Did you know that the majority of aging is caused by your environment and lifestyle?

In fact, only 10% of health conditions and disease are caused by genetics. The other 90% is caused by environmental factors.

While only 20 to 25% of aging is genetically predetermined. The other 75 to 80% of how and whether you age is caused by lifestyle.

This means that you have control over 75 to 80% of how you age and possess 90% of the power to prevent health conditions like metabolic syndrome and disease.

That’s right. 75 to 80% of how and whether you age is up to YOU.

Therefore, the most profound influences on your health, vitality, and function are the cumulative effects of the decisions you make about your diet and lifestyle on the expression of your genes.

The choices you make like whether,

• To sit on the couch and watch TV or to go for a walk to walk 10k steps daily

• To hit the snooze button or suck it up and get up early to lift weights

• To drink a bottle of wine at the end of the day to “wind down” (even though alcohol raises your cortisol) or skip the booze, drink water, wear nighttime blue light blocking glasses and go to bed before 10pm

• To choose a side of fries fried in canola oil over a side of broccoli
  
  
• To eat “Frankenfood” like Cheez-Its or Famous Amos Cookies for your afternoon snack over eating a healthy protein packed snack that you made yourself and brought from home (For example: Non-fat plain Greek yogurt mixed with vanilla flavored casein or whey protein, steel cut oatmeal, raw organic cashews, and a sprinkle of Cinnamon. ENJOY! You’re welcome.)

Yes my midlife friends, the healthy lifestyle, fitness, and nutrition choices you make on a daily basis, or lack thereof, dictate how your genes will express themselves and whether you extend your health span or age prematurely.

I’m 48 years old, no botox, no fillers, no plastic surgery, nothing artificial. In fact, this is my natural hair color, and my true, make-up free, 48 year old skin with no filter in this photo.

The choices I make like, to strength train, walk 14k+ steps per day, eat whole unprocessed foods, use targeted supplements like creatine and Urolithin A, have a skincare routine, floss my teeth (YES! Your lack of dental routine will age you), go to bed early, eliminate alcohol and refined sugar, and minimize caffeine have helped me to “age well” as I approach 50.

Don’t know where to start? Here are my top 10 tips to get started:

1. Eliminate/minimize alcohol, refined sugar, and caffeine
2. Strength train 4-6x per week
3. Do Zone 2 (65 to 75% of your max heart rate) cardio 7 days per week
4. Walk a MINIMUM of 8-10k steps per day (I aim for 14-18k up from a previous average of 12-14k)
5. Grocery shop and make all of your own meals and treat a dinner out as just that
6. Eat 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily
7. Eat 25-30g of fiber per day to optimize methylation and your liver’s ability to detoxify your system (Women need a MINIMUM of 25g of fiber per day and men need a MNIMUM of 32g of fiber per day, but the average that people get is only 12g per day!)
8. Get sunglass free sunlight before 10am daily (Helps to increase vitamin D and mostly, for your body to produce melatonin so you can sleep at night)
9. Go to bed before 10pm
10. Get a wearable (e.g. Oura Ring, Whoop, Fitbit, or Apple Watch) and track your stats

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