Monday, June 28, 1999
Take action against aging
A few steps might add years to your life, but don't wait to take them
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer contributor
Al Bruno, 68, of Fairfield, swims to stay in shape.
(Yoni Pozner photo)
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Used to be, eating an apple a day would keep the doctor away.
Of course, not many of us really believed following advice gleaned from something so simple as a child's rhyme would have any long-lasting health benefit. And certainly we never thought it would do anything to turn back the hands of time.
Think again.
Not only will eating that apple keep the doctor away, but it could help slow down the body's natural aging process, especially when combined with some not so traditional medical advice.
Advice like "laugh." A lot. Take an aspirin each day. Floss your teeth. Walk your dog. Don't give up on having sex. Or if you're a man, drink green tea and eat tomato paste. All those - plus eating your fruits and vegetables - can stave off aging.
In a new book, Real Age: Are You As Young As You Can Be? Dr. Michael F. Roizen suggests 44 things you can do to shave years off your physiological age. Some are simple lifestyle changes. Others are a bit more difficult. All are backed by medical research.
Using a formula developed by Dr. Roizen and his four member research team of experts, adults can calculate their body's age - referred to as their Real Age - by answering questions about 125 factors that affect your health and steal your youth. They can be found in his book or online: www.RealAge.com
Once you determine your Real Age, the next step is developing a plan to turn back the clock, using suggestions ranging from quick fixes such as brushing your teeth daily to giving up smoking, one of the most difficult of all changes.
Typically, a person's chronological and physiological age keep pace with one another through their 20s and into their 30s. After that, lifestyle choices tend to either age a person or act as the proverbial fountain of youth.
"Until they're 30, people tend to think of themselves as being immortal," Dr. Roizen said from his office at the University of Chicago's Pritzker Medical School, where he is chair of anesthesia and critical care and a preventive gerontologist. "You feel good. You haven't been doing anything (detrimental) long enough yet to see the aging."
Start slow, advises Dr. Roizen and others. Pick something to do that you know you'll follow through on. Don't try to incorporate all 44 suggestions at once. Start simple. Vow just to make two or three changes. Anything you decide on will help. Don't put it off until you're less busy. That day may never come.
"Take the test and find out what matters most to you," Dr. Roizen advises. "Do whatever is easiest for you. Then add something. Then something else."
Now, 53, Dr. Roizen said he has shaved off almost 14 years and calculates his Real Age at just under 39. It took about four years and he feels he's about maxed out. From here on he figures he'll age about .8 years for every chronological year. A person in their 70s could expect a maximum reduction of up to 30 years, while 15-20 years is more realistic for a person in the 40s or 50s. It all depends on your choices.
“It's pretty easy to get that first 5-8-year reduction,” Dr. Roizen said. "It's more difficult to get the next 8-12 years.”
The response from the medical community to the book and its message has generally been positive, Dr. Roizen said. Getting the top medical experts on his team to analyze existing data and calculate aging benefits strengthened his position.
“It's not reinventing the wheel,” Dr. Roizen says. “It's about motivating patients to do things that will make them feel better.”
Exercise physiologist Helaine Alessio agrees. Even the simplest change can make a difference in how you feel and your energy level. She says the best way to get motivated is to have fun.
“Begin by doing some activity you enjoy,” says Ms. Alessio, an exercise physiology professor at the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University. “Start with something that's familiar, something you remember liking as a kid. You don't have to do it at the same levels you used to. What we're finding is that people in their 60s, 70s and 80s are doing things they were doing in their 20s, 30s or 40s.”
Even people who might be genetically predisposed to illness that could age the body can add, on average, two to seven years to their Real Age through simple things like walking up the stairs in your house or gardening. The key is to burn off about 2,000 calories weekly, Ms. Alessio says. It doesn't matter if you exercise vigorously for an hour three times a week or count seven 10-minute periods of activity.
Combine that with eating more healthy foods, taking smaller portions of not-so-healthy foods and supplementing your diet with vitamins will go a long way in fighting off the effects of aging.
New studies are showing that adults can benefit not just from pumping iron at the local health club, but also by normal, everyday activities, Ms. Alessio said.The key factor is doing some kind of physical activity. Best case is to burn off about 2,000 calories a week.
For example, one hour of gardening that includes weeding and watering can burn off 300-400 calories. Jogging moderately for just 10 minutes will use up another 100. A 10-minute walk will burn about 50 calories.
It's important to burn calories because many of the health problems that tend to age people — diabetes, heart problems, kidney difficulties, and high blood pressure — are related to obesity. More than half of Americans are overweight and two-thirds of those are obese.
“Since the 1930s or 1940s we always thought people had to restrict their calories,” Ms. Alessio said. “We're now finding physical activity is just as important.”
Retired Hamilton educator Al Bruno found that to be true.
By all accounts Mr. Bruno should be no longer with us.
Instead the 68-year-old Fairfield grandfather is in better health today than he was 30 years ago, despite three total hip replacements in the last 10 years. He is part of a growing number of Americans who are successfully defying aging through lifestyle choices such as those championed by Dr. Roizen.
After he suffered a heart attack in 1972, Mr. Bruno, then an educator with the Hamilton City Schools, was told he could expect to live no more than 20 years. By taking up swimming — even though he was deathly afraid of water — walking, riding a stationary bike and changing his eating habits, Mr. Bruno is optimistic he will live a long life.
“I feel — attitude wise and mentally — not much different than I did in my 40s,” the Fairfield man said. “I take vitamins, had a huge change in my diet and lost weight.”
At 180 pounds, Mr. Bruno weighs significantly less than he did two decades ago when he topped out at 235 pounds.
In her book, Smart Aging, Taking Charge of Your Physical and Emotional Health, author Harriet Hodgson recommends some of the same things as Dr. Roizen — take prescribed medicine, stop smoking, keep learning — but also emphasizes a positive outlook and the power of a strong family or support group.
“I'm smarter than I used to be,” said the 63-year-old author. “Attitude is so important. I appreciate life and the challenges I've faced. I don't obsess about things. I'm a happy person. The most important thing in my life now is my family.”
To stay active Mrs. Hodgson said she volunteers on a regular basis, routinely sets new goals for herself, spends time with her twin granddaughters, watches what she eats and uses plain old common sense.
“For me the glass is more than half full, never half empty,” Mrs. Hodgson said. “Attitude can mean so much. Life is a gift. We have to make the most of it. When all is said and done, you need a reason to get up in the morning.”
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