The Art Of Aging Gracefully

Remember when you could drink and dance until dawn, get five hours of sleep, and then do it all over again the next night? Ah, to be 20-something — you had resilience, energy, and skin so supple it would have made Mischa Barton envious.

But by the time you’re in your 30s, three vodka tonics at happy hour feels like a really bad idea the next morning. Dancing leaves you with stiff muscles. And you start to tell yourself that injecting botulism into your face doesn’t sound nearly as terrible as it once did.

No matter how prepared a woman thinks she is, the realities of aging — permanent laugh lines, a spreading waist, decreased energy, and increased risk for disease — are tough to swallow.

Avid runner Julie Shattuck never thought she’d have a problem but started gaining weight once she hit her mid-40s.

“I put on about six pounds,” says Shattuck, now 47. “But I realize that part of the aging process is that the metabolism slows down, and that I have to be more conscious of what I eat.”

She cut back on fat and dairy products and began eating smaller meals throughout the day. She also increased her running time, including slow, long-distance runs.

Shattuck is an example of how attuned many women have become to their bodies’ changes. Decades of research have provided women today with more information than ever about their specific health needs and how to feel, look, and be their best throughout life.

“Symptoms of aging are actually the symptoms of disuse,” says Dr. Pamela Peeke, a noted women’s health-care expert and author of Body For Life For Women. “When you begin using the body appropriately, you begin to turn [that] around. You drop fat, increase muscle, have the ability to reduce your risk of disease.”

Although age is one way to categorize a woman’s needs, Peeke says it’s important not to get too hung up on age alone. Hormones play a much greater role in determining how women look and feel.

Joyce Hanna of the Prevention Research Center at Stanford University School of Medicine believes the secret to aging gracefully is something within the grasp of almost every woman.

“The challenge is not about staying young,” says Hanna, associate director of the Health Improvement Program at the center. “The challenge is aging well.”

She describes five critical lifestyle factors that women can control to reduce their risk of certain diseases, as well as look and feel better.

Good Nutrition
At different life stages, our bodies require extra or different nutrients. For example, at around age 30 women stop building bone. Then, after menopause, bone density begins to decrease rapidly.

That’s why it’s important that women, as they age, get enough calcium and vitamin D, which helps the body absorb the calcium, to maintain bone integrity and prevent osteoporosis.

Exercise
“This is the cornerstone of it all,” says Hanna. Daily exercise helps maintain healthy body weight throughout a woman’s life, increases energy, stimulates circulation, improves mood, provides a means of stress reduction, and helps her remain strong.

Women begin losing muscle mass as their metabolism begins to slow down around age 40. It becomes even more important to add strength training to a cardio exercise program.

“The older you are, the more important it is,” says Hanna. “Research shows you can reverse the decrease in your muscle mass — and stop the decrease in bone density — through strength training.”

Stress Management
Women don’t corner the market on stress; however, women and men handle stress differently. “Unlike men, women are inclined to worry more, think too much, and are more likely to freeze in the face of adversity,” says Peeke. This kind of unmanaged stress can lead to anxiety disorders, overeating, depression, and insomnia. Stress is also a precursor to heart disease.

“Women need to understand their own hard-wiring, that they are more vulnerable to anxiety, procrastination, and stress overeating, then they can lay down a plan to deal with it,” says Peeke, “It’s incredibly important that women stop thinking so much and become more action-oriented,” she adds. “That will be their saving grace.”

Limiting Alcohol And Tobacco Consumption
Women also need to realize that the lifestyle choices they make while still young will affect how they age. Reducing vices, such as heavy drinking and smoking, are no-brainers.

“Women think they can trash themselves for quite some time and then turn it around within a week,” says Peeke. “If you don’t exercise, you’re not eating appropriately, and are stressed out, that ages you very fast.”

For Shattuck that meant learning to slow down and be more choosy about her commitments. She now seeks out more of the things that nurture her spirit, such as art and nature.

“These really help bring things into perspective,” she says.

While the tendency is to categorize women according to age, a more accurate way to determine a woman’s health needs is to focus on her hormonal changes, says Peeke.

Women go through four hormonal stages: menstruation through first childbirth (teens through the 20s); reproductive years (30s); peri-menopause through menopause (about 35 through the 50s); and post-menopause (50-plus). Each stage presents specific health needs. The transition from one stage to the next can be eased by paying attention to specific needs. That, in turn, helps minimize the risk of disease.

You can start now and still reap the rewards, the experts say. “It really is possible to transform yourself at any age,” says Peeke.

