How I Reduced My Biological Age
and continue to do so…
As originally published in In Fitness And In Health on Medium.com.
Image: francescoch on iStock
We all get older at the same rate — there’s no escaping that. But we all age at different rates — and we have a lot of control over that. Over this past year I, like everybody else, have gotten one year older. But biologically, I have gotten younger — again. And I plan to keep going…
The WhyIn early 2020 I hit my lowest point in life. I was emotionally, mentally and physically at my wit’s end. I was coming out of a decade of hardship that included abusive relationships, unhealthy work environments, grief from the death of many loved ones, and a long list of physical ailments including back surgery, vision deterioration, a brain seizure, short-term memory loss and much more. I was severely depressed and no longer wanted to be part of this world.
I don’t know concretely what my biological age was at the time, but my body was so rapidly declining that I can all but guarantee it was much higher than my actual age of 39.
For those unfamiliar with the term, biological age is a measure of how old a person’s cells are and is a better indicator of health than chronological age. It’s a concept that describes the difference between an individual’s perceived life expectancy and the average life expectancy of a population cohort of the same age. It can be determined by assessing the activities of our gut microbiome, our cells, and our oral microbiome.
I realised that if I wanted to stop dying, I had to change how I was living. And so my journey of self-evolution began.
The WhatOver the next 4 years, I changed.
I tried all kinds of healing mechanisms — from ayahuasca ceremonies to turning vegan (for a while) to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. From books to courses to seminars. From psychologists to personal trainers to coaches.
I went back to school and became qualified as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Hypnotherapist, and Rapid Transformation Therapy Practitioner.
I moved countries, made a home, got a dog, and started a business.
Through it all, I learned about the mind-body connection. I finally understood that wellness is, and has always been, holistic. Our emotional, mental and physical health are so intertwined that one cannot exist without the other.
Most of all, I stopped looking for answers outside of myself. I stopped blaming others and external circumstances for my situation. Because I realised that we all create our own reality. Nobody does that for us. It’s all us.
And so, the only way to change it is to change ourselves.
The HowWe are all bio-individuals. There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to healing. But there are mechanisms that can help each of us find what we need.
The Body
The 80/20 rule is not new information when it comes to physical health. 80% is down to how we nourish our body. 20% is how we move our body.
There’s an endless amount of diet information readily available to the public, but none of it is personalised. And that’s the key. Our microbiome is as unique as our DNA, so a diet that works for one, may not work for the next.
And so I nourish myself based on my body. I analyse my microbiome and then consume the foods which are shown to be my personal superfoods and foods to enjoy. Simple. Easy. Effective.
Analysing my microbiome is also what shows me my biological age.
In terms of movement, I’ve always enjoyed sports. But as my health declined, my ability to move declined with it.
Since getting my dog, I am back to moving my body every day. Instead of a personal trainer, I got a four-legged trainer and accountability buddy!
I know this method is not for everyone, so I wrote about how to find movement that works for you if you’ve never considered yourself athletic before.
The Mind
When I refer to the mind, it’s really about the mind and spirit. After all, we are spiritual beings with an intellectual mind and a physical body.
Everything is energy. And everything we want vibrates at a certain frequency. Therefore, to create the reality we want, we must raise our vibration.
Alignment with our inner being is natural. Yet most of us are out of alignment due to a lifetime of external conditioning and ensuing self-sabotage. And this is what causes dis-ease in the body. Pain is simply emotion trapped in the body.
Our emotions are our compass. We know we are in alignment and healthy when we feel joy, appreciation, empowered, freedom, love. We know we are out of alignment when we feel fear, insecurity, jealousy, hatred, anger, sadness.
And so our health journey must be one of self-compassion and self-love.
It’s about looking at our beliefs and asking if they still serve us.
Our situation is a reflection of what we believe. Our beliefs are what create our reality. Because the law of attraction ensures that which is likened to itself is drawn.
Looking back at my own situation I realised that those toxic relationships and declining health all stemmed from a deep-seated belief that others always had to come first, that I was unworthy of love, and that I wasn’t good enough. And unfortunately, these beliefs are all too common.
What end up being unhelpful or even harmful beliefs were created for a reason. They weren’t always bad. The problem is we carry them with us long after they no longer serve us.
Upgrading our beliefs is simple, but for most not easy. It’s taken me years to unravel the puzzle that is me. But the more self-aware I become, the easier it is to let go. Because I now have perspective.
Awareness is the first step towards transformation. Knowledge is power. And knowledge about the self is self-empowerment.
The OutcomeBy the time I came across the technology and analysed my microbiome for the first time it was November 2023. I was 42 years old and three years into my healing journey.
As you can see below, the result showed a biological age of three years younger than my chronological age, and 25 health scores (out of 68) were below average.
After the above analysis, I had my list of superfoods and foods to enjoy so was able to improve my nutrition. Simultaneously I continued my inner work.
I retested 11 months later, at age 43, and here are the results.
My biological age is now five years below my chronological age and I improved nine health scores too.
At 43, I have more energy, stronger nails, better hair, and got rid of the “tyre” that many women experience after a certain age. No plastic surgery, no Botox, not even hair dye.
And, whilst emotional and mental health are not always represented visually, here’s a visual representation of the changes nonetheless.
Our outer world is always a reflection of our inner world — both in terms of our body and our circumstances.
It is possible to age gracefully — and even get younger in the process!
Wherever you are on your journey, always remember that YOU ARE ENOUGH.
