Aging is hard. It’s hard on your body, your mind, your sense of self-worth, and your ability to do the things that you used to be able to do. It takes a strong person to age gracefully. We all know one or two people who stayed active, sharp, and in good health far beyond the age that most people do, but it probably wasn’t effortless for them, either.
While genes definitely play a role, here at Rejuvime Medical, we believe that anyone can have the chance to feel and look wonderful, at any age. The most successful anti-aging strategy is one that takes into account all your body’s systems and what you need to do for each one to be whole, healthy, and happy. So let’s look at the major systems of your body, one at a time, and talk about what things you can do for your well-being and longevity in that area.
1. The Integumentary System
Your integumentary system is composed of your skin, hair, nails, and exocrine glands. It’s the “outside” part of you, what’s visible to other people.
The interesting thing about how aging affects this system (particularly your skin and hair) is that you don’t feel the least bit different. If it weren’t for mirrors, you wouldn’t necessarily notice any difference. It’s great to have at least one system that doesn’t leave you feeling run down. However, the flip side of this is that it’s the system where aging is the most visible to everyone around you. It can be distressing to deal with the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and silver hairs.
Tips to Counteract Aging For Your Integumentary System
- Limit your UV exposure by wearing sunscreen and UV-blocking clothing. Your skin will thank you.
- Make sure you hydrate your skin! The best way to do this is from the inside out, by drinking great quantities of pure water, but you can also layer on the moisturizing creams.
- Try cosmetic procedures or plastic surgery to reduce wrinkles and lift sagging skin to the chin and neck area.
2. The Skeletal System
It’s a well-known fact that aging can accelerate your loss of bone density, leading to osteoporosis, which makes bones more fragile and likely to break. You probably won’t feel this happening, as osteoporosis advances silently. Besides the fact that your bone tissue tends to be lost faster than it is replaced, if you have stopped being as active as you used to be, your bones will have stopped experiencing the stresses that tell them where they need extra reinforcements. These conditions make your bones ripe for fractures — not what you want.
As you age, you can also experience joint issues due to declining amounts of cartilage to cushion the joints. You’ll definitely feel the effects of this in the form of pain and/or stiffness.
Tips to Counteract Aging For Your Skeletal System
- Stay active as much as possible to keep your body at work replenishing bone tissue.
- Eat a diet rich in calcium and other bone-friendly ingredients, such as salmon and green leafy vegetables.
- Watch your weight and do low-impact exercise to reduce wear and tear on your joints.
- Estrogen therapy may help to reduce joint pain in women.
3. The Muscular System
Strong muscles can help you to maintain your capabilities, keep your metabolism in balance, and reduce your risk of falling as you age, but aging tends to cause a gradual loss of muscle. This can progress beyond simple muscle atrophy to a condition called sarcopenia, which is a degenerative loss of muscle mass. If you feel yourself slowing down as you get older, resist the urge to simply let yourself relax. Keep your muscles, and they will keep you up
Tips to Counteract Aging For Your Muscular System
- Do exercise that stimulates your muscles to work a little bit harder than they’re used to.
- Be sure to eat a protein-rich diet so that your body has the materials it needs to build up your muscle.
- Hormone therapy, including testosterone and growth hormone, may be helpful for older individuals to build muscle.
- Reduce your stress, because stress causes elevated levels of cortisol, which can cause muscle atrophy.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
Rejuvime Medical exists to help people in Baton Rouge and Metairie area to find the anti-aging treatments that will work for them. Whether you want to focus on your outside appearance or your inner organs, either way, you are treating your body’s systems. We have options for you to counteract aging, and the best way for you to find out about them is to schedule a consultation. Your first meeting with our medical professionals is absolutely free. Please call or contact us online today to set up your appointment.
Also please stay tuned for our next blog, when we’ll cover more of your body’s systems and talk about how to ensure that you’re taking care of each one to reduce or reverse the symptoms of aging.
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