Why is it that some people seem to age slowly and gracefully, while others look haggard at a relatively young age? You might immediately point to factors like alcohol, smoking and drug abuse – but even without drugs that actively contribute to faster aging, some people seem to be ticking along to a different biological clock.
You may scoff at the notion of ‘reversing’ aging, which is often thought to be impossible, but as one of the pioneers of anti-aging medicine, Dr Ronald Klatz, has said, “The innovators are always 30 years ahead of the mainstream and that’s just the way it is with anti-aging medicine. We’re just ahead of the curve.” In other words – there’s a lot more to this idea of reversing aging than you’re probably aware.
So what are the factors that contribute to the speed at which aging happens, and how can you take active steps to slow and reverse aging effects?
The following five steps will give you practical tools you can start implementing today to get the upper hand in the battle against aging. One word of advice: approach these tips with an open mind. Some of them are likely to contradict the ‘conventional wisdom’ you’ve been following up until now.
Step 1: Forget About Low Fat Diets
Your body needs fat to function properly. Take a moment to let that sink in, because the message you’ve been pounded with for the last 30 years or so is that ‘Fat is evil!’ Food companies have made billions through creating and marketing low-fat or no-fat versions of their products. But despite the prevalence of low-fat-everything these days, obesity is still rampant.
The simple fact is that sugar and carbs can make you fat just as easily as a high intake of saturated fat. And some fats – the unsaturated kinds – are necessary for a healthy metabolism. Certain hormones that play a role in anti-aging, like testosterone, require cholesterol and fat to be produced. Stop treating all dietary fat like it’s plutonium – you actually need it.
As anti-aging expert Gary London puts it: “The reality is that we cannot keep a young, healthy body without hormones. Hormones are required for all the functions that make us youthful: muscle tone, beautiful skin, sex drive, energy—all are contingent on having high levels of hormones. There is no substitute”.