As we move into a new year, I’m sharing my approach to aging like I mean it.

My goals are:

Minimize risk
80% of chronic illness can be prevented by lifestyle modifications.
Maximize energy, strength, creativity, brain and mental health

I have a method. Launched in my 20s, iterated on over the last 30 years.

This is what’s working.

The Plant Powered Body strategy for healthy aging

Nutrition

My foundation is nutrition. The foundation is what the rest of the house sits on. It’s critical to optimal function of the layers on top of it.

Exercise without nutrition a) never stuck, and b) likely never stuck because I wasn’t getting results.

My approach to nutrition:

Mo’ veggies, mo’ better. Also, eat the rainbow.
My diet (defined as what I eat) isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s who I am.
If I eat high fat, sugar, salt foods, I don’t sleep as well. If I drink alcohol, I don’t sleep as well. That’s not anecdotal.
I choose those foods less often now. It’s like ‘time in position.’ After 10 years, you’re better at your job than you were after 5. The more I eat whole foods, the less attracted I am to the junk food. I’m happiest when alcohol is not a regular part of every week.

Sleep

Sleep is where recovery and repair happen.

If I’m sacrificing sleep, I have less energy. I have less ease and less enjoyment in movement, particularly movement that’s challenging and pushes me forward. My brain’s not as sharp.

Sleep also plays a key role in emotional regulation.

Like nutrition, sleep impacts all systems of our body.

My approach to sleep:

If my diet (defined as what I eat) is right, an occasional hit on sleep still has an impact, but it doesn’t kill my day, like it used to.
I’m not a napper. I can fall asleep surprisingly early if it’s dark and I’m lying down after an active day. When it’s light out, not so much.

Movement

The more we sit, the harder it becomes to move. When we’re not moving, we lose muscle. When we don’t practice flexibility, we limit our movement. When we lose muscle and flexibility, things hurt. When things hurt, we’re more likely to stop doing them.

It’s a circular pattern most of us have experienced.

My approach to movement:

I perform better in movement that’s challenging when my diet is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods, and I’m maintaining consistent, high quality sleep.
I look forward to movement when I see results.
I look forward to movement that’s in community.
I found a physical therapist who I learn something from every time we meet, which has been monthly for the last 3 years. Once covered by insurance, I now pay out-of-pocket. Worth every dime.
I’m optimizing for getting all of my muscles to function right now. I could use a lot more stretching.

I’m not likely to take on challenging exercise at all if my diet’s poor (or even mediocre) and my lifestyle choices are negatively impacting my sleep. That’s not a hypothetical, I’ve lived that.

Whoop year in review recovery data. I’m not special, I just eat plants and go to bed early.

Connection

This is social connection and community. This is not an area I’ve studied, though it’s well researched. I’m sharing personal experience.

We are the company we keep. I think this is generally true.

Find people who challenge you to improve in some way. This is key for me.

Community doubles and triples our chances of doing and maintaining the thing, whether that be exercise, diet, or other healthy habits.

My approach to connection:

I have a core group who I learn from, who supports, who makes me laugh.
I sought out community on YouTube and Instagram when I transitioned to a plant-based diet 9 years ago.
I found community at The Bar Method from the first time I walked into the studio, that’s only gotten stronger over time.

Stress

If all of the other elements (nutrition, sleep, movement and community) were in place, and I was still feeling blocked, or not seeing the results I wanted, I’d look at stress.

I’m experienced in work stress. I worked at a high-growth, multi-billion dollar tech company for 17 years. I was in leadership roles in hiring. Growth isn’t possible without the people. Hiring comes with deadlines, targets (required, not nice-to-have), and visibility to the people at the top.

My approach to managing stress:

I prioritized healthy eating and sleep, particularly in the last 8 of the 17 years, once I reached age 40.
I’ve practiced and studied yoga since my late 20s. I learned body awareness, going inward, and breathing. Life skills, if you ask me.
A consistent movement (exercise) practice came and went when I was working full-time in tech. When it was consistent, that meant a class 2 or 3 times per week. I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth for what felt like another commitment. I chose nutrition and sleep over exercise.

Are you playing the long game, when it comes to your health? What’s working? Where would you put more focus?

References

Lifestyle as Medicine: The Case For a True Health Initiative

Emotion, emotion regulation and sleep: An intimate relationship

Thanks for reading!

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Strategy for healthy aging