• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Road to Living Whole

Therapeutic Food Solutions

  • Schedule Now
  • Search
  • Schedule Now
  • Search
  • Recipes
  • Blog
  • Meal Plans
  • Webinars
  • Resources
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Blog
  • Meal Plans
  • Webinars
  • Resources
  • About
Food allergy guide and meal plans

Why We Know That Age Is Just A Number

September 28, 2020 //  by Marian Mitchell//  Leave a Comment

You often hear it said that age is just a number, but it turns out that there’s a lot of truth to this old adage. The link between biological and chronological age is looser than many people imagine. 

Our Health Perspective

We live in a world of health norms. It’s normal for people to go on statins over the age of fifty-five. It’s normal for girls to enter puberty at age eleven. It’s normal for people to become overweight once they hit their thirties. All of this seems like an inevitable consequence of the passage of time because it happens to everyone.

But that’s only because of the perspective that we have. The way we see health is limited in the same way that the ancients viewed the Earth. It looks flat in all directions, so they assumed it was flat. 

Today, the health landscape looks sickly in all directions, so we assume that it must be. It’s just an immutable part of nature and something we can’t do anything about. 

And yet, when you take a look at the scientific literature, you find something very different indeed. Outside of western culture (where practically everyone is engaged in unhealthy lifestyles), there are populations of people who don’t get the diseases of aging at the age that we do. Many live well into their dotage without things like back pain, diabetes, and heart trouble. 

The question is, how is all this possible in a world in which getting older is inevitable? Why do some populations seem to evade all the diseases we get while at the same time living longer overall? 

Researchers think that it has to do with lifestyle. People who don’t interact with civilization live in an optimal way designed by nature for our bodies. They experience periods of fasting. They eat primarily healthy grains or foraged foods. And they avoid things like job stress, crowded living conditions, and dysfunctional relationships. 

When researchers observe these people, it soon becomes clear that aging is just a number. Grandparents play with their children. Older adults don’t require continual hospital appointments. And even the younger generations appear slim and vital – how we imagine health should look in the west. 

The Science Of Anti Aging

The science of anti-aging also shows that age is just a number. If you intervene in a species in the laboratory in just the right way, you can get it to live longer than it would ordinarily. There are many methods for doing this too. For instance, if you feed animals less than what they’d eat if left to their own devices, they’ll live longer. The same is true if you give them certain plant extracts or make them fast every other day.

Even liposonal anti aging creams take advantage of concepts like these. There’s a general acceptance in the cosmetics industry that the best approach is to feed the skin compounds that activate its endogenous rejuvenation potential. Thus, long-term applications yield lasting results that actually involve the skin becoming younger. 

When you eat a whole food diet, you’re doing something similar. Chemicals in the food you eat signal to cells to behave more youthfully. Suddenly, they prioritize eliminating toxins and misfolded proteins, making you healthier and more vibrant in the process. 

It all sounds a bit like science fiction, but aging is a number known for a long time. It’s just that so few people in our culture do what’s required to turn back the clock that we never see it in reality. If only one in ten thousand people are actively engaged in the type of lifestyle that will prolong life, the chances of encountering it are extraordinarily low. Thus, if we see somebody who is healthy and vital in their eighties, we chalk it up to good genetics or some other fluke event. It couldn’t possibly be because of lifestyle because we never see those kinds of results. However, if we take the scientific evidence seriously, that’s precisely what we should expect. 

Whoever said aging is just a number was a bit of a genius. As time continues, the notion is going to become more entrenched. People will complain that it is naive or not an accurate description of what’s going on, but the facts will remain. You can adopt a healthy lifestyle and modify the rate of aging. The evidence for this stretches back more than one hundred years. It’s a weird concept because we’re so used to the pattern of getting older. But it isn’t necessarily true with the right interventions. 

 

Category: Mind + Spirit, Natural Beauty + Body, NutritionTag: aging

Previous Post: «3 Steps To Take After A Life-Altering Diagnosis 3 Steps To Take After A Life-Altering Diagnosis
Next Post: 4 Not-So-Obvious Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Health 4 Not-So-Obvious Ways You're Sabotaging Your Health»

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

About UsHi friend! I'm Marian Mitchell. Health Coach, Chronic Disease Warrior, Mom, and lover of food. I help you navigate eating and living for Chronic Disease Management with meal plans, coaching, a podcast, and this website. You can thrive when you know what to do. I'm here to help.

Search:

 

book with me

Recently…

  • How To Live A Balanced Life In 8 Easy Steps June 16, 2022
  • Healthy Asian Food Everyone Should Try June 15, 2022
  • Positive Habits to Cultivate in Your Life June 3, 2022
  • 5 Ways to Have the Best Time This Summer with Your Family June 1, 2022
  • Everything in Moderation: How to stay healthy while eating what makes you happy June 1, 2022

mairmitchell

Interviews are really fun. This week's episode is Interviews are really fun. This week's episode is an interview I did on another podcast, Addicted to the Climb with Kelley Tyan. It was super fun and I think you'll enjoy it.
@doctorpoulin joins the podcast again to give you @doctorpoulin joins the podcast again to give you an inside look at what is looked at and shows us through hair mineral analysis. We actually go through my results and you can look at mine to help you follow along! 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/therapeutic-food-solutions-therapeutic-diet-chronic/id1593747334?i=1000567259405
I'm pretty passionate about this topic. There are I'm pretty passionate about this topic. There are many ways to detox wrong. When you have other issues going on, the wrong one can really set you up for real pain. Literally. If you're going to do a detox, do it the right way.
Having your hair thin is a huge blow to your self Having your hair thin is a huge blow to your self esteem. We know firsthand. But like in all things in regards to our health, there is so much at can do to help support the healing process. @mystylist_mariana and I did into what you can do to help your hair regrow including testing, nutrients, and products. You don't want to miss this episode!
Normally I'm not a fan of gazpacho, but then I had Normally I'm not a fan of gazpacho, but then I had one at a local restaurant that I loved. I decided to recreate it and now it's a summer staple. The recipe is over on my website and you can get there with the link in my bio. 

Do you have a favorite cold soup?
Do you feel overwhelmed after getting your food al Do you feel overwhelmed after getting your food allergy and sensitivity results back? We get it. We also know that feeling good is worth the effort. 

Kathlena @theallergychef shares her story and gives you hope for your journey in today's episode. She's my new best friend and I think you'll adore her too.
Camping with friends is the best. Camping with friends is the best.
Gluten free replacements often don't taste good. I Gluten free replacements often don't taste good. In fact, they often taste bland with a weird texture. In today's episode I have my friend Adrian joining me too discuss our favorite swaps that actually taste good. Adrian still eats gluten so it gives our suggestions a bit more weight.
I went gluten free initially for my daughter. My f I went gluten free initially for my daughter. My friend who was on the podcast today went gluten free for his new bride. We both believed that keeping the home a safe haven was more important than eating gluten at home. While I ended up needing to be gluten free as well, he doesn't. He shares his perspective on what going gluten free in the home was like and why it wasn't as bad as you'd think.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Footer

Get in Touch

15955 N. Dail Blvd Suite 3

Scottsdale, AZ 85260

602-688-4745

marian@roadtolivingwhole.com

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Coaching with Marian
  • My Approach
  • Programs
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Road to Living Whole, LLC. All Rights Reserved.