When Indiana Jones found the Holy Grail, it seemed like a distant old man’s fairy tale. I saw that film at the ripe adolescent age of 16. Indiana and his dad were so close to attaining the fountain of youth, but were ok with letting it pass them by. Maybe it’s because Indiana saw the Knight who couldn’t wield his sword due to feebleness of sitting still and old age. Maybe it’s because Elsa died while trying to retrieve it.
(Side note: this is the original Elsa—at least the one besides my grandmother— by the way. With all due respect to Frozen and my 3 little girls. I really didn’t care that Elsa didn’t sing. I mean this Elsa…)
I really never got why they came all this way just to get so close, but go empty-handed. I gotta say: I might have been Elsa reaching farther for the Cup and not Indiana who let it go.
Of course, “Dad” Jones did recover from a gun shot to where his liver would be, so maybe that was good enough….
Anyhow, I figured when that time came in my life, I’d be happy just to still be walking the Earth. I would complain about joint pain, wrinkles and difficult children, but I would be old and grateful. Who would want to be go back in time and be young after getting to the top of mountain? It seemed inevitable and something that I would deal with when the time came. It seemed “earned” and a state of mind that I could commiserate with my friends and wife about. I wouldn’t be alone and I could just kick back on my porch chair and talk about the good ‘ol times with other broken buddies.
Now I’m about the age Indiana was, but I move a little better than him. Maybe I can’t ride a horse as well, but I do not have discomfort or pain and I certainly don’t look or feel my age. Thankfully, technology and research have created lots of supporting evidence that we can actually dial our biological clock backward and I’ve taken advantage of it and been my own guinea pig.
Looking and feeling your best doesn’t need to consist of eating cardboard and running on the treadmill for 4 hours a day. As a matter of fact, too much exercise and strict eating actually can age the body MORE. Inflammation in the body needs to be addressed. Constant protein synthesis (from eating protein too much and too often) decreases immune responses, upticks cellular senescence and lowers autophagy: ie giving the body a digestive break actually kills off cells that are like zombies and replaces them with new ones ready to work. The longer a cell hangs around, the more aging occurs with someone—and can even lead to other worse conditions.
Life and the human body need balance. The body is constantly seeking homeostasis. It craves equilibrium. It wants experience, but desires to recover from it. It enjoys sitting still, but not for too long. It wants some sun—but not too much. Life is a constant ebb and flow with nearly everything we do.
So how do we take care of ourselves?
1. Have a workout program to follow, but allow for rest time: not only days off during the week, but “de-load” weeks (lesser resistance weight and lower intensity) and even a couple of full weeks off each year.
2. Allow for times of eating a lot less and give your digestive system a nice rest. Fasting allows the body to heal and/or replace cells as I mentioned earlier and it assists the body with recovery.
3. Sleep for a quality block of 7-8 hours. Make your room completely dark. Stop looking at any blue-light emitting screens (TV, computer, tablet and yes—your mobile phone). Keep your room cool (or mattress as they make cooling mattresses). Keep your room completely silent or you can use low level sound machines with background noises that calm you down.
4. Learn how to mitigate stress.
- a). Go for walks if you can when working. Gold star if you can walk barefoot in the grass to ground yourself with the Earth and benefit from the negative ions the soil and grass emit.
- b). Practice meditation or some kind of breathing exercise (box breathing, Wim Hof breathing or my favorite: balloon breathing. There is a host of techniques). Additionally, having a positive outlook and/or practice of gratuity can greatly improve the feel-good hormones (endorphins) your body produces.
5. Keep your sugar intake to an absolute minimum. Sugar is your enemy and can age you faster than nearly anything else you can do. If you need a sweetener, reach for stevia, monk fruit, allulose or erythritol. Use honey or coconut sugar when you’re baking as an alternative.
6. Surround yourself with people who love and support you. Negative energy permeates the mind, body and soul and can have residual effects over time. Being around people who make you laugh and smile more often have an incredibly powerful impact.
While these suggestions may not be quite the same as drinking from the Holy Grail a la Sean Connery, they can add years to your life and life to your years. You may even have people looking at you twice when you tell them your actual age.
And maybe then you won’t be talking about war stories and high school heroics. You’ll be looking to get out and having some new adventures instead.
