Published in the 2023 May/June issue of Cityview Magazine, the article presents readers with anti-aging at-home options.

Anti-aging Care: Start at Home

By Oana Harrison

Getting older is a privilege, and taking care of how well we age is our choice. Although DNA and other circumstances play a role in how we age, we can make choices to impact our quality of life as we advance through life. Anti-aging care is a habit, and it starts at home.

Nutrition

A healthy diet can provide us with most of the necessary nutrients for our bodies to function well. Most of us have tried a popular diet at one time or another, but what is the right choice?

“Instead of recommending a certain diet,” shared University of Tennessee Nutrition Lecturer Lee Murphy, “I like to emphasize the five per day rule. This is a simple concept I teach everyone from elementary school kids to adults: eat at least five fruits and vegetables per day.”

Murphy’s advice for a healthy diet is not surprising: eat lots of fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, lean protein, and unsaturated fat. For those who turn their noses at vegetables, try to hide them inside dishes you usually cook, like incorporating frozen or fresh kale or spinach in casseroles or even in smoothies.

Don’t dismiss frozen fruits and vegetables. “I’m a public health nutritionist by training, so even if you get your vegetables from a can, I think it’s great. And even if you need to watch for sodium, if that’s the only way you eat vegetables, it’s still better than nothing,” Murphy stated.

And speaking of sodium, high levels are bad for cardiovascular health. The DASH diet stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and it is high in fruits and vegetables, alongside nuts, seeds, and fish. According to the Mayo Clinic, “the typical American diet has a whopping 3,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium or more a day.” The standard DASH diet limits sodium to 2,300 mg a day (approx. 1 teaspoon of table salt), while the lower sodium version of the diet sets the limit at 1,500 mg daily.

Our body needs unsaturated fats for proper cellular function, and fish is a great source of that. However, most of us don’t get enough fish in our diet. Murphy recommends a goal of at least two servings per week.

Supplements

“A healthy nutrition should be the foundation, and only then you should look at supplements,” said Eddie Reymond, who runs Eddie’s Health Shoppe. Just like with your diet, start with a solid foundation: a good multivitamin. “Don’t be fooled by flashy labels,” warns Raymond, but instead make sure you get the main ingredients: vitamin B complex (releasing energy from carbohydrates and fat, breaking down amino acids, and transporting oxygen and energy-containing nutrients), vitamin C (protecting cells against free radicals), vitamin D (for calcium and phosphorus absorption), vitamin E (for vision, reproduction, blood, brain and skin health), and selenium (protecting against cell damage and infections).

As we age, we can also look specifically at collagen (for skin elasticity), N-acetyl cysteine or NAC (for liver health), and Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide or NAD (a coenzyme central to metabolism, which also protects DNA integrity and ensures proper cell function). Raymond mentioned Senolytic activator, Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ), and Resveratrol as three examples of anti-aging products targeting cellular health and regeneration.

Although many supplements have been proven to have some health benefits, FDA doesn’t employ the same strict regulations as for drugs, so ask your physician before you start taking supplements.

Physical and mental fitness

In addition to a healthy diet, staying physically and mentally active is crucial to aging well. The adage “use it or lose it” comes to mind.

Exercising doesn’t have to be strenuous to be beneficial, but you do need to move every day. “It can be as easy as taking a daily walk or getting off the couch and sitting back down 8 to 10 times for 3-4 sets,” said Shane Glarrow, co-owner of South Landing Fitness. “Keep it simple and be consistent,” he advised. Shane and his wife Crissy opened South Landing Fitness in 2016. Shane learned from a young age the importance of taking care of his health when he was diagnosed with diabetes. Crissy is a former gymnast and understands the importance of discipline in staying fit.

As we age, our balance might get a bit shaky. That can be prevented or lessened through strength and resistance training. “We like to teach people fundamental movements and patterns which they can use in the gym or at home,” pointed out Shane. “The intent is to provide them with simple exercises that they can commit to, because that’s what’s going to lead results.”

Richard Dowdy, owner of Fitness Solutions, a former Air National Guard member and fitness equipment provider, also knows this to be true: the most effective exercise is the one you like and that you can do at any time. As he confessed, “now in my 50s, I notice that if I don’t exercise, I hurt more; if I keep moving, everything feels better, my back, my joints, and even my mood.”

Dowdy sees that treadmills are very popular, because walking is a simple exercise most everyone can do; as a bonus, many feature workout sceneries, even travel destinations—you can travel without ever leaving home! “Many of my senior clients prefer recumbent bikes because it’s easy to get them, without having to step across a frame, so they don’t have to worry about falling,” said Dowdy. “It’s never too late to start! My friend’s mom is 96 years old, and she just started working out. She hasn’t missed a day in a month and she’s raving about how good she feels,” concluded Dowdy.

After a good workout, a sauna session can help. Dowdy explained the types of saunas available, from the traditional steam-based ones which are great for detoxing to the infrared versions, which can increase metabolic rates. The caution is to look for low EMF (electric field and magnetic field exposure), hydrate, and replenish your electrolytes.

Beyond physical fitness, we need to consider mental agility and peace of mind. Yoga covers both and can be done by anyone at any age. “Even the most inflexible person can breathe,” pointed out Heather Jagels, owner of Mountain Zen Yoga. Breathing is very important for obvious reasons, but also because controlling our breathing can reduce stress, a major aging agent.

Yoga is great for the entire body. There is even face yoga! Our face has muscles and lymph nodes, just like the rest of our body. Jagels explains: “Massaging your face gets the blood circulating through the skin, massaging the lymph nodes creates a drainage system which helps reduce puffiness, and working the muscle tissue helps increase firmness.”

Skincare

As we age, our skin loses collagen and elastin, becoming thinner and more prone to wrinkles. We asked Mahala Brien, Lead Esthetician at Old City Medspa which at home routine we should follow when it comes to skincare.

“It’s really important to find a perfect balance of products to use in the daytime and at night. Our skin rejuvenation occurs primarily at night, so using things like retinol and peptides that help produce collagen is very important.” For a simple regimen at home, especially for mature skin, Brien recommends a gentle cleanser, then adding hyaluronic acid (to keep skin hydrated and plump), vitamin C and SPF cream during the day, and retinol cream at night (which exfoliates your skin and increases collagen production). She also recommends an occasional peel and using masks for an extra boost of beauty.

“I just started using red light treatments and microcurrent treatments at home and I can tell that there’s a big difference,” shared Brien. It’s a great way to support your collagen and elastin production, which will also help your skin absorb products better.

Holistic Approach

Board-certified family medicine practitioner Raye-Anne Ayo, MD, recommends taking a holistic look at how we age and how we live.

She recommends a traditional Mediterranean diet (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, fish, yogurt), which research showed can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions. In addition, she recommends low sugar, moderate alcohol, and no smoking.

Exercising on a regular basis is important. It can be low impact, such as walking, or tai chi, which helps with some chronic pain syndromes, or yoga, which helps with stress. Ayo explains: “We aim to decrease cortisol levels and metabolic inflammation through diet, exercise, and stress management. This can really protect your DNA and overall health, and decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and even cancer.”

Some low weight-bearing resistance training such as push-ups, wall sits, or lunges are easy on the joints, while the tension will stimulate the bone to regenerate and strengthen. Minimizing muscle loss, which happens with age, keeps your metabolic rate higher, so that it’s easier to burn calories.

Mental acuity and spiritual health play a significant role in our health and longevity. “Learning a new task or hobby, mentally stimulating puzzles, reading books, or just being social and having conversations with a friend can help,” advised Ayo. “Meditation but also having a sense of purpose for one’s life are very important to one’s health,” she added.