Flux and renewal are at the heart of life processes. Or put another way; biologically and neurologically we are constantly changing and regenerating to varying degrees in response to our environment. On balance this is hopefully cause for optimism: life is malleable and some understanding of how these processes work should empower us to live well. In the twenty first century many of us hope to live longer and healthier lives than previously possible.
Another side to this story is that commercially this desire is being increasingly mined and exploited through an enormous range of life enhancing or extending products, ranging from higher end biotechnology products such as stem cell technologies to replace diseased or dysfunctional tissues, through to pharmaceutical or herbal formulas available through companies, health stores or individuals. In addition some are tempted by expensive surgical enhancement procedures to satisfy an imagined aesthetic ideal.
Whilst some biotech research may combine with health sciences to produce innovative beneficial medical treatments, profit motives may muddy the waters as to what is genuinely beneficial. For a start, the sheer volume of products is likely to bring on an option paralysis; how do we know which of these dizzying array of choices might actually help us? In addition many of these options are to varying degrees restricted only to those with the financial means and there is always some uncertainty around the efficacy, side effects or unintended consequences of these interventions as we are all so individual.
So what are the options for those of us who either don’t have the financial means for these products, don’t quite trust the sales pitches or just don’t want to go about life that way? In other words how can we create a realistic affordable lifestyle that gives us the best chance of a long, healthy, happy life that allows you to feel energised and at ease within yourself (and therefore probably look good)? Perhaps not surprisingly it likely needs to include considerations of exercise, diet, stress reduction, sleep, social enrichment and a bit more effort and thought than the latest product; a holistic lifestyle approach. How this works is certainly individual and dependent on age and context .
The facts that the body is in a constant state of cellular renewal at all ages, and that the brain and nervous system are constantly rewiring and restructuring in response to our environment and experiences ought to give us hope that positive change is always possible. How we live hugely influences how we feel and how life goes for us.
Body and Biology.
It’s commonly thought that all the cells in the body completely renew every seven years. This is actually something of an overgeneralised myth, but the principle applies. There is a lot of variation; skin cells renew every few weeks, skeletal cells every ten years whilst some skeletal muscles can take as long as fifteen years. The regenerative process slows down as we age. The areas with least regenerative capacity are the brain, spinal cord, heart and joints (cartilage in particular). This is obviously a hugely detailed area of scientific research, but generalised results coming out of it conclude that the aspects of our lifestyle that most influence cellular regeneration for better or worse are: diet, fasting, exercise, sleep, stress levels, toxin inputs and our social and physical environment.
In terms of diet, there is so much information it’s hard to know where to go. Traditional medicine systems that are still very much in use such as Ayurvedic medicine from India, Thai traditional medicine and Chinese medicine think of food as medicine and generally suggest variations in diet according to your constitutional type, age and environment; in other words it depends on context. Some modern theories suggest varying diets dependent on blood type and ancestral history. My own experience of exploring this suggests some of this information combined with personal trial and error is helpful. In my personal case as someone of O blood type, Scottish/Irish ancestry living in the chilly UK I feel good on warming slightly spicy cooked foods (curries, stews, soups), some meat, loads of greens and plenty of fruit and vegetables; I can’t eat a salad until it’s 25 degrees plus, which means I mainly don’t eat them unless in hotter climes. Someone else may suggest a vegan raw food diet and also do fine on that – go figure. Some science suggestions for cellular regeneration: green foods, fish, poultry (or other protein source), nuts, seeds, berries and ginger root as good options to support cellular renewal.
In addition there is scientific evidence that intermittent fasting (minimum 24 hours) slightly stresses cells which can both make them more resilient and stimulate regeneration (autophagy). This is also something that seems to have been understood in traditional medicine systems historically and some religions use it as a means to build mental fortitude, self control and resilience.
Exercise; well it has been said that if exercise was discovered now it would be acclaimed as a magic pill for health. For the vast majority of human history exercise and movement didn’t need to be thought of as something we had to make time for as we were just running, walking, swimming, climbing and manually working as hunter gatherers to seek food, build shelter and survive. Early agriculture was also pretty labour intensive. Fast forwards to the twenty first century and increasing numbers of us are sedentary much of the time, there is food everywhere (for many of us) and much of it is over processed and sugary. So we have to proactively make time for exercise, which like fasting stresses the cells enough to stimulate them into repair and renewal mode afterwards and makes them more resilient. We need a balance of exercise and rest.
What kind of exercise and how much ? This is of course also going to be individual. The standard advice from the UK National Health Service is 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio exercise per week, or 75 minutes vigorous intensity, plus two times a week weight lifting and more stretching as we age. Like diet, what combination and how much somewhat depends on your constitutional type and age, and therefore some personal trial and error is needed to see what you feel best on. My personal feeling and experience: Yoga most days ( apart from any mental, neurological and spiritual benefits) gives me a structural and core fitness that means that any other movement or exercise I build on top of that is well supported and less likely to be injurious, it’s my foundation; running two or three times a week for the cardio, gets me outside and has a meditative element; and table tennis is fun and I don’t really notice I’m exercising. Others may say some kind of resistance work or weight lifting is necessary, especially as we get older. The science backs this, but I personally don’t enjoy it so am satisfied by the bodyweight resistance and core work included in Yoga. I also go to the sauna two or three times a week mixed with cold showers which has many health benefits similar to exercise with the additional benefit of being something of a social event in my local one where I’ve made friends, had poetry recited to me and met all kinds! There are of course many other options, the most important being the ones that you most enjoy and will actually do. Exercise in groups adds an element of sociability which helps many people . Either way -find a way to exercise and your body and mind will thank you.
