By It may be challenging, but the more you practice, the easier it gets (I promise you)
What started as a desperate attempt to lose weight and fix my debilitating gut challenges finally led to where I am now and the benefits I experience.
These benefits range from almost perfect health as I move towards the ripe old age of 44 increases strength, muscle-building capacity, fitness, a lean and fit body, and endless energy.
I also feel and look a lot younger than I am.
I look at the ageing process as a means to improve as I age and work towards a successful career, giving me the financial freedom to pursue my dreams.
It’s not a pathway to retirement!
Retirement isn’t for me — I refuse to retire from doing the things I love that give me the will to live.
So that means I have to move ahead with an ‘ageless’ mentality.
Because what we think about most, we manifest into our lives.
To become ageless is to be healthy, active and positive along the way.
Although there is no way to bypass death or getting older, we can always work towards being as healthy and young as possible, no matter how old we are — and there is a way to do this!
How this one thing can impact the ageing
Recent research published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics offers one glimpse into how cutting calories impacts ageing inside a cell.
The ageing process slows when a little thing called ‘Ribosomes’ unwinds.
Ribosomes are usually highly active since they are the cell’s protein makers. However, they need to slow down occasionally because that helps them repair.
To highlight how ribosomes slow down, John Price, biochemistry professor and senior author of this piece, observed two groups of mice.
One had limited access to food, while the other was restricted to consuming 35% fewer calories while still receiving the necessary nutrients to survive.
Price observed ‘When you restrict caloric consumption, lifespan is almost a linear increase. Moreover, the caloric restriction caused the real biochemical change that slowed down the rate of ageing.’
This study isn’t the first to showcase how much caloric restriction impacts ageing.
Prices study is different, in the first instance to show that general protein synthesis slows down and recognise that ribosomes’ role in facilitating those youth extending biochemical changes.
Those mice who were restricted to eating a certain number of calories also experienced fewer diseases, and then they weren’t only living longer but got better at maintaining their bodies.
In addition, these mice became younger for longer!
Let’s look behind the scenes at Ribosomes and what they do
You might look at Ribosomes as an expensive car (like a Porsche or Bentley) that is very important and needs a lot of love and care.
This is because ribosomes use 10–20 per cent of the cell’s total energy to build all the proteins necessary for the cell to operate.
It’s impractical to destroy a ribosome when they begin to malfunction.
So instead, regularly repairing individual parts enables them to carry on producing high-quality proteins for longer than they would otherwise.
Top-quality production, in turn, keeps cells and the entire body functioning well.
One thing you should remember
Research has been conducted on mice, not humans.
But, although this is the case, through my research and experimentation on ageing, I can say that eating well, fasting regularly and exercising have helped keep me looking young and fit (so far).
So I will continue to do that for life.
Restricting calories is always an ideal option, not only for ageing but for our healing.
But unfortunately, overconsumption of calories, drinking, smoking, and generally treating our bodies like trash cans seem to be the norm.
It’s no wonder people fall prey to diseases at such a young age.
Practice healthy eating and exercise throughout your life, and pass on those skills to your kids to learn and practice them when they become adults and maybe parents.
Although my teenager prefers junk food most of the time, I know she’s got most of her healthy food and lifestyle habits ingrained because of my constant reinforcement.
I walk the talk, and that’s the best way for children to learn about food practices.
Perhaps she has not embraced the whole ‘healthy eating’ life I’d like her to — she may well and truly convert when adulting becomes necessary.
So, the motto is, eat a lot less, stay active, and when you do eat — eat well and try hard to eliminate those nasty additives as much as possible.
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