Shake your fanny

You can stop "normal" aging. That's the little article I read this morning in the Parade section of the newspaper. The author, Dr. Henry S. Lodge, basically states the reasons why "use it or lose it" is such an  important concept. Eons ago, our bodies would semi shut down in the winter. As a matter of survival, we would 'decay as fast as possible' during the winter to survive (since there would be little food on which to survive). Then in the springtime when we'd become active again hunting and gathering, our bodies would rejuvenate. The activity would stimulate our cells to now focus not on decay, but on growth and replenishment.

Read the article! It raises more questions in my mind. For example, given that all but a few stem cells in our bodies are constantly being replaced with new cells, why should a body necessarily retain memories that are perhaps undesirable, like 'bad' joints or even scars? Shouldn't we be able to spontaneously heal? Shouldnt' we be able to overcome ailments by offering our systems environments in which to thrive and rejuvenate?

And that's kind of the point of the article. That some of the stereotypical aging patterns needn't be so. That our bodies offer us far more potential than we often allow. Very interesting read.

So the moral: Excercise! Shake your fanny!

Comments

[wayne]

I do yoga. Does that count?

[Pat]

Here is a link to a man who exemplifies what that article is talking about. He is 84, runs marathons, and benches 250 lbs. His book is very good.

bobdelmonteque.com