How to Stay Forever Young
Getting older is inevitable. Getting old isn't.
When I was in my early twenties I spent many of my weekends racing through muddy fields and woodlands. These runs were often tough - it’s not unusual to slip and end up covered in slime and water, or to lose a shoe under half a foot of mud. But what stuck in my mind the most was the age of many of the competitors.
The idea that a seventy year old man could outrun a twenty year old came from my experiences in those races. It was not unusual, if you waited by the finish line, to see exactly that happen. Those men and women were no stereotypical grandparents. They exercised, stayed fit and healthy, and could often pass for someone much younger.
Many of our preconceived ideas about age are wrong. The way we age now, in the twenty-first century, is a product of our society, not our biology. Our modern lifestyles gradually strip away our health and our vitality. But it doesn’t have to be that way, as I found out while researching this piece.
Everybody knows the script. After a brief and energetic youth, people enter a long decline after middle age. Backs start to ache, joints stiffen up, and general aches and pains become a part of every day life. By the time retirement comes along we’re too feeble to enjoy the few years we have left.
But what if I told you that story is wrong? What if people could stay healthy, active and mentally sharp throughout their lives? What if a seventy year old could outrun a twenty-five year old?
Biologically, the evidence suggests that they can. It doesn’t need a wonder drug, or futuristic therapy either, the answer is much simpler. Three things make for a long and healthy life — good food, regular exercise and a positive attitude.
In the last few years, researchers have found that those three things can slow the rate at which people age, and can even reverse aging, making our bodies biologically younger. At the heart of this research is the distinction between chronological age, our age in years, and biological age, which measures the functioning of our organs.
The link between these two ages is weaker than originally thought. People don’t age at the same rate. Indeed, there is no way to determine someone’s age in years purely by examining their body and organs. Scientists have found that many of the things we associate with old age — aching joints and backs, fragility, mental and physical decline — are instead caused by inactivity. In other words, it’s not the years that weaken us; it’s a lack of exercise, bad diets, and poor mental health.
The research is backed up by many examples of superb accomplishment by people in their 80s, 90s and beyond. These achievements — climbing mountains, running marathons, directing movies — would put someone half their age to shame. Though these examples are impressive, the evidence tells us that almost everyone is capable of fitness and health throughout their lives.
But what about those three things? How much exercise is enough? What counts as a good diet? And how, exactly, does one stay positive when facing the buffeting storms of everyday life?
Eating Well
The evidence suggests that two factors are in play: both how much, and what, we eat. Eating certain foods — fruit, vegetables and wholegrains — has long been known to prevent some diseases. But perhaps more surprisingly, scientists have discovered that limiting how much you eat, in what is known as a calorie restricted diet, may help slow your body’s aging.
Calorie restricted diets reduce the overall amount of calories a person consumes, without going so far as to result in malnutrition. This can take many forms — from eating less at every meal, to periodically fasting. Many scientists recommend fasting as the ideal strategy, as it reduces the risk of missing vital nutrients, and is often more socially acceptable.
Some have speculated that our ancestors ate irregularly. When food became available — perhaps by hunting down a large animal — tribes would eat, and then fast until the next successful hunt. This prehistoric legacy may still be with us. Studies have found that fasting for several days each month reduces blood pressure, insulin levels and cholesterol.
To answer the second question — what to eat — researchers have turned to regional diets. One hot spot is the Okinawa Diet, followed by inhabitants of a remote Japanese island chain. These islands are home to an unusually high number of centenarians — people who live more than 100 years. Evidence suggests that their diet — rich in vegetables and fish — plays a strong role in this unusual longevity.
When scientists looked closer, they discovered that Okinawans suffered far lower rates of cancer and heart related diseases. Could it be a genetic advantage? Probably not. When Okinawans move abroad and change their diet, they start experiencing similar rates of heart disease and cancer as other groups of people.
The key, once again, seems to be moderation. The mantra “hara hachi bu”, eat until 80% full, is at the heart of Okinawan cuisine. In other traditional diets, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, similar concepts of moderation crop up over and over again. Rather than eating a certain group of wonder foods, the key may simply be to eat less.
Exercise
We get old, we get stiff, we get fat. Inevitable right? Wrong. Most people exercise less and less as they age, moving from an energetic youth to a slothful old age. As they age, their muscles and joints stiffen. Eventually even small movements become challenging. From then on it is just a matter of waiting for the grave.
In this picture, the reduction in exercise is a side product of aging. We stop exercising because we get old. But this view is wrong — we get old because we stop exercising. People who exercise regularly — and maintain that exercise as they age — biologically appear younger. And youth is not the only prize. Staying physically active keeps a wide range of diseases away, including some of the biggest killers. Heart disease, strokes, cancers — all are linked to a lack of exercise.
It’s not completely true to say that exercise can keep you young forever. Some amount of decline is impossible to avoid. However, the evidence suggests this decline is slower than many think. A young man will typically reach his peak physical capacity around 25 ,and then gradually fall off physically. But at age 64, he is still capable of similar physical endurance as he was at 20. That most older men can’t outrun a youngster is not due to physical limitations — it is due to a lack of training.
Some studies have even found that exercise can reverse your biological age. This effect is most dramatic in those who previously did little exercise, and does not seem to have an upper age limit. As long as you are still living, no matter your physical condition, exercise will help you feel younger.
In 2013, researchers took a group of twenty four elderly men and women from a care home in Spain. These seniors, aged between 91 and 96, spent twelve weeks doing strength and balance exercise. By the end of the study all of the participants were fitter and healthier. They were less frail, found it easier to stand and walk. Their minds also improved — they spoke more clearly and fluidly, and performed better in math tests. In other words — most people would agree — they became younger.
It’s never too late. If you exercise, keep it up. If you don’t — start small, try it for a few weeks, and gradually build up the amount you do. It will work wonders.
Attitude
Speak to almost anyone who has lived a long time, and they’ll probably mention the importance of taking on life with a positive attitude. It might seem strange — unlike physical activity or food, our moods have no direct impact on our bodies — but a growing pile of evidence suggests that youth is all about attitude.
Views on aging seem especially important. In 1975, researchers in Ohio interviewed hundreds of people, seeking their feelings about their own future. Twenty-five years later, those who had felt more positively about old age had lived, on average, more than seven years longer. More strikingly, mental attitude turned out to be more important than either exercise or diet. Think better about old age then, and you are more likely to live to see it.
It’s not just your feelings on aging that matter, it’s also about how old you feel, and even how old your surroundings make you feel. Put elderly people in houses that remind them of their youth — with posters of rock stars and decorations that were fashionable in their younger years — and those people will soon report feeling much younger. And not just that — they become more active and mentally sharper.
Most people, at least those over 25, feel younger than their birth certificates would imply. By the time people reach 70, on average they report feeling up to ten years younger. But not everyone does — and the consequences for those that felt old were profound. Feeling yourself to be older than your calendar age is strongly linked with diseases associated with old age. On the contrary, those who felt much younger than their actual age tended to live much longer.
If you want to stay young, then, age may really be all in the mind. Think positively of both yourself and your future. Stay active, eat simply and moderately — and enjoy your birthdays, safe in the knowledge that age is just a number.
So much reporting around health, science and space exploration is unrealistic, hyperbolic and misleading. These are complicated topics, and there are often no easy or straight forward answers. Instead what is needed is analysis, discussion and an exploration of the possible ways forward.
Follow me and subscribe to my free Substack newsletter to get the latest. Articles are published regularly, and by signing up you will never miss an update.
I hear a lot of young people saying “hara hachi bu” and they do make it... Still so hard for me to leave the table until I am 120% full :(