5 ‘Healthy’ Habits That Actually Make You Age Faster, According To Research
The fountain of youth you're paying for may accelerate aging.
Getty Images | Unsplash All are searching for the ‘fountain of youth’ and grabbing onto every piece of advice and any concept of a healthy lifestyle. But, unfortunately, some of the behaviors that you consider to be healthy are not. They make you age much faster.
I've seen many trends come through the pipe and be thrown into the bin. Starting from juices to the most intense workouts, all the time thinking I was being good to my body. But here’s the kicker: Some of these habits were subconsciously deteriorating my health and I bet, they are to you too.
Here are 5 healthy habits that make you age faster, according to research:
1. Your obsession with cardio
The cardio craze is not something that could be started just like that. The phenomenon was introduced in the decade of the 60’s. We have Dr. Kenneth Cooper to thank for that, who was the first to coin the term aerobics. He was one to alert the population to the fact that, if they wanted to avoid dying of heart attacks, they had better start moving their bodies.
Nathan Cowley | Pexels
His book Aerobics appeared in 1968 and immediately became popular all over the country, and people began to pay attention to their cardiovascular fitness. But it was the '70s and ’80s when society took a turn for the worse.
Picture this: The 80s style of neon leotards, leg warmers, and headbands could not be forgotten. Jane Fonda comes on the stage, and bang! All people have become gurus and are proudly demonstrating their high kicks in front of the television. People were able to enroll in aerobic dance classes before they could even say “feel the burn”, and thus, a revolution in fitness emerged.
I once boasted that I used to spend two hours on the treadmill thinking I was the epitome of fitness. Oh, how wrong I was. It is a fact that unwanted cardio, especially when one does not incorporate strength training, can speed up the aging process together with the loss of muscles.
This is known as sarcopenia and is perfectly normal, but if you do too much cardio, it is accelerated. Strength training entails the use of resistance to build up muscle mass due to the hypertrophy and strength of the muscles.
This is important especially as people get older since having muscles aids in the metabolism, the bones as well as functional strength. If one fails to incorporate strength training. then cardio will be destructive to muscles since the body will form muscle catabolism, meaning it will be breaking its muscles for energy.
A study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology researching a group of runners revealed that endurance runners lost body muscle and also reduced bone density more than sprinters as they age. The researchers decided that the metabolism that endurance running puts on muscles can result from high volume and low intensity.
Here’s what we can do:
- It is recommended to perform resistance exercises in your routine at least 2–3 days per week
- HIT it instead of extended cardio workouts that keep the heart rate constant
- Pay attention to getting enough protein in your diet because the muscles need protein to be maintained and built
Polina Tankilevitch | Pexels
2. Your juicing habit
Do you recall the days when everyone was into juicing, the craze of juicing? I certainly do. I had been ordering a huge glass of freshly squeezed juice first thing in the morning, smug in my healthy morning habit. It was so far from the truth and little did I know I was getting myself into a blood sugar ride that can fasten aging.
Although it is understood that fruits and vegetables are beneficial for our health, in juice, fiber is separated. When you juice fruits and veggies, you are converting all the sugars and leaving the fiber at the back.
It seemed to be like an instant energy boost to the bloodstream as if the body had received a shot of sugar. Your blood sugar is elevated — oh no, your blood. sugar skyrockets faster than any high at a birthday party.
And it is a fact that fiber slows down processes the way snowplows slow down traffic. It slows it down, allows your body to digest what you are eating, and meditate on what you are doing. In effect, when one is juicing, they are, in a way, eliminating those brakes of life. Thus, not only does your blood sugar level increase but even the feeling of fullness that fiber in foods provides is lost.
And here, however, it will get complicated. Since that juice did not satiate you, you may realize by lunch why you are hungry again, five minutes past the juice. Before you know it, you’ve gorged yourself to the maximum anticipated servings, all because that juice did not have the benefit of being as filling.
One study from the National Library of Medicine which was reviewed proposed that high concentrations of fruit juices raise chances of getting type 2 diabetes because of the high fructose and glycemic index. Excess glucose fundamentally causes glycation. And the resulting products cause skin aging among other age-related effects.
Here’s what we can do:
- It is better to consume whole fruits and vegetables rather than opting for juices
- If you do juice, put in some of the pulp to incorporate some fiber and also have a protein/healthy fat complex to slow down the action of glucose
- If at all, it is helpful to suggest that people should consume smoothies rather than taking juices. Because the former retains most of the fiber
Rahime Gül | Pexels
3. Your avoidance of sun
Most of us are aware of the risks that come with sun exposure, and subsequent generations have equally applied this idea to heart by coating their skin in SPF 50+ to go out for the mail. Also, having a fair complexion is a symbol of beauty, but staying out of the sunlight causes your body to lack vitamin D — another reason aging takes its toll on our bodies.
Based on all these facts, vitamin D has proved to significantly impact bone health, immunity, and telomere shortening, which is closely associated with cell aging. Another study revealed that people with adequate vitamin D levels had longer telomeres than those with deficient levels, a sign of an anti-aging element.
Here's what we can do:
- It is advised to take short doses of sunlight for moderate sunbathing (preferably 10–15 minutes) a few times a week.
- For more sun-deprived areas, it may be worth taking Vitamin D supplements.
- Take foods that contain vitamin D, especially fatty fish, egg yolks, and foods that have been fortified with the nutrient.
Diana ✨ | Pexels
4. Your over-reliance on supplements
As we all battle to achieve our health goals we end up with a small cabinet of medicines. Previously I was consuming so many supplements and believed I was getting all the necessary nutrients into my body. And there are so many of us…
But this habit may not be as beneficial as people think. Some supplements are very useful, but the thing is that some of them if taken in large doses may harm the liver, thus, leading to early aging.
The liver is involved in a lot of detoxification processes and metabolism; therefore, proper detoxification of the liver can reduce its efficiency in the long run. A recent study from Georgetown University and Henry Ford Hospital observed that some of the dietary supplements can harm the liver and the risk is realized based on the number of supplements consumed.
Here’s what we can do:
- Emphasize the importance of consuming nutrient-dense foods instead of depending on supplements.
- It is always best to speak with a doctor before taking any new supplements.
- Especially avoid megadosing — larger quantities are not necessarily better in the case of vitamins and minerals.
ALINA MATVEYCHEVA | Pexels
5. Your chronic use of air conditioning
It is worth noting that all of us, in our attempt at establishing comfort, spend most parts of the year indoors, in air-conditioned houses. Air conditioning could be useful during the warmer months, but that constant blast of chilly, dead air speeds up skin aging by stripping the moisture out of your skin.
It significantly contributes to the development of fine lines and wrinkles because dry skin is less supple; the dry air you breathe can also weaken your skin’s protective and hydrating upper layer. It is said that low humidity states may cause the enhancement of the process of transepidermal water loss and the dysfunction of the skin barrier, which may result in skin aging.
Here’s what we can do:
- When in an air-conditioned environment, use a humidifier to help increase the moisture content in the room
- Spend more time in the fresh air
- Do not forget to drink a lot of water and apply lotions to the skin since air conditioning reduces skin moisture
Dr. Riddhi Makrubiya is a medical professional and health writer specializing in daily health topics. With a Bachelor's in Biology and currently pursuing her Doctor of Medicine degree, she combines scientific knowledge with accessible writing to educate readers on crucial health matters.