Most people think that they’re too busy to chill out… OR they think that chilling out means binge watching Netflix, skipping gym time for a few days, or finishing a pint of Halo Top… “Treat Yo Self!”… right?
But you guys… this is WRONG!
As a culture, we all seriously need to start chilling out more. BUT FIRST we need to redefine chilling out so that when we do give ourselves a break from our crazy demanding lives (work, family, side-gigs… you name it) our bodies can tap into the healing power of taking a break.
Because if you don’t learn to truly relax, it’s going to take a toll on your health and life expectancy. You’ve probably heard about 18,375 reasons stress is bad for you… but did you know that stress affects your DNA, can shorten your lifespan, and increases your chances of developing a chronic disease like diabetes or cancer?
Here’s how it works:
You already know about DNA. But you probably haven’t heard much about telomeres. Here’s what you need to know:
- They’re the caps of your DNA… a protein structure that ‘caps’ each end of every chromosome, and evidence shows that telomere length plays a big part in your overall health.
- As we get older, our telomeres naturally shorten.
- Shorter telomeres affect health & lifespan.
- Telomere length can be affected by our lifestyle choices.
- Diet & exercise can help delay shortening of telomeres – AND delay onset of disease while increasing lifespan.
- Stress shortens telomeres. Studies show that children who grow up in stressful environments have shorter telomeres on average.
I’m not sharing all of this to depress you or make you feel bad for not being healthier.
It’s important to understand the impact of telomeres on your health because there are plenty of ways to preserve & lengthen your telomeres – mainly, chilling out.
And I don’t mean binge-watching Breaking Bad again (too much TV has even been shown to stress you out more).
Activities like meditation, exercise, yoga, and getting enough sleep have all been shown to have a positive effect on telomere length & overall health.
Here’s thE bottom line: you’ve probably read or seen or heard that your lifestyle choices can contribute to premature aging and chronic disease. But unless you have a compelling reason to change, altering your daily choices can be hard.
But you don’t have to do something big or drastic or scary to improve your health forever.
Something as small as adding a salad to your lunch and dinner every day, taking 15 minutes to meditate and focus on your breath, or joining a yoga class 2 days a week can help you rewire your DNA – and prolong your life while lowering your chance of developing a chronic disease. (Not to mention you’ll look & feel better! Bonus!)
So choose health. Take a small step every day toward your improved health.
You are your own best medicine.
To your health,
Dr. Kien
PS: You have to check out this video I made about telomeres.
