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We are repeatedly told to stay fit and eat healthy to live a longer, better life. But what’s often left out is whether we can start doing that at any point in time and reap the benefits no matter what. As it turns out, good habits must be started early in life — and sustained from that point onward. That’s according to a study by an international team of researchers, who found that cutting back on calories no longer improves health when started in old age.

To stay fit and healthy, start good habits young

Dietary restriction boosts longevity and helps prevent metabolic disorders like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. But the researchers wondered if you can still experience these health benefits if you started dieting a little late in life.

To answer that question, the researchers put young and old mice from an eat-all-you-can diet to a restricted one, or vice versa. The mice on a restricted diet are fed foods rich in vitamins and minerals to prevent malnutrition.

Strikingly, eating less did not extend the life expectancy of the “late starters” that only began eating healthy in old age. Those allowed to eat as much as they like after starting out with a restricted diet did not have long-term protection either. The takeaway is that dietary restriction has to be both implemented early and sustained until the end to make any difference.

“One should establish healthy behaviors early in life. It may not be as good for your health to change your diet later in life. Health in old age is a lifelong affair,” said co-author Linda Partridge of the Max Planck Institute for the Biology of Ageing in Germany and the University College London.

Why is this so? Your body has a “memory” of your earlier eating habits. The researchers observed that in the late starters, gene activity in their fat tissues is quite similar to that of mice eating as much as they want. Additionally, their fat composition did not change significantly compared to young mice on a restricted diet.

This “memory effect” mainly affected mitochondria — the powerhouses of the cell known to play an important role in the aging process. Dietary restriction typically increases the formation of mitochondria in fatty tissues. But the researchers found that this was no longer the case in late starters, hence their short lifespan.

How to get motivated to live healthy

It is not easy to start a healthy lifestyle, let alone maintain it over the long haul. Oftentimes, people tend to put it off until it’s too late. To put a stop to your delaying tactics, here are some helpful tips to get yourself motivated:

1. Set small goals. The key is to aim small so you don’t get overwhelmed. If you used to eat only meat, try adding a helping of leafy greens for every meal. But do not overdo it by eating only veggies all day.
2. Keep a food and exercise journal. A journal lets you track how much you’re eating. Sometimes, munching on small bites here and there adds up, and you don’t realize it.
3. Make room for nutritious foods. Take this health tip literally: By crowding your food storage with nutritious foods, you’re effectively leaving little space for junk foods.
4. Skip the pantry. Processed foods rarely need to be stored in the fridge and are frequently placed in the pantry instead. Head over to your fridge for a snack and avoid so much as giving the pantry a glance.
5. Keep nutritious foods on hand. Preparing ready-to-eat fruits and veggies is a terrific way to avoid getting tempted to grab a bag of chips.
6. Get rid of junk foods. What better way to eat healthy than to keep junk foods out of your reach completely? Don’t wait up and make that brave move now.
7. Try new foods. Anyone who thinks a healthy diet is boring is seriously mistaken. Nutritious foods come in a variety of colors, flavors, textures and shapes. Just look at melons, berries and nuts — all nutritious superfoods with numerous varieties.
8. Eat your favorite foods from time to time. Letting yourself enjoy your favorite foods every now and then helps release that pressure building up inside of you. But be mindful. Once you get a bite of it, you might never want to let go.
9. Seek support from loved ones. When you feel like snapping your good streak, approach your family and friends. They can help you steer clear of distractions.
10. Partner up. Sometimes, the best way to stay healthy is to do it alongside another person looking to get fit as well. You can be each other’s watchdog, keeping watch and holding each other accountable.
11. Don’t let one setback put you down. It’s not the end of the world. You can always get over that hump and return to your healthy ways.

The idea that maintaining good lifestyle habits is important for health is well-known. The question now is when you’re going to act on it. As you enter a certain age and your body isn’t working the same anymore, so are the lifestyle changes that once would have made a huge difference to your health. To stay fit and healthy well into old age, get rid of your bad habits now before it’s too late.

Sources:

ScienceDaily.com

EatingBirdFood.com