I’m not old by any means, but the thought of turning 30 does scare me.
I’ve already noticed that my muscles are tighter than they used to be and I recently had to give up alcohol because I couldn’t handle it like I could when I was in my 20’s. For me, there is nothing worse than waking up with a foggy head and having to drag my sorry ass to the gym whilst feeling sluggish and bloated after a night out - I’m definitely getting too sensible in my old age.
Why not though? If I feel like this when I’m 29, what will I feel like when I’m 50? I still want to be running around and hitting the gym at this age. In fact, one of my aims in life is to live until I’m 110 years old, which means looking after my body NOW and setting a good foundation for the future.
To do this, I take control of my food and take as many of my meals out with me, especially when I’m working all day. Yes, I could get a salad from the local shop, but how do I know what they have put in it? I don’t! By packing my own food for the day ahead, I have full control of what goes in my food and what goes in my mouth. No added salt or sugar or toxic additives unless I want them. Don’t get me wrong, I still eat out with my friends and husband, but by taking control of what I can means I can enjoy the odd treat and really enjoy it. Eating too much toxic food can cause cellular damage that leads to acute inflammation and then chronic inflammation, which in turn accelerates the progression of disease that leads to poor quality of life and ageing. Health starts from the inside, which is why it’s so important to put the right things in.
One of my top tricks for eating pure and healthy foods, even when time is tight, is to spend a Sunday evening chopping and baking, so all my snacks and lunches are prepped for the week and then I can just grab and go.
Strength Training, Pack your own Healthy Lunch
To keep the wrinkles away, I also recommend strength training. Countless studies show that exercise will promote longevity and strength training is the best way to do this. This is because it has protective effects on the body, including increasing muscle mass and strength that will lead to greater mobility, better balance, and stronger bones. Plus, strength training helps you stay slim and it leads to higher antioxidant levels, which counteract those free radicals that cause ageing.
The key is to perform as much physical activity as possible throughout your day by walking, doing martial arts, yoga, dancing, housework or generally anything that keeps you moving. In fact, a new analysis in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that people who lived the longest trained hard four or five days a week, totaling around 300 minutes a week at an intense level, which isn’t so bad, considering you’ll still have 9780 minutes to spare once that’s all done!
If this all feels a bit too daunting, then why not try a fitness holiday to give you a kick-start? The fresh local produce will restore your faith in ‘boring’ healthy food, the qualified trainers will give you the right tools to start moving safely and effectively, the vitamin D will work wonders for your health and immunity and it will get you away from the typical English climate. So come on let’s get moving and choosing healthy foods. It’s never too late to start!
Lucy Miller
Lucy Miller is a fitness and nutrition advisor, and Fitness Editor at Health & Fitness Magazine (www.womensfitness.co.uk). She holds fitness qualifications from NASM Training and Premier Training International.