In Your 20s
Try to eat healthfully and start taking a multivitamin to ensure you are getting the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of most vitamins and minerals. Pay close attention to your intake of calcium because how much bone you build in your 20s will determine your risk for osteoporosis later in life. Eat dairy products and leafy green vegetables to build bones. Avoid soft drinks, including diet sodas, and smoking, which can weaken bones.

Also pay attention to your intake of folic acid to prevent birth defects and protect against heart disease. Most grains are now fortified with folic acid and it’s in most multivitamins. Iron deficiency, or anemia, is common among young women, especially athletes and vegetarians. Symptoms include low energy, pale complexion, mental fogginess, and depression and cold extremities. If you suspect you’re anemic it’s important to see your doctor.

Studies show that chronic and extreme dieting throughout your teens and 20s may mean more weight problems later on. There’s also the danger of malnutrition and other health risks.

Establish a life-long love of daily moderate-to-vigorous exercise. Find something you like to help maintain your weight and health, counteract stress and ensure your independence in your later years.

Don’t smoke, do drugs, or overdo alcohol or sun-bathing. Women are more predisposed to nicotine addiction and the related health risks, such as lung cancer, than men. Smoking also takes a toll on complexions and increases lines. Limit alcohol consumption. Use sunscreen. Learn stress-management skills, meditate, or take yoga.

In Your 30s
Continue eating a healthy diet and taking a multivitamin. In addition to calcium, Vitamin D, iron and folic acid, pay attention to your intake of magnesium, found in green leafy vegetables and required for protein synthesis, muscle relaxation and energy. Increase your Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and plant oils, which lowers blood pressure, increases calcium absorption and helps prevent depression, cramps and cancer risks.

Your metabolism begins to slow in your 30s unless you are very physically active. Start consuming fewer calories and choosing foods of higher nutritional value. But don’t forgo fat. Healthy fats, such as Omega-3 fatty acids, may also help women lose weight.

If you’re carrying extra weight, lose it now before metabolism slows even more. Exercise will help you get there without having to cut too many calories. Aim for five or six days of cardiovascular and strength-training activity per week. Exercise also alleviates stress and anxiety.

Time to get comfortable with your body. How you feel about yourself now will help you through the next stages of life. Also, get into a regular sleep cycle. In deep sleep your body breaks down proteins, which allows it to counteract damage from stress and ultraviolet rays. Sleep also provides neurological rejuvenation and helps you retain memories and learn new information.

In Your 40s And Mid 50s
Continue eating a healthy diet and taking a multivitamin. As in your 20s and 30s, pay close attention to intake of calcium, Vitamin D, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D and magnesium but also add more fiber which improves regularity, keeps you from overeating, and may prevent heart disease and cancer.

As you approach 40, your body goes through a “shape shift.” Waistlines thicken, muscle mass begins to decline by as much as a half pound of muscle per year, which dramatically affects metabolism. The body becomes more efficient at storing fat, particularly in the upper body region and abdomen. The unwelcome potbelly is more than a vanity issue. When fat begins to form underneath abdominal muscle walls, you are higher risk for diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Cut back on calories but keep blood sugar stable by eating every three to four hours and making sure you eat a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat.

Along with cardio, strength training becomes imperative, both to strengthen bones and to counteract muscle loss. More muscle mass means a higher metabolism, which, along with a healthy diet, is the best defense against middle-age spread. Get up and move every day.

A woman’s risk of heart disease and cancer increases in middle age. Eliminate risk factors that include being overweight, eating poorly or chronic stress. Be selective about where you spend your time and energy. Take care of yourself with activities such as regular massages, a daily walk alone, or just sitting down with a favorite magazine.

50s And Beyond
Continue with healthy eating and taking a multivitamin. In addition to calcium, Vitamin D, folic acid, magnesium, fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids, get enough B vitamins. They include B-6, which promotes healthy cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems and supports healthy skin, hair, and normal red-blood-cell formation; and B-12, which helps with energy and memory.

The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, which is about the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt. More than this increases your risk of high blood pressure. Eating fiber will lower cholesterol and protect against ulcers and diabetes. Folate and antioxidants, found in certain vegetables such as cabbage, may help prevent cognitive decline.

Consider your declining physical capacity but continue to do cardiovascular exercise to prevent heart disease and strength training to maintain bone integrity. Flexibility is also important for injury prevention. Regular exercise will help keep your joints loose and muscles limber.

Social interaction is important. Isolation can lead to depression and general decline in health. Take classes, keep learning. Curiosity and enthusiasm about life will keep you engaged and youthful. Join a walking or hiking club to explore the local terrain; feed your inner artist. — Kelle Walsh