Lack of spring, being out of breath more quickly and prone to palpitations or other discomforts are some of the effects of aging. Here are some preventive actions that can be taken:
Assess your lung age
“Monitoring your breathing capacity should be as natural as monitoring your blood pressure, defends Dr. Anne Prud’homme, especially if you have smoked or worked in a polluted environment. You just have to inhale deeply, then breathe through your mouth in a mouthpiece, to know if our lungs are well preserved Some general practitioners are equipped with a flowmeter which provides a first assessment.
Adapt your physical activity
The less the body is trained in the effort, the faster it runs out of breath. Cycling, swimming, hiking, dancing, tennis, etc. whatever the discipline, it must be carried out a sufficient pace, without endangering yourself. “Heart rate meters are available on cell phones or watches,” recalls Pr. Jacques Mansourati. maximum heart rate is equal to 220 beats per minute minus age (170 to 50 years). During the exercise, you should not exceed 80% of this figure (ie 136 in this example). And don’t go back to sport at 50 without consulting first. Then, what is effective is the regularity: 45 minutes 5 days a week.
Learn deep breathing
“And even, for some, simply breathe in the place, specifies Anne Prud’homme, that is to say to inflate the belly when one inhales and to hollow it while exhaling.” Keeping too much air that is not renewed is not healthy. Singing or playing a wind instrument is excellent because it trains you to breathe “deeply”.
Monitor your waistline
Abdominal adiposity is the bedrock of the metabolic syndrome (diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, triglycerides). It creates an inflammatory ground which destabilizes a possible atheromatous plaque, which can favor the occurrence of a premature cardiac accident. Be careful, even so-called “light”, sodas increase the waistline (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, March 2015). For a flat stomach, better to opt for green tea!
Reduce stress
Stress increases the heart rate and can cause artery spasms, especially in women. If you’re angry, yoga, tai chi, meditation, sport and laughter, practiced regularly, help to let off steam.
Balance your fatty acid intake
Excess saturated fatty acids promotes cardiovascular disease. “We must banish red meat every day, insists Prof. Mansourati, forget the cheese if the meal already includes meat, opt for a fruit for dessert.” Another balance to find: that between Omega 3 and 6. “The first limit inflammation, explains Dr. Claude Dalle, while the second promote it.” We should ingest five Omega 6 for one Omega 3. However, we we are on average fifteen to one. To regain balance, eat fatty fish (sardines, herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna) or meat from the Bleu-Blanc-Coeur sector (the flesh of which contains Omega 3). ) and use rapeseed, olive or walnut oil.
Limit fast sugars
“They increase triglycerides and attack proteins, which increases glycation phenomena and accelerates aging”, explains Claude Dalle. Rather than fruit juice, eat whole fruit, the fiber of which slows the absorption of fructose.
Watch out for salt
The sodium / potassium ratio plays an important role in the onset of cardiovascular disease, as well as in osteoporosis. While we would need 5 to 6 g of sodium per day for 8 g of potassium, we ingest too much salt (more than 10 g) and too little potassium (3 g). Another reason to eat more plants, rich in potassium (dried apricot, banana, spinach, avocado, broccoli) and instead flavor foods with beneficial spices (turmeric, cumin). Be careful with the salt in prepared meals: an industrial soup contains up to 10 g per 100 ml!
Instead, console yourself with dark chocolate
Sometimes you have to take comfort: a little dark chocolate protects our arteries and boosts our memory. On the other hand, if small doses of alcohol (1 glass / day for women, 2 for men) tend to thin the blood and increase the good cholesterol, “beyond that it increases the blood pressure and undermines the capacities contractiles of the heart muscle, “warns Dr. Toussaint.
Consult if you are short of breath or cough
Everyone should be able to string together two 25m lengths of the pool, run after the bus, or climb four floors without getting out of breath. “And coughing is never normal, even if you smoke!”, Insists Dr. Prud’homme.
Perform regular reviews
People under 40 can wait for a doctor’s visit to have their blood pressure checked, but it should be checked at least twice a year from mid-life. And dose cholesterol, triglycerides, and diabetes every three years (more often in the event of an abnormality).
>> To read also:
Should you watch your line to act against aging?
Physical activity allows you to age better
Anti-aging: 10 surprising tips to stay young
