Originally posted in Los Altos Living In Magazine, March 2024
You will never be younger than you are right now, and your body is declining with each passing day. Sounds depressing, but there is good news. While you can’t stop time, there are actions you can take to offset the natural aging process.
Think of your body as a car. You can drive it hard and fast. You can choose to ignore the “check engine” light. You can skip the oil changes and avoid the investment in tire rotations and car washes. Or, you can treat it with respect.
Like cars, our bodies have parts. There are the parts you can see and the parts you can’t. They all serve their purpose. If one part isn’t working in your car, it will fail to run efficiently, or may not even run at all. The same is true of your body. While we don’t come with a “check engine” light or an owner’s manual, there are things you can do to prevent wear and tear and to ensure that your “vehicle” lasts as long as possible.
Exercise is the most important thing you can do to offset or slow aging in your body. Exercising your body is like driving your car. If you race it down the street and do donuts in the parking lot, you will accelerate wear and tear. If you never drive it, the battery will die and the tires will rot. Exercise that is too aggressive will accelerate wear and tear to your joints. Lack of exercise will soften your bones, atrophy your muscles and increase the likelihood that your body fails you — or breaks down on the side of the road, if you will. Investing in smart, well programmed strength and mobility training is the equivalent to buying the sensible car with the extended warranty. It may not be as exciting as the flashy luxury brand or the shiny rims, but it will help you go the distance.
While most cars and bodies depreciate with age, you can invest in regular exercise to increase bone density and lean muscle mass, improve insulin sensitivity, metabolic health, cognitive health and body composition. Moreover, a workout that incorporates strength, balance, mobility and alignment-based movement reduces the risk of aches, pains, injuries and disease.
You get one vehicle. While you may not be able to get a zero-mile read on the odometer or the “new car” scent back, you can invest in a maintenance plan that will take you the distance. Your body is a lot more useful and fun when it’s out on the road vs. stuck in a repair shop.
In the wise words of Joan Collins, “The body is like a car: The older you become, the more you have to take care of it — and you don’t leave a Ferrari out in the sun.”
Will you be the jalopy that rusts in the junkyard, or will you be the vintage classic that appreciates as it ages?
