2 Ways to Improve Your Healthspan
A Trek To Oklahoma
Over the holidays I was able to get back to Oklahoma and visit my family. Visiting family is always such a great time and it’s also a stark reminder of the passing of time. While in Oklahoma I got to visit family and friends and maybe most importantly I got to celebrate my Grandma turning 90. It was a great time celebrating with family. However, it’s always tough to leave my grandparents as they’re both 90 and I always worry that it’ll be the last time I get to see them. I hold my grandma’s hand a little longer, hug my grandpa a little harder, and look up and blink a ton as I walk out their front door to head back to Ohio.
As we age we get more frail, we get weaker, we lose our mobility, and we start no longer being able to do the things that we once loved to do. Seeing my grandparents who were and still are unequivocal badasses; who ran a restaurant, helped raise 20+ grandkids, and owned a real estate agencies come to a grinding halt over the last 10 years is a hard look at reality and at the same time a look at what I can hope to achieve someday. Being 90 surrounded by family and friends seems like the pinnacle of aging to me.
However, grandpa doesn’t quite know where he’s at and spends the majority of the time being shuffled from room to room, grandma can’t hear, and they both are exhausted by walking from the kitchen to the dining room to the living room a mere 20 feet. Witnessing their struggles firsthand left a profound impact on me, and reinforced the inevitable challenges of aging.
A Drive Home
As I embarked on the 16 hour drive back to Ohio I had a lot to think about.
The passing of time is inevitable. Aging is inevitable. The loss of our function and facilities is inevitable. However, we can influence our aging, we can influence the rate of loss of our function and facilities.
For instance this year research was published that showed individuals with dementia have thinning of the gray matter in the brain up to a decade before diagnosis. This research was found by looking at old MRIs of people who did and didn’t develop dementia and comparing them to their more recent brain MRIs. Link
While thinning gray matter is an aspect of aging and specific neurological disorders we already know we can positively impact our gray matter.
Altering the Inevitable
How can we alter our gray matter? Through meditation. In fact a study was done looking at the changes in gray matter by meditating for 27 minutes a day for an 8 week period. The researches found this caused an increase of gray matter in the hippocampus. This area is “known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.” Link
Another study on meditation and its effect on the brain looked at brain images of 50 individuals who had been meditating consistently for an average of 20 years and compared them to brain images of 50 individuals who had never meditated. The researchers then calculated the chronological (time based age) to estimated brain age based off of the images. They found that the brains of long term meditators looked to be 7.5 years younger at age 50 than the brains of non-meditators. Link
A larger study looking at a group of 100 individuals found the same thing, individuals who are involved in a long-term meditation practice had less thinning/shrinking of the gray matter of the brain that is typically seen in the aging population, and also seen prior to the onset of dementia. Link
While more research needs to be done, meditation has been shown to be a promising method for reducing the rate of the aging process of the brain.
Meditation isn’t the only thing that we can do to help reduce the aging of our brain.
Creating A More Resilient Body & Mind
Strength training also known as resistance training has been shown to have a major impact on both our overall health and our brain health.
For instance a study published in 2010 looked at the effect of 12 months of strength training once a week or twice a week on brain function in women aged 65-75 years of age. This study found that participating in a twice a week resistance training program improved executive cognitive function of selective attention and conflict resolution, this is our ability to manage complex cognitive processes such as planning, decision-making, problem-solving, working memory, attention control, and regulating emotions. Link
Another study showed that resistance training can not only improve the health of the brain but in individuals with mild cognitive impairment it can slow cognitive decline and specifically improve areas of the brain that are affected in Alzheimers disease and dementia. Link
Looking at the importance of muscular strength for brain health from another view, researchers followed 8279 individuals over the age of 65 for a total of three years and found that individuals with less muscle mass at the beginning of the three year study had faster rates of cognitive decline in executive functions and psychomotor speed(how fast we process information). Link
Most of these studies found that the minimal effective dose for strength training to gain benefits from both a muscular and brain standpoint was strength training for 30-60 minutes at least twice a week.
Twins?
Lastly, an extremely interesting study was done to control for some of the uncontrollables typically seen in research studies. Our genetics and our early development can profoundly impact our brains and our body, often times when researchers do a study opposing viewpoints will point out that changes in early childhood development or genetics may play a role in the outcome of the study and therefore the results of the study are invalid. In many instances you can’t control for that.
However, you can control for that if you use twins who have the same genetics and early childhood development experiences. That’s what these researchers did.
They looked at leg strength, cognitive abilities, and brain structure in 162 pairs of twins over a ten year period. They found the following.
Higher leg power at the beginning was associated with better cognitive aging over the following 10 years and that the twin with greater leg power also had greater grey matter volumes and more brain activity related to tasks after 12 years. Link
Extending Our Healthspan
We all have a lifespan. The amount time we are on this earth. We don’t get to know what our individual lifespan will be, but in America the average lifespan is 76 years old, 79 for women and 73 for men.
Each of us also have a healthspan, the amount of time we are alive and able to move, think, and function without being in a chronic disease state or moderately limited. In general our healthspan is 10 years less than our lifespan. With the average retirement in the United States being 66 this means that we have about 10 years of retirement, but with healthspan typically being a decade less than lifespan many of us are going to spend our last ten years not being able to enjoy the things we want to enjoy.
Engaging in activities like resistance training and meditation can have profound effects on our health and can lead to an extension of our healthspan allowing us to more thoroughly enjoy more years of our life and reduce our risk of many of the diseases that occur as we age.
Take Charge of Your Aging Journey
As we've explored, the power to positively influence our aging process lies within our reach. The evidence is clear: both meditation and resistance training are not just beneficial; they are essential tools for maintaining and improving our cognitive and physical health as we age. So how do we do this?
Start with Small Steps:
Begin with just a few minutes of meditation daily. There's no need for hours of practice; as little as 27 minutes a day can make a significant difference. I utilize the InsightTime App. It’s free and has a ton of different variations of meditation from beginner to expert. Link to app.
Incorporate basic resistance training into your routine. It doesn't require a gym membership or expensive equipment; simple exercises at home, twice a week, can set you on the path to stronger muscles and a healthier brain.
Make It a Habit:
Consistency is key. Mark your calendar, set reminders, or pair these activities with existing habits to ensure they become a part of your routine.
Seek Support and Guidance:
Consider joining a meditation group or following guided sessions online to get started.
For resistance training, start slow and over time increase your reps, sets, weight, or try harder variations of the movements. We are here to help you with this endeavor and if you would like specific guidance ask Dr. Jake at your next visit.
Track Your Progress:
Keep a journal or use apps to monitor your meditation and exercise routines. Noticing improvements in your mood, memory, or physical strength can be incredibly motivating.
Spread the Word:
Encourage friends and family to join you. Having a community and support system can be extremely beneficial as we incorporate changes and new habits into our life.
Remember, the goal isn't to halt aging — it's to age gracefully, healthily, and with our cognitive faculties in the best shape possible. Your future self will thank you.
As always I hope you enjoyed this blog and please share with someone who you think could benefit from this information and always feel free to reach out to me at drcoffman@optimizecolumbus.com with any questions!
-Dr. Jake