6 Ways You’re Speeding Up The Ageing Clock (Without Even Knowing!)

6 ageing accelerators to ditch

EATING JUNK FOOD

Find yourself relying heavily on junk food, refined carbohydrates and pre-packaged meals? If so, you might be eating your way to a faster ageing clock.

One of the biggest accelerator of ageing is AGEs (advanced glycation end products). These not only make you look older, but contribute to inflammation, oxidative stress and even chronic disease like heart disease and diabetes.

The major source of AGEs? Highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates and fried foods all contribute to the production. So if you’re eating lots of treats, sweets, takeaway and other indulgences, you’re putting your foot on the ageing accelerator.

MISSING OUT ON ANTI-AGEING SUPERFOODS

It’s not just about what you eat – it’s also about what you don’t eat. If you’re missing out on nutrient-packed foods that have anti-ageing properties, your body can’t counteract the less healthy choices you make.

To slow down ageing, you want to choose foods that contain:

• Fibre

• Antioxidants

• Vitamins (particularly fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin E)

• Omega-3 fatty acids

• Water (hydration is a must!)

Not sure where to start? Check out my favourite anti-ageing foods here.

DRINKING TOO MUCH ALCOHOL

Another big ageing factor is alcohol consumption. The occasional glass of red wine isn’t a big deal – in fact, some research shows that light alcohol consumption is linked to a slower biological clock!

But when you’re drinking multiple days per week or consuming 7+ standard drinks in a week, this can speed the ageing process right up. It also contributes to a heavy liver burden, inflammation and oxidative stress, along with increasing the risk of most chronic diseases. So it’s best to have a few alcohol-free nights per week.

SKIMPING ON SLEEP

Think you can sleep when you’re dead? Well unfortunately, neglecting your slumber can speed you up on the journey of life, so that might be sooner than you think!

When you sleep, your mind is resting, but the rest of your body is hard at work. It works on detoxifying and removing waste from the different systems and even the brain. Your immune system is focused on repairing areas of damage and inflammation that occurred throughout the day.

So when you skip out on sleep to catch up on other things, your body doesn’t get a decent chance to reboot and repair.

Insufficient sleep can also lead to:

• Blood sugar regulation issues (hello, sugar cravings!)

• Reduced thyroid function

• Higher stress levels

• More inflammation throughout the body

All of these add up to premature ageing throughout the body.

Struggling to get a good night of rest? If you need some help, I’ve popped some tips over right here.

OVERLOADING ON STRESS

Are you always busy, overwhelmed or feel like you’re doing too much? A little stress from time to time is normal, but chronic stress can have serious detrimental effects on your wellbeing.

Chronic stress leads to increased cortisol – a key stress hormone. Cortisol ramps up your inflammatory pathways, interfere with your blood sugar levels and sabotage your thyroid function. All of these effects age you, plus they also contribute to more stress, so it becomes a vicious cycle.

Need to get your stress under control? Here are 8 ways to get started.

TREATING AGEING FROM THE OUTSIDE ONLY

This one is all too common because we are constantly bombarded with anti-ageing as a cosmetic concern. But everything that you put on your skin is only ever a temporary fix for ageing! If you truly want to get to the root of your ageing, you need to switch to an inside-out approach.

READY TO HIT THE BRAKES ON YOUR AGEING CLOCK?

To tackle the causes of premature ageing and its related symptoms, we need to look within to rebalance your hormones and give your body what it needs to thrive.

If you’re ready to feel young, vibrant and full of life again, book yourself a FREE Anti-Ageing Strategy call here.