Age is just a Number

With my birthday rapidly approaching in a couple weeks, I’ve been thinking about getting older and aging.

I will be turning 31.  A lot of people I meet tell me that I do not look my age.  In fact, when I was in Basic, a lot of the other soldiers said they thought I was in my early 20’s, I even had a few people think that I was 18.  And when I was enlisting at MEPS a couple of others asked me what High School I had gone to, and were surprised when I told them I had graduated 12 years ago.  Ha!

And the truth is, I don’t feel my age either.

Well… I don’t know how a 31-year-old is supposed to feel, but I feel much younger now than I did when I was in my 20’s, or even in high school.

But when I look at my history, I can see why I felt so “old” back then.

In high school, I was overweight, inactive, and unhealthy.  I didn’t so much as lift a finger to exercise, and I didn’t care at all about what I was feeding my body.  I was depressed and couldn’t sleep.  I was filling my body with tons of junk food, prescriptions, and not doing anything to increase my activity levels.

In my 20’s, I sought to lose weight, but in the unhealthiest ways I could.  I underfed my body, and pumped it with diet pills, cigarettes, alcohol, and excess amounts of caffeine.  I would binge with the unhealthiest foods and then purge it all.  It didn’t matter that I was exercising now, good exercise won’t outweigh an unhealthy diet.  I was tired and grumpy all the time. I was depressed. I couldn’t sleep at night, and I had no energy.  I had bags under my eyes all the time, and I just looked tired and haggard.

It’s no wonder why I felt so much older then.

I feel younger now than I have in years.  I have energy that lasts throughout the day, I sleep through the night, and I feel like I can do anything.  It’s amazing just how much what you consume affects your body.  I used to hate when people would say that they achieved their goals by “diet and exercise” because I wanted a magical pill that would fix everything for me overnight, but it is so true.  There aren’t any shortcuts, and there is no magic pill.  Once you care about what you are fueling your body with, it makes a difference.

That being said, I do take a couple of supplements that might help a little, fish oil and collagen.  I take Fish Oil for it’s anti-inflammatory benefits, which is very helpful in Crossfit.  Fish Oil also helps supply hydration to the skin and has been said to help achieve healthy hair and skin. I recommend Carlson Labs Very Finest Fish Oil. The brand was recommended among a lot of Crossfit and Paleo communities. It is pure, free of mercury and rich in EPA/DHA.

And Collagen provides the infrastructure of the musculoskeletal system, which is essential for mobility, and ensures the elasticity and regeneration of skin.  Some claim that it helps them achieve younger-looking skin and thicker hair. I recommend Vital Proteins Pasture-Raised Collagen Peptides, I like to include it in my smoothies or my coffee in the mornings.  It is tasteless so you can also add it to water if you’d like.

The supplements might help a bit, but I can’t attribute all of my looking younger than I am to them. Drinking enough water and eating healthy foods plays a huge factor.  And genetics help as well.