Joe Biden has become the oldest President in U.S. history. This was a fact previously attributed to Ronald Reagan, who was a sprightly 77 when he left office. President Biden turned 78 on November 20, 2020.
According to Dr. Myles Spar, who is an expert on male health and who is the Chief Medical Officer of Vault Health, the coming of a new President presents the ideal time for men to examine their lifestyle habits. This applies to men for any age.
For Digital Journal readers, Dr. Spar has outlined four evidence- based ideas for men to practice so that they age gracefully. He explains: “We all want to believe that we get better with age, but growing older can often make a man feel more like a broken-down beater than a classic car. Luckily, it is possible to handle the process with strength and integrity.”
The four steps are:
Keep Moving
As Dr. Spar explains, we lose 5 to 7 pounds of muscle mass every ten years, as process that begins in the 30s. This number only goes up after 50. This is evidence in Men’s Fitness. A person’s metabolism slows down, which makes it harder to keep weight in check, and a person’s aerobic capacity decreases. Men should consider high-intensity interval training. With this approach, a recent study found vigorous forms of exercise may stop the decline in the cellular health of the muscles that accompanies aging.
Eat Well
Dr Spar asks: “Do you find yourself struggling to hit the gym as hard as you used to? Are you having a tough time keeping up with the younger guys at work?”
His solution to these problems relates to diet. There are certain foods can make a significant difference for preventing heart disease and other illnesses. Studies suggests eating whole foods (including plants) is the best ways to improve health. Forks Over Knives reports that around one-third of early deaths could be avoided if people switched to a plant-based diet.
Take Care of Your Skin
A person’s skin plays a major role in how others perceive your age. Here there are many options that can smooth wrinkles and reduce sun damage, like the topical application hyaluronic acid which aids the skin in retaining moisture.
Socialize
Dr. Spar notes that loneliness affects mental health. This leads to an epigenetic factor as being lonely can have a negative impact on telomeres, the segments of DNA at the end of our chromosomes that shorten each time a cell divides. This plays a role in how long a person might live for.
Since social isolation is detrimental in terms of genes and cognitive decline, it is important to take appropriate measures and to socialize more.
