5 Things All Dads Need To Know In Order To Age Well
What The World's Smartest People Know About Aging (And You Should Too)
Fathers may get the hero treatment one day a year, but being a dad is a demanding, full-time job, and it can take a toll on the body. From increased stress to sleepless nights and developing a “dad bod,” fatherhood is full of things that can make you feel that you're operating at way less than 100%. And while we can’t (yet) reverse time, a combination of continually updated wellness practices, healthy thinking and modern clinical research into aging and health at the cellular level can help you “age better.”
“Genes are only part of the equation when it comes to aging well. Lifestyle choices are extremely important: diet, exercise, how well you maintain your body weight, whether you smoke, how much you drink," says Dr. Leonard Guarente, Elysium co-founder and director of the Glenn Laboratory for the Science of Aging at MIT. "Not only do these affect how you look and feel on the surface, these choices can effectively make you younger or older on the molecular level.”
Elysium Health is particularly interested in the science of cellular health, an emerging field of research that focuses on what health and aging looks like at the molecular level. That's because recent research points to cellular degeneration and metabolism as being critical to those changes in our bodies we associate with getting older. But rather than simply approaching the problems of aging with a sort of “New Age” earnestness about healthy living, the company conducts rigorous clinical trials and offers effective, safe health products. Partnering with researchers and universities like Cambridge, Harvard and Oxford to explore specific areas of cellular function, Elysium Health is also dedicated to figuring out how to make the most of compounds found in nature, rather than pharmaceuticals.
Elysium's first product, a supplement called Basis, focuses on NAD+, an oxidized and reduced form of the coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Concentration levels of NAD+ in the body are being studied by scientists because of its importance to cell metabolism and everything that entails, from energy creation to muscle function to fat storage and the maintenance of circadian rhythms (our internal clock), necessary for quality sleep. The reason for this focus? NAD+ levels decrease as we age. Basis is clinically proven to increase NAD+ levels in participants by 40%.
In order to understand where science stands in terms of aging great for your family, friends and — most importantly — yourself, we tapped the brain trust behind Basis and Elysium Health to reveal the research, wisdom and life experience that guides how they live their own lives.
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1. Focus On Reducing Muscle Loss
While there’s nothing wrong with spending time looking good on the outside, the real effects of aging are happening on the inside. And the more we understand what happens under the skin, the more crucial one connection becomes in terms of aging: Maintaining muscle is crucial to helping you battle increases in fat.
No matter who you are, skeletal muscle loss will happen to some degree as you age. This means the muscle mass that's essential to maintaining a balance between the food you eat the and the metabolic processes that use the food gets out of whack.
If you're noticing an increase in visceral fat — the fat you see around your abdominal cavity — it's not going to be a secret that everyone's first tip will be to exercise. The important thing is to make sure that the exercise regimen you adopt focuses on muscle maintenance and growth — not just getting a sweat on. Studies have also suggested that intense interval training, which you could do on a bike or in the pool if your knees aren't up for running, may be able to improve cellular health by increasing the number and health of your mitochondria.
2. Sleep Is More Important Than Anyone Imagined
Sleeping well isn’t just better for you. It’s essential.
While you can’t ensure a good night’s rest every time (even if your work is done, your kid may keep you up, for instance), building good sleep habits may be one of the most important things you can do for yourself.
Countless studies show that not only is sleep important for ongoing maintenance and “repair” of the body, sleep deficiency is regularly connected to a core problem dads worry about: weight gain.
Not only does poor sleep affect your body’s natural restorative processes, but poor eating habits exacerbate your ability to get quality sleep. New research in animals suggests that eating in irregular time windows and close to bedtime greatly disrupts our circadian entrainment and consequently, weight management. You know all that research that tells you to put your screens away at least an hour before bed? Well, the same goes for food.
So, to get better sleep and reap the benefits of it, eat during a limited window during the day and stick to that schedule as often as possible — no more late-night snacks.
3. Get to Know What You’re Putting in Your Body
Do you take a dietary supplement? There are an estimated 77,000 of them on the U.S. market, with more than 5,000 new products introduced each year. The legal definition of a dietary supplement includes vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals, amino acids, concentrates, metabolites, constituents, and extracts. Spend some time getting to know what these mean and how they work in your body.
Why? It’s not just about avoiding harmful ingredients (which you should do). In some cases, like with vitamin D, the scientific research suggests that getting the right amount could be very important for a variety of factors, from a healthy gut to exercise performance to healthy aging. Likewise, too much of a mineral like iron could be problematic for your long-term health.
4. Fatherhood Is Good For You
For all the challenges you face, being a dad can help keep you young and active, both physically and as a state of mind.
Researchers tend to focus on the family participation of fathers as a benefit for the child — improving high school graduation rates, reducing the risks of teen pregnancy, drug abuse and so forth. But it turns out it’s OK to be a little bit selfish about your involvement.
That's because there are benefits both shallow and deep to being an involved parent: Youngsters keep you physically active, and being in tune with your kids’ pop culture interests help prevent you from spouting grumpy-old-man declarations like “No good music was made after 1998!”
On a deeper level, there’s some science backing up the benefits of being a good dad: According to a correlation study in Sweden, published this year in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, parents (especially men) lived up to two years longer than their childless peers, and it’s an advantage, the study says, that continues whether you’re 40 or 80.
Though the study didn’t delve into why this correlation exists, one may be the lifestyle changes that come with being a responsible dad. “For me, spending quality time with your children is an incredible way to reduce stress and improve well-being,” says Mark Morris, head of scientific technology for Elysium Health. “You also want the best for your children, so you give yourself the best as well, so you eat well with them and stay active alongside them.”
5. Start Taking Care Of Yourself Right Now
Beyond hitting the gym, your habits at this point may include one beer-free day each week and binge-watching Game of Thrones while dining on a bag Tostitos. But launching the habits in your 20s you know you’ll need later in life isn’t just one of those self-help things for getting ahead in business: These habits can improve your life significantly later on.
Specific diet and exercise trends may change, but the core message is the same: Take care of yourself from Day One. The reason? Consistent healthy habits maintained throughout life are better for you (and easier to maintain) than starting them at 40, or picking them up again after sitting around for 10 or 15 years.
A British study from 2011 tracked 2,400 people across almost 20 years and found cumulative positive effects to lifelong exercise. Those who reported being the most active since their 20s demonstrated not only stronger core and cardiovascular fitness, but also better better standing balance.
Likewise, adopting other habits early on — like exercising, avoiding smoking, and taking Elysium’s Basis to increase your NAD+ levels — may help promote cellular health and improve your prospects for healthy aging. That’s not to say getting healthier later in life doesn’t help. It does. But just like a retirement account, starting early pays off exponentially on down the road.
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