blood pressure, stroke, and memory loss. Add a dedicated stress management time to your day: maybe it is meditation, perhaps breath work, or maybe walking in nature. This small investment in yourself will will be far better for you than scrolling social media.
Connection
Connect with someone in your community every day. Call a friend, invite someone to go for a walk, or say “yes” to that invitation. The medical field views loneliness as chronic disease on par with smoking. Consistent loneliness can increase risks for dementia and Alzheimer’s, stress and anxiety, heart disease and high blood pressure, and obesity. Just saying hi, or interacting at a checkout counter helps. We need both a few close friends and a wide circle of casual acquaintances.
These are the basic pillars that we must optimize before we can start optimizing the smaller things. Everything else sits on top of these 5 things. To learn more, take the SuperAge quiz and find out your SuperAge type and receive personalized, unique tips based on that type.
