Why Do We Die?

by Scott Sonnon

Aging is the slow process of death overcoming us. It is our duty, responsibility and privilege to combat aging so that we can enrich the lives of our loved ones, and so that we can leave the Earth a better place than when we arrived.

When we are young we feel invincible, so we make mistakes which cost us years. Yet when we come to draw our final breath, losing even precious minutes is heart-breaking. Within the century that we currently get to spend on Earth we can take preventative measures to slow and to avoid accelerating the breakdown of our physical lives. If we take such measures we may, we just may, see the end of this genetic anomaly called "aging."

Aging is a gradual loss of complexity resulting in the deterioration of an organism caused by strain (an overabundance of stress), which eventually ends in loss of the animating force -- an event that we call "death." This begins at the cellular level after the onset of full adulthood, when the brain reaches full development at around age 25 (yes, the brain is still cooking until our mid-20s).

Many different theories exist as to why this breakdown occurs. Some scientists believe that we are programmed to self-destruct after so many cell divisions or heart beats. Others theorize that we carry an array of accidental suicide genes which only activate in our later years after reproduction, and as a result those aging agents are never deselected for continued representation in the gene pool (The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins).

But what can all scientists agree upon?

STRAIN CAUSES AGING!

Strain - or stress beyond that which the body can adapt to - accelerates the aging process (some scientists theorize that it is the neuro-biochemistry of strain which "turns on" the suicide genes of aging).

We experience great strain upon our nervous, endocrine and immune systems from the environment, incurred through pollutants, oxidation and glycation. We fabricate enormous amounts of emotionally-induced strain through mental catastrophizing, fear and terror. But we can avoid, prevent, respond to, and recover from the adverse affects of strain. (One way that we can do this is by adaptation of a stronger organism through positive stressors.) Doing so takes us step-by-step closer to the dawn of immortality.

Immortality is not merely a science fiction possibility. In controlled laboratory settings cells from animals that live fairly short lives have been kept alive for decades with no apparent aging. Geneticists and nanotechnicians predict that we will unlock the mystery to extended longevity within 20 years (Fantastic Voyage, Ray Kurzwell, Terry Grossman, M.D.).

So, how do we defeat aging?

How do we become immortal?

We ought to focus upon creating anti-aging bridges until that time arrives. At the very least, doing so avoids early death and improves quality of life.

Slay Sugar - Gain Life

The easiest bridge to immortality involves not eating sugar, white flour and simple carbs.

The first and foremost threat is the world's most insidious, most widely accepted, distributed and sponsored drug. That's right. Sugar. This ubiquitous substance promotes the growth of a variety of pathological cells that include candida, fungal infections and cancer. Sugar competes with Vitamin C for the same transport system, so it blocks immune-competence and the rebuilding of bodily tissues. Sugar cross-links protein molecules to one another - the primary scientific cause of "aging." Sugar increases the production of adrenaline by up to 4 times, resulting in a chronic activation of the "fight or flight" syndrome which hastens the breakdown of bodily tissues. This also increases levels of cortisone (which inhibits the immune system) and cholesterol.

Eat 1/3 of your bodyweight in grams of protein for breakfast one hour after waking. It's easy to throw something into your belly in the morning to stop the hunger pang and then get out the door, even if it's just a hot cup of coffee. However, you're only setting yourself up for a biochemical crash and an afternoon "siesta". The crash will be that much greater if you consume any type of white flour or refined sugar to break your overnight fast.

If you get in the habit of taking in 1/3 of your bodyweight in grams of protein for breakfast, after two to three weeks you will see a dramatic improvement in your afternoon energy (no crash!), you won't have that late morning craving for a snack which calls to you from the vending machine or the coffee break room, and you will find that you actually have enough energy in the evening to exercise! (You may also find that after a few weeks, you'll begin waking with more energy, and you’ll be able to exercise before you go to work!)

It’s best to displace rather than replace. If you add protein, you'll displace the 'craving' for coffee, sugar and simple carb "fast burn" junk. It takes time, but I promise you that your health, performance and physique are worth it!

Keep up the Sex Drive through Exercise

Providing the system with proper nutrients while maintaining lean body mass is critical to our anti-aging war. We're basically combating our very genetic lottery. In the rest of the animal kingdom, most creatures die soon after reproduction. Those individuals, that generation, no longer serves what its genes consider to be a "useful purpose," since it has done its duty as a "genetic delivery system" by propagating itself to the next generation.

Scientists theorize that it's not the act of reproduction but the lifestyle shift of typical parenting which triggers those suicide genes responsible for aging and eventual death. So what can you do about it? You can maintain the lifestyle of pre-parenthood. Vigorous exercise and maintaining a high level of sexual health by keeping ones hormonal profiles intact is very important. Supplement with anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals daily. Don't allow your body fat to sneak up on you, because it has a major negative impact on aging and overall health.

Staying physically active with daily exercise aids the anti-aging process significantly -- IF it embodies a "health first" approach. Practices such as under-restoration, repeated over-reaching of exertion, over-training, poor form, and lack of adaptive duration all contribute to the aging process, especially that of our connective tissue. We are literally as old as our connective tissue. If your chiropractor tells you that you have the elbows, shoulders, knees, hips or spine of someone 30 years older, guess what? You are 30 years older. Fortunately, an unknown percentage of that accelerated aging remains reversible. That is if you get off your duff, put your ego in the passenger seat, and start reclaiming control over your diet, exercise and recovery.

There is just no reason to "give up". Even one small act, one choice to step away from the donut, to push on to the next complexity level in your joint mobility and yoga practice, or to step up and grab your Clubbells™ by the balls, adds quality minutes to your life. The quality of life that we all lead in the years that we have is in our own hands.

Make the most of it, my friends. The future is bright -- and infinite.

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Alone... Together,