The Five Biggest Myths of Aging

The First Myth of Aging is that decay or deterioration is inevitable. Although it is true that muscle mass will decrease every decade after the age of 40 if we do nothing, we do in fact have substantial control over the extent of that decrease.

Deterioration isn’t inevitable according to the authors of ‘Younger Next Year for Women,’ who argue that we do have a choice of whether to grow or decay. They note that “70% of aging after 50 is governed by our lifestyle and half of all sickness and serious accidents we are told to anticipate can be virtually eliminated, if we learn how to live younger.”

 So what else can we learn from them? For one, the slowing down of exercise as we age is counter-indicated. We should increase the intensity of our strength building exercises. In other words, more and not less; including resistance training and/or strength sports such as cycling, tennis, skiing, etc.

The authors tell us that normal aging isn’t normal at all. They talk about how low we’ve set the bar for the expectations of how we should age. They go on to say that we can get decrepit if we wish, but we’re likely to continue living as the average life expectancy continues to increase. Today there is a revolution in the science of aging. New findings are still emerging regarding how our bodies work on a cellular level. Now we know that we can change the signals that we send to the body, which will reverse the decline. We can take control of the decay code by daily exercise, emotional commitment, and nutrition. But according to Crowley and Lodge, it all begins with exercise.

 If centenarians can build back muscle mass, so can anyone. I’m a strong advocate for strength training for the enormous health benefits it brings and it’s endorsed by the American Health Association as beneficial to cardiovascular health. According to Dr. Louise Aronson, the author of ‘Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine,’ our muscle mass will determine how we age. Crucially, it’s also instrumental for the prevention of osteoporosis in women.

 Today at age 73, I have muscles I never knew I had at age 50 or 60 and I’m certainly stronger than I was decades ago.

 During my last training session, my trainer showed me how far I’d come over the last four years. He called me over to the barbell and added weights and asked me to do a modified straight-leg deadlift. In other words, pick up the barbell at about waist-level and lower it to a few inches above my feet. Although this was a new exercise for me, he knew that I’d built up enough strength over the years to be able to do it. Within a couple of sessions, the amount of weight that I was lifting was 95 pounds while I weigh 115.

 So this goes back to the issue of growth or decay. There is agreement among researchers that our muscles control the chemistry of growth throughout our whole body and it is exercise that sets the positive changes in motion. The younger life the authors discuss is one of better sleep, weight loss, and a resistance to heart attacks, arthritis and even Alzheimer’s disease…all based on the actions we take.

 Let’s just debunk the myth that deterioration is inevitable as we age.

 The Second Myth of Aging is that Cognitive Decline is Inevitable. Dr. Daniel Amen, bestselling author of ‘Use Your Brain To Change Your Age,’ would certainly disagree. Again, if we do nothing, we may become susceptible to cognitive decline. But substantial interventions exist that all lead us back to the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Things that negatively impact brain health are things we might expect: poor diet, chronic stress, lack of sleep, overuse of alcohol, illegal drugs and environmental toxins. Dr. Amen’s research has uncovered that there are things which can be done to both accelerate the aging of the brain (i.e. cognitive decline) and decelerate the aging of the brain. He lists about 30 different things that will decelerate it, but I’ll just list a few of my favorites: 1) Having positive relationships 2) Maintaining a healthy weight 3) Getting physical exercise including strength training 4) Limiting alcohol consumption to no more than four drinks per week 5) Getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night 7) Maintaining a positive attitude 8) Eating healthy food and 9) Taking Omega 3, vitamin D, or supplements individualized to your brain type.

 Another researcher who would agree with Dr. Amen is Dr. Sara Gottfried, author of ‘Younger: A Breakthrough Program To Reset Your Genes, Reverse Aging & Turn Back The Clock 10 Years.’ Her book really addresses the protocols that have proven to interrupt genetic predisposition to various diseases. Again, there are dramatic interrelationships between what each of the researchers are saying about how we age and what’s possible. Overall good health and exercise is key for her and she emphasizes dental health and its link to various diseases. And she also speaks about things which can be done to possibly de-age the brain. For example, using supplements like CoQ10 at 100-200 mg daily, along with challenging the brain to learn new things such as a language, an instrument, or a complex puzzle, etc.

And lastly, Dr. Michael Merzenich speaks about how life choices can degrade or improve brain functioning in his book ‘Soft Wired: How The New Science Of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life.’ One section discusses tips for the integration of brain and body health, known as ‘brain plasticity rules,’ for exercise regimes. He notes the importance of weight training[ms1]  and the need for a variety of challenging programs. Mastering the precision of total body movement and varying speed and intensity are absolutely critical.

