Without sounding too morbid; When you woke up this morning, you were one day closer to dying. Im sorry but its a reality. While I could easily spin this conversation to dive through the cultural and philosophical relationship we have with “Death” and “Aging” my goal today is to give you some real insight into the physiology of your cells and how aging is happening. As we thirst for the Fountain of youth thru Diet and Exercise this Natural Process continues to move along in our lives just as it has throughout the history of our species. So Here is your 3 Minute Read on why we age.
Over The years you have read about macro level Lifestyle trends that can extend life like Whole Food Dieting and Functional Exercises. You have read about the minutia of micro-nutrients and their effect on the lining of your GUT. We have discussed how the Brain Works. And we have also discussed how , all of it, reduces down to the cellular level. This is where we pick up our conversation today because at the cellular level is where aging happens and the span of our lives is determined.
Cells are incredibly flexible.
I do not mean that they can do back bends or yoga moves that look like they will break your legs. I mean that cells have an innate ability to reproduce, split, thrive and modify themselves throughout their existence. A great example of this are STEM CELLS. Stem Cells are ever changing and multiplying. Cells have a lifespan just like you and I do, but the special bit about cells is that they split and reproduce to ensure that they have ample replacements when they pass on. This process allows for tissue, organ, and even cancer to keep growing long after a cell has outlived its usefulness .
Cellular reproduction happens in all living organisms and is responsible for allowing us to reach our full potential, especially in the athletic space. Training is a unique process of breaking down tissue and stressing cells to the point that they die quickly BUT it also helps to strengthen the processes by which cells are able to fight off inflammation and disease. Proof of this is in the studies done around TELOMERE length and activity through life. As you recall from previous posts, Telomeres are the shoe laces of cells. The more the cell divides, the shorter the show lace gets until the thing is all tattered and the cell dies. Physical Activity and good health keep you and your telomeres living a while.
All Good Things Must End.
Here is a new Term For you…. SENESCENCE . Senescent Cells are cells that have no more usefulness or have lost their ability to divide and reproduce. Senescence is what makes us age. The study of what makes cells turn senescent is a hot field in microbiology at the moment as people like you and I HUNT for the Fountain of Youth. We inject ourselves, take pills, rub creams on ourselves and do a Bunch of weird shit just to keep the cells rocking. But Nature is a realist. Cells will die…And many times its for good reason.
Senescence is a natural process that actually can have a positive effect on our ability to live a while. Stem Cells and young healthy cells are good for muscle repair and stress reduction but they are also a breeding ground for cancer. The dreaded disease that medicine and science are constantly striving to get ahead of. ut as I noted before, Cells are flexible and cancer is just as such.
Senescent Cells loose a very important chemical called NUCLEOTIDES which are the building blocks of DNA. Once a cell has stopped producing nucleotides , they begin to slow down and aging happens. The once plumb cells gets shriveled and falls apart. Hence the wrinkles on your face and the hair that turns grey and the muscles which hurt longer than normal after a training session.
The Process of Cellular Aging is inevitable and premenant. Well,… I say this but as we speak there is a area of science called SENOLYTICS which is trying to figure out how to keep your cells young and not let them succumb to Cancer cells that take advantage of this cellular youthfulness and division.
Aging makes many of us nervous, myself included. But like all things, nerves are a product of our lack of understanding . Education about how the body works, its processes and how to treat it can be our ticket to AGING GRACEFULLY. Grace… what a word.
Grace is defined as “Simple Elegance or Refinement of Movement”. Doesn’t that sound amazing??!! Dont you want to be GRACEFUL as you age? Let us never stop learning about our bodies, our world and each other so that we can see how simply elegant nature has defined us. And never stop moving… Refining the movement of our thoughts, actions and words. if our inevitability is certain then moving gracefully along our path is necessary for balance among all the other organisms in the chain. Live fully my friends and Love Fearlessly.
Eric
290719 "A Brief Explanation of why we age"
