Is there a prescription to reverse aging? Final Part
The functions of the lung begin to reduce at age 30
By your 30th birthday, your lungs will probably have hit high gear to the land of reduced function. This includes even those who never smoke or inhale secondhand smoke as well as those who have never come into contact with mosquito coils or car exhaust fumes.
This reduced function means you find it difficult to breathe during activities that require exertion – exercise, dancing and climbing are just a few of them.
What to do
Certainly avoiding toxins such as cigarette is important but so is learning to breathe properly. Vitamin D, which is abundant in areas with sunlight, is great for the lungs and so is vitamin A from carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes and many others. So next time you are out walking in the sun, tell your friends you are improving your lungs and bones.
The muscle
We may lose about 11kg of muscle between age 24 and 50 and then about one percent of muscle mass each year after the half-century mark, unless we do something about it.
The worst aspect is we replace this lost muscle with fat of equal weight. Fat of the same weight as muscle is bigger and more “deformed”. This explains why when we do not arrest this trend, we tend to weigh the same on the scale yet we are unable to fit into our clothes. Aha! That beer-belly that has been haunting us.
What to do
So even for those who do not take pride in huge biceps, it may be a good idea to start lifting some weights, not only will it protect you from extreme muscle loss and fat gain, you may actually gain muscle, protect your bones, improve your metabolism and even your mood. “Lift” for long good-byes to gloomy days.
The bones
From your 24th birthday to about two whole years before your golden jubilee, the supportive material in bones of men shrinks by almost 30 percent. Scary if you consider that this may even be higher in females.
Around age 65, the bones begin to shed more of the mineral building blocks that make them strong, causing even faster degeneration. So you understand why a harmless fall or lifting your grandchild could cause you to break a bone.
What to do
Weight-bearing exercises such as walking and lifting weights help to strengthen bones. Some of us may need calcium supplements-ladies! And we can gain mileage from our food such as yoghurt, milk and other dairy products, dark leafy greens such as kontomire and certainly good old sunlight.
So age after all may just be a number but only if you do the necessary things to prevent you from falling apart.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
dressel@healthessentialsgh.com
*Dr. Essel is a medical doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle medicine, he holds an MBA and is ISSA Specialist in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week –“A sedentary lifestyle – spending a lot of time seated at a desk, in a car, or in front of a television or computer monitor – increases your risk of death from heart”
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