Stress reduction: prolonged stress can damage your cells and weaken your immune system . The science shows that stress can reduce telomeres which are the protective casings at the end of DNA stands which can lead to cell death or inflammation which speeds up ageing and can cause other health issues. Sometimes life is hard and circumstances beyond our control can create stress. So what is in our control ? Essentially our response to these stressors. You’ve no doubt noticed that different people can respond variously to the same external stressor illustrating that many circumstances are not inherently stressful, it’s our perception of them that creates the stress. This is a big subject that I’ll cover more in another article, but perhaps the most effective DIY method of understanding and changing our responses is meditation/mindfulness practice or other practices where we have to actually notice and feel what is happening within us both physically and mentally during stress giving us a chance to explore other options. What we can learn in these practices can radically change how we perceive ‘problems’ and how real or not they are. Exercise can relieve stress symptoms, but understanding ourselves better and our responses to circumstances will better help cut many issues at the root .
Sleep; cells regenerate and the body repairs itself when we sleep and our brains and neurology need this time for recovery and to process information, so it’s a no brainer that we need enough sleep; an average of seven to nine hours should be enough for most . Modern health sciences and traditional medicine seem to broadly agree that the body regenerates the most between 10pm and 2 am, give or take, so get in to bed early at least some of the time. Napping is great for brain and heart health too, just not too long!
Social and Physical Environment ; the physical environments we inhabit and the people we are with make a huge difference to how we feel, stress levels and overall health. Finances will determine a fair amount of what physical environment we can afford to live in, but many of us have choices up to a point. Our work environment will clearly also count. If possible we need to avoid environments of high air and/or noise pollution, both of these take their toll both biologically and on our nervous system. Beyond that, some of us prefer to live or work in the buzz and social/cultural life of the city, others of us crave somewhere we can listen to the birds and some green space nearby and to work at home or outdoors; it likely depends on age and disposition. Access to transportation and healthy food sources will also make a difference.
Socially as a number one we need to avoid living and/or with toxic people who do not have our best interests at heart which creates stress and tension. We may not always get to choose who we live or work with, but hopefully at some point we do. When we live with people who care about us and accept us as we are , we feel safe, at ease and can be more fully ourselves. At work supportive management/ colleagues should have the same effect also allowing us to feel more valued and in turn likely more productive. Working for yourself maybe best for some (but carries its own challenges); the degree of autonomy at work makes a big difference and chances are increases the time we stick at something. Isolation and loneliness are generally bad for us and can be a difficult issue for some. Social life and a supportive network of friends make a big difference to general health and brain health, we are largely social animals but modern life sometimes doesn’t create the conditions for this; we may have to seek it out.
Mind and Neuroscience.
Biological, psychological and neurological health are not separate subjects as can be seen in some of the issues linked above. When it comes to the mind, philosophically speaking, what we think, say and do is what we become. This statement was given to me by a Yoga teacher as a simplified brief summary of karma or the law of cause and effect if you prefer. As socially and culturally conditioned beings, how aware really are we as to the origins of our motivations, thoughts, speech and actions? Given that our lives are literally determined this way, the origins and process of our thoughts , words and actions are surely worthy of investigation. Meditation or other self reflective practices as well as learning on the job by living as consciously as possible can all help. If we keep think/say/doing what we’re habitually doing, we’ll keep getting what we’re getting and going where we’re going; it depends if we’re happy with what we’re getting and where we’re heading.
Remarkably (to me) neuroscience is the physical correlation of these more existential and philosophical statements. In simple terms what we can say is that the structure of the brain and nervous system is largely created , and the neurological connections wired, in response to to our environment and experiences. Neurologically and biologically we reflect our behaviour and experiences.
While our neurological wiring gets set up to a degree in our early life, it is always changing and adapting to our environment and new experiences: neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity continues through life, though age does make change a little slower and harder. The stereotype of an older person becoming more habitual, rigid and fixed does perhaps hold some truth; but is it inevitable? Is it true that ‘the leopard can’t change it’s spots’ or as the Chinese reputedly say ‘dynasties may come and go but a person’s nature doesn’t change’? Can we change and if so how much ?
Perhaps some essence of our nature remains stable but perceptions and behavioural change are certainly possible according to neuroscience; and our brains and neurological wiring can literally structurally change. Neuroscientists have been keen on plugging meditators into brain imaging devices which have definitively illustrated short and long term neurological change in practitioners according to regularity of practice and the following changes in perceptions of self and life’s events. This applies to all of life; anything we practice or change consistently will become part of our neurological architecture. This is hopefully inspiring, that we can literally change after some initial force of will to set the momentum of change in the direction that we want to go.
So while some supposed life hacks, biotechnology and health enhancing products may support us, are they really necessary and worth the cost ? And without some effort with the above would they make much of a difference to our overall state of being and healthy longevity? Undoubtably some societal and cultural change in terms of the constrictions within which we have to live, and are are encouraged to live may help, at least some of this is in our own hands as external conditions will never be perfect. There can be no one size fits all way to live well, as illustrated the sheer variety of ways humans have adapted to live successfully in many environments worldwide; but there’s a good chance that the above suggestions will be useful anywhere.
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