6 Keys to Age More Like Wine, Less Like Cheese

There are principles to follow to make sure you body ages well so that you can engage in all the activities you want to engage in in your 60's, 70's, 80's and beyond.
Boy father and grandfather happy together

With each passing year, my body has new things to tell me.

This year, for example, it has told me it does not like red wine anymore and refuses to sleep past 7AM. 🤷

No matter what you’re body is telling you lately, there are principles to follow to make sure you body ages well so that you can engage in all the activities you want to engage in in your 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and beyond.

6 Principles for Healthy Aging

Diet: The primary source of Qi in Chinese medicine, nutrients & energy in Western medicine, the basis of your overall health in Ayurvedic medicine… every system of medicine agrees that your diet is crucial to short and long term health.

Pro tip: if diet changes have always been a struggle for you, I challenge you to focus less on what you are taking out of your diet and instead on what you are putting in. This approach will feel less restrictive and if you are adding more high-fiber, nutrient-dense foods to your diet, you will have less room and desire for the rest.

Challenge yourself to make one dietary change over the course of the next month and see how you feel at the end.

Sleep: Yes, there are people who only need 4-6 hours of sleep to function at a high level. Statistically speaking, it is very unlikely you are one of those people.

Sleeping for 8 hours per night will improve your mood, immune system, recovery, digestion, energy, ability to focus… if you read Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep (or Bill Gates’ short summary of it) you know there is virtually nothing about your health that sleep does not affect, from your immune system to your mood, memory and more.

Movement: Move your body and you will feel happier.

Move your body and your digestion will improve.

Move your body and your immune system will work better.

Move your body and pain will be reduced.

Move your body every day in any way that feels good to you and you will live healthier, longer.

Stress Management: Stressors are hard (impossible?) to eliminate completely, but there are ways to train your nervous system to not be as affected by them.

But you have to train. Just like going to the gym, but for your nervous system.

My favorites are acupuncture, mindfulness meditations, deep breathing and spending time in nature. 

Community: Dr. Vivek Murthy made headlines when, as Surgeon General of the United States, he published an advisory report that referenced a research study showing that “lacking social connection can increase the risk for premature death as much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.”

If this doesn’t underscore our needs for social connection to live a healthy life for you, I’m not sure what will. 

Subsequent research suggests that three to five close friends seems to be the sweet spot for being able to support a meaningful connection with each of them and getting the greatest health benefits. 

Testing, Supplements & Herbs: There are a lot of crucial aspects of your health that are impossible to know without the proper testing.

If you experience fatigue, it could be COVID, cancer, vitamin D deficiency, iron deficiency, B12 deficiency, thyroid issues, sleep apnea, digestive absorption issues…and on and on.

Get testing done to find out what your specific needs are and it could make a huge difference.

Chris Goddin, owner and acupuncture of Balance Wellness

Why choose Balance?

I have made it my mission to be an advocate for you, my patients, and determine what steps you need to take to improve your health and get to the root of your health issues. My background in Integrative Medicine gives me the opportunity to understand the various mechanisms that are causing your health issues and the tools we can use to fix them.

I feel extremely fortunate to have found this medicine and I look forward to the opportunity to share it with you!

—Chris Goddin, L.Ac.

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