At some point, we all search for the Fountain of Youth.
Now, I’m not claiming to have found it, but I did recently revisit a facet of keeping your cells healthy and I want to share with you.
Have you ever heard of telomeres?
If not, I’ll explain. (and if you have – maybe you’ll learn something new!) Telomeres are the protective ends of each of your chromosomes.
Think of them like the hard plastic pieces at the end of your shoestrings that keep them from fraying.
Over time, the plastic piece at the end of your shoestrings starts to get worn, fray, and sometimes disintegrates altogether. Your shoestring becomes vulnerable to disintegration and, really becomes dysfunctional at that point. Time to buy a new pair of shoestrings. And the same thing happens with our telomeres.
Telomeres protect our chromosomes from ‘fraying’ each time our chromosomes replicate (billions and billions of times throughout our life).
Over time, the telomeres start to get worn and fray. When they completely disintegrate, our chromosomes no longer replicate wholly. Physical evidence of this shows in things like wrinkles, grey hair, and slow healing.
So, if we can keep our telomeres healthy, can we stave off wrinkles, grey hair, and “aging”?
Yes! Research shows you can slow the aging process by keeping your telomeres from fraying and allow them to protect your chromosomes. Two research-backed ways to invest in your telomere health:
20-30 minutes of exercise / day
10-20 minutes of meditation / day
It doesn’t take long to make a positive impact!
The reality is, we all know exercise helps us live a longer, healthier life. And we know that deliberate, daily quieting of the mind through prayer or meditation helps us live a longer, healthier life.
Since we can’t buy new chromosomes like we can buy new shoestrings, it’s a good thing we know a couple ways to invest in our chromosomes and telomeres. Just a few weeks of regular meditation showed a statistically significant increase in telomere length!
This week, create deliberate time for movement and for meditation.
Your chromosomes and telomeres will thank you. Besides – you deserve it!
With love and inspiration,
Dr. Michelle