The Third Myth of Aging is that loss of balance and stability is unavoidable. It isn’t inevitable as so many people believe. It is largely our choice. We can strengthen our core at any age, and we can certainly improve our balance. But there’s no way around the fact that muscles will atrophy without intervention, which places us at risk of a fall.

A former professor turned ardent age reformer in retirement has spent a number of years developing a program he calls ‘Never Leave the Playground.’ It’s built around the idea of doing everyday things a little differently and making what you do playful. He is a noted speaker and has tried and perfected strenuous activities that teens could have difficulty doing. He’s done everything from swinging on jungle gym bars to mastering a unicycle. And he’s been able to go to retirement homes and teach basic skills by demonstrating how simple games can be made to help muscles improve. His balance is spectacular and he’s proven how exercise can be a really fun and joyful experience.

 On my Facebook page I mention balance quite a lot because I don’t believe we have to lose it. I even give instruction for simple balance exercises. I’m on to the more advanced exercises myself and I just purchased a bosu ball, which I’d never heard of before seeing it at my trainer’s studio. Now I’m hooked! My goal is to master a yoga tree pose. That’s standing on one foot while on the bosu ball. I believe in yoga for the true balance and overall health benefits it provides.

The Fourth Myth of Aging is that age 50 is a Milestone. This is one of the most harmful myths because it risks believing it’s only downhill from there. That’s damaging to anyone’s mental health. It is estimated today that people age 50 are likely to live into their 9th decade. That’s 40 years to live in either decline or vibrancy.

 I once participated in a closed Facebook group, but I had to leave because it was too depressing. It was for women over 50 and they were talking about the inevitability of aging, mourning the loss of youth, and feeling so old and hopeless that they’d have no choice but to embrace weight gain and slowing down. To that, I say the body goes where the mind takes it.

In other words, if you think you are old, you actually begin to display signs of premature aging. You slow down because you think you must. You do the wrong kinds of exercises, if any at all. You don’t pay attention to nutrition because what does it matter? And soon you are falling into what I call the ‘Mid-Life Decline Syndrome’ and the years ahead are going to go exactly as you think they will: not well.

 Can we please get over thinking 50 is the magic milestone signifying the end’s around the corner? Years ago I couldn’t remember ever seeing a birthday card for people over 80, yet there were plenty of over-the-hill cards for 50-year-olds. But today in card shops, there’s an ample selection for centenarians.

I was surprised (although I shouldn’t’ve been) when I asked a 24-year-old what age she thought was old and she replied “70.” I’m 73 and I totally believe age is what you make of it and we have so much more control than we’d previously believed. I could hardly believe my ears when I had coffee with a 42-year-old who was lamenting about not having accomplished all of her life goals yet; dreading about becoming 50. So there’s lots of work to be done about changing the perception of aging. The media doesn’t help, with its glorification of youth and sculpted bodies. Neither does what I call ‘Familial Imprinting,’ or having our expectations about aging being influenced by how our family members have aged before us.

 Finally, the Fifth Myth of Aging is that we are too old to change, at whatever age that may be. Part of that belief stems from ingrained patterns of behavior. Changing those embedded patterns is undoubtedly difficult. The other part of it is the fear of something new. Habits are our security blankets and ripping them away, even for our own good, isn’t easy.

 In order to defy the myths of aging, changes in lifestyle are required. Recognizing the benefits of change is the first step. The second step is the most difficult: taking action.

 Once the mindset of understanding the need to change is in place, one can then make different nutritional choices. This isn’t easy at any age and it’s a reason the health coaching industry is thriving today. Health coaches are masters of “habit change,” and unless you change your habits you won’t change your choices.

 The myth of being too old is especially prevalent when it comes to exercise. Who’s made walking the choice of exercise as we age? It’s slow and relatively easy, but it won’t provide any of the benefits mentioned previously. Why not venture into strength training? I believe it’s because of our human nature of being afraid of trying something that could get us hurt. With a master yoga instructor or ski instructor, or an experienced personal trainer, you will not get hurt.

In summary, Deterioration, Cognitive Decline, Loss of Balance and Stability, 50 as a Milestone, and the belief of being too old to change are the Five Biggest Myths of Aging that can be overcome.

 You can greatly influence the way you age by first acknowledging the myths, and then by taking action in all of the ways I’ve described. Don’t fall for the myths. Take your first steps to aging as you wish today!

 References:

Amen, Daniel G. Use Your Brain to Change Your Age Three Rivers Press 2012.

 Crowley, Chris & Henry Lodge. Younger Next Year for Women. Workman Publishing, 2005.

 Gottfried, Sara. Younger: A Breakthrough Program to Reset Your Genes, Reverse Aging, and Turn Back the Clock 10 Years. HarperOne, 2017.

 Merzenich, Michael. Soft Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life. Parnassus Publishing, 2013.