If we cannot, for the time being, stop aging, we can absolutely slow it down. And the earlier we start, the better. Discover the 7 anti-aging tips from Dr Christophe de Jaeger, geriatrician.
Going through the years with grace, while remaining in good physical and mental health, is not a utopia. “As long as you want to” ,says Dr. Christophe de Jaeger, geriatrician. “In other words, being aware that you have health capital, and wanting to make it prosper. I see too many passive people who do not change their way of life, and too many diseases that could have been avoided whether people had followed their doctor’s recommendations.”
Healthy life expectancy – the number of years a person can expect to live without being limited in activities of daily living – stands at 67 years for women and 65.6 years for men ( DREES study, February 2023). Some advice to go well beyond these figures.
#1 Have plans
“People who age well are usually the ones with lots of plans, whatever their age.” In retirement, they don’t put their lives on hold, but continue to get up every day with the desire to enjoy what life has to offer them.
Going to see an exhibition, meeting up with friends, walking in the forest, cooking or learning a new foreign language… Inevitably, this involves more constraints than staying on your sofa in front of the TV, but the game is worth the effort.
#2 Eat better
The expression “eat the rainbow” must become a reality for those who want to put all the chances on their side to live a long healthy life. Multicolored plates, rich in fruits and vegetables, allow you to fill up with vitamins, minerals and fibers
To reduce: fats and salt, industrial (ultra) processed foods, and sugar. “Our consumption today is much too high”,laments Dr. de Jaeger. Faced with ever more intrusive stress, cakes, sweets and chocolates provide a satisfactory response… at least, for the time being. “Because in the medium term, this chronic excess of sugar can lead to overweight, and in the long term, cardiovascular or metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
#3 Move more
In the cardio versus muscle building match, which is better for your health? Both ! Running, cycling, swimming… work on the heart, when muscle strengthening, as its name suggests, allows you to have greater muscle mass. Gold, “this increases the basal metabolism, because even at rest, the muscles consume energy.”
And even if the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends devoting “at least 150 to 300 minutes per week to an endurance activity moderate-intensity, or at least 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity endurance activity, on the subject, better is little than nothing at all.
#4 Take care of your sleep
“During sleep, our body repairs itself. This is the reason why it should not be neglected”,warns Dr. de Jaeger. However, 42% of French people suffer from a sleep disorder, according to the INSV/MGEN 2023 survey. As for the duration of sleep, it continues to decrease: 6:58 a.m. on average on weekdays in 2023, compared to 6:57 a.m. in 2019, and especially 7:40 a.m. on weekends in 2023, versus 8:14 a.m. in 2019.
“Sleep well is first of allrespect his rhythm and his needs, maintain regular wake-up and bedtime schedules, avoid stimulants after 2 p.m., sleep in a dark, quiet room that is not too hot. “
If your nights remain choppy, or you wake up tired too often, a tip: make an appointment at a sleep center. We must not leave it lying around, because there are solutions.
#5 Avoid toxins
Tobacco in mind. The pet peeve of doctors is responsible for 75,000 deaths each year in France. As for alcohol, if consumed, it should be in moderation. “I’m not against the festive alcohol, the glass of champagne or the glass of wine drunk at a wedding, a birthday… but the regularity is very bad.”
#6 Try to be well surrounded
Loneliness is bad for your health. This is one of the conclusions of a study conducted for 85 years – it started in 1938! – by Harvard University (United States). Its name: the Harvard study of adult development. People who have warmer relationships with family, friends or neighbors stay in better physical health as they age. The researchers’ hypothesis to explain this link: our loved ones allow us to regulate our stress, protecting us, in the long term, from all diseases linked to chronic stress.
Isolated people would be much more likely to remain in a state of chronic stress, unable to “unload” their problems on anyone, maintaining high levels of inflammation due to the continuous release of cortisol, gradually damaging the organism.
Our expert: Dr Christophe de Jaeger, geriatrician, author of Aging well without drugs (ed. Cherche Midi)