Celebrating birthdays can be fun, but for some, another year older may not be. Getting older can bring unique challenges, including age-related health concerns. Yet with the right approach, you can age gracefully and welcome every birthday, confident that you’re in the best health of your life.
To do that, you need to remove the things that interfere with healthy aging. Lifestyle obstacles – such as smoking, poor nutrition, and drinking too much alcohol – contribute to most age-related diseases. [1] Likewise, eating sugary, processed foods can age your skin and more. [2]
Furthermore, when you remove obstacles and provide your body what it need, you can start every year feeling enthusiastic, focused, and full of energy.
More People are Growing Older Today
In America, the number of people 65 and older has increased from about 40 million in 2010 to more than 54 million in 2019.[3]
Consequently, the question becomes how to maintain quality of life and age well. Researchers have looked at things like mindset and social interaction. Learning new skills, for one, can support brain health and lead to healthier aging.
In addition, what you eat and how you live also matter significantly. [4] You can maintain energy, vitality, and glowing health at any age when you get the right nutrients and support.
The Health Challenges that Everyone Confronts with Age
Men and women both confront unique age-related challenges. While these can occur at any age, they become more prevalent as we get older. Among them include:
- Sarcopenia
- A decline in muscle mass becomes common with age. [5] Muscle loss can increase your risk of fractures and falls and decrease mobility and quality of life.
- Osteoarthritis
- This most common form of arthritis significantly impacts joint health and quality of life. Age is the biggest risk factor for osteoarthritis. [6]
- Body weight
- As the body ages, it becomes less efficient at utilizing fat. That makes weight gain easier. [7]
- Libido
- Men and women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond may experience lower sexual desire and function. [8]
In Other Ways, Men and Women Age Differently
Fluctuating hormones underlie many of these age-related health challenges. Menopausal women, who often have estrogen imbalances, are three times more likely to develop obesity and other problems compared with premenopausal women. [9]
Likewise, low levels of testosterone in older men can contribute to obesity and other problems. [10]
Thus, hormones highlight an important point of aging gracefully. While men and women experience many similar health challenges, in other areas those challenges are gender-specific. Among them include:
- Brain health
- Compared with men of the same age, women’s brains appear to be about three years younger. That may explain why women stay mentally sharp as they grow older. [11]
- Skin health
- Women start showing accelerated aging in their face around 50, when menopause begins. [12] Decreased production of the protein collagen occurs with age. Collagen density is also higher in men than with women. [13]
- Muscle health
- Overall, men lose more muscle mass than women as they age.[14] Over his lifetime, a man may lose 30 percent of his muscle mass.[15]
- Heart health
- The heart ages differently for women and men. For men, this process can increase the risk of heart failure. [16]
- Prostate health
- For men, prostate problems may begin around age 50. [17] Along with maintaining a healthy weight and eating a nutrient-dense diet, antioxidants and other targeted nutrients can support prostate health. [18]
Aging Gracefully Starts with Your Diet
Understanding the similarities and differences in how women and women age can help you hone in on the right strategies to live a happy, healthy life.
Everyone has the ability to maintain quality of life as they grow older, starting with your very next meal. Eating nutrient-rich foods can increase your lifespan. [19]
Our Core or Advanced Plans combine the most nutrient-dense, delicious anti-aging foods. For specific health goals, such as lowering inflammation, you’ll want to opt for our Advanced Plan.
Among the anti-aging foods in both plans include:
- The omega-3 fatty acids in wild-caught seafood may benefit age-related conditions, including sarcopenia. [20]
- Berries, which are rich in antioxidants, can help manage conditions such as inflammation that become more common as we age. [21]
- The nutrients in just one serving a day of green leafy vegetables can help slow age-related brain decline. [22]
3 More Ways to Age Gracefully
Beyond what you eat, these three lifestyle factors help fight the health obstacles that aging can create.
- Find exercise that works for you. Consistent exercise can help rescue the risk of several age-related diseases, including heart disease and osteoarthritis. [23] Time challenges? With our MaxT3 program, you only need 12 minutes to get an effective full-body workout in your own home.
- Maintain your ideal weight. Keeping a healthy weight can be more challenging at midlife and beyond. A keto diet makes a safe, effective way to reach and maintain your goal weight. Learn more about going keto here.
- Get your beauty sleep. Older adults don’t sleep as well as younger adults, yet sleep needs remain consistent throughout life. [24] Among its many problems, poor sleep can disrupt hormone balance. [25] Our Sleep + Mood Formula helps you safely and effectively fall and stay asleep, allowing the deep, restorative sleep the body requires to age gracefully.
The Right Nutrients to Maintain Glowing Health
When it comes to aging gracefully, men and women often have different goals. For example, men may want to stay active, whereas women want to maintain a youthful vigor. Regardless of those goals, the body requires the correct nutrient support.
Many anti-aging approaches take a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to address the unique nutrient needs for men and women. We’ve solved that problem by creating healthy aging bundles that provide the most effective nutrients that men and women require to stay healthy at any age.
Age Gracefully with MaxLiving’s Healthy Aging Bundles
Healthy Aging Bundle For Men
- Max Vitality supports normal hormone levels for healthy libido. This unique formula supports and revives male hormones that promote sexual desire and drive.
- Prostate Health contains nutrients including saw palmetto extract that support prostate function and healthy hormone balance.
- Joint Health contains ingredients that help reduce inflammation, support healthy connective tissue, and reduce joint discomfort.
Healthy Aging Bundle For Women
- Max Collagen supplies the body with 12.5 grams of collagen peptides. Studies show that supplementing with collagen can significantly improve wrinkles, elasticity, and hydration of the skin. [26]
- Hair, Skin, & Nails provides all the necessary building blocks for glowing hair, skin, and nails.
- Women’s Hormone Balance provides a comprehensive array of nutrients to balance estrogen and progesterone. These nutrients can also combat symptoms associated with PMS and menopause.
- Joint Health (described above).
Each of these bundles addresses the unique challenges that men and women face as we grow older. Along with a healthy diet and lifestyle, these nutrients provide a powerful foundation to age gracefully. Most importantly, you’re providing the body all the nourishment to balance hormones, maintain steady all-day energy, and grow older with vitality. To read more about aging and how to slow down the process, click here.
About the Author
Jason Boehm is a Chicago, IL-based nutritionist and science writer. He combines his two Master’s Degrees in Mass Communication and Nutrition to help others achieve their wellness goals through science-based, engaging written content.
References
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/index.htm
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27224842/
[3] https://www.census.gov/topics/population/older-aging.html
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6247475/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4066461/
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5525396/
[7] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190909193211.htm
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3636678/
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3964739/
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3955331/
[11] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190204172217.htm
[12] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajpa.23878
[13] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6116811/
[14] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3874224/
[15] https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/preserve-your-muscle-mass
[16] https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/mens-hearts-age-differently-from-womens
[17] https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/prostate-problems
[18] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25367323/
[19] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31631676/
[20] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6583677/
[21] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20645129/
[22] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5772164/
[23] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207365/
[24] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5810920/
[25] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4377487/
[26] https://www.jmnn.org/article.asp?issn=2278-1870;year=2015;volume=4;issue=1;spage=47;epage=53;aulast=Borumand;type=0
