Regular Exercise and Good Nutrition Can Help You Live a Longer, Healthier Life
When it comes to leading a long, healthy life, it’s important not to take things for granted. Some people might prefer to spend their time sitting on the couch in front of the television, but not taking advantage of your ability to take a stroll around the block now could result in the eventual loss of your ability to walk at all.
How you live your life today, including what you eat and how often you exercise, can help predict what kind of life you will live in the future. “In general, lifestyle and diet can have a major effect on how well people age,” says Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, a clinical dietitian at UCLA Health System. “It’s important for you to be mobile now so that you can be mobile tomorrow as well.”
Why age can cause weight gain
“As people age, they tend to exercise less,” says Bowerman. “This can lead to weight gain, and it can also lead to the loss of lean body mass. Loss of lean body mass leads to a decrease in resting metabolic rate, or the calories that someone burns at rest, and also contributes to weight gain.”
The fat that is gained around the middle of the body (also known as belly or visceral fat) is particularly detrimental to health. This fat produces substances that can lead to chronic, low-grade inflammatory processes throughout the body; it is this inflammation that is believed to be at the root of heart disease, common forms of cancer, and possibly Alzheimer’s disease. It also can exacerbate other inflammatory conditions like arthritis. By keeping weight down, this process can be minimized.
Start with a healthy diet
According to Bowerman, “The best way to start living healthier is eating a diet rich in plant foods, particularly colorful fruits and vegetables which contain numerous phytochemicals with anti-inflammatory properties.”
Fish is another great “anti-aging” food because it’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids which also have anti-inflammatory properties. A healthy diet will help to reduce weight as well. It’s very important to keep your weight down as you get older to maintain mobility and independence, says Bowerman.
The post Regular Exercise and Good Nutrition Can Help You Live a Longer, Healthier Life appeared first on University Health News.
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