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刘轩

6 Things You Know about Aging that aren’t True
六个关于老化的错误观念

You’ve probably heard a thousand times that as you age, your body and mind begin to “go”—you can no longer move the way you used to and your health deteriorates. But those “facts” couldn’t be further from the truth. Aging doesn’t have to mean decline, in fact, just the opposite.
这些话你可能听过无数遍了：你的身体和智力会随着年龄的增长「衰退」-- 你再也无法像以前行动自如，健康状况也恶化。但那些「事实」与真相根本相差甚远，老化不代表退化，其实正好相反。

Contrary to popular belief, getting older is not synonymous with declining health. Deepak Chopra, M.D., tells you the good news.
与众人观念相反，年龄的增长不等于健康衰退。让Deepak Chopra医师告诉你这个好消息。

Myth #1: Your genes predetermine how healthy you are
Why it's not true: Although the gene sequence you were born with is fixed, gene expression depends on how you live your life. Simply put: We are beginning to learn that your thoughts, emotions, levels of stress, sleep, exercise, breathing, and mind-body coordination can affect your gene expression. This means that you can turn on or dial up the good genes and turn off or dial down the bad genes. The idea that we can influence our genes is the new science of epigenetics, and something I am currently researching. What we may find with epigenetics is that we each have much more control over the cellular biology of aging.

迷思#1：你的基因决定了你的健康
错误所在：虽然基因在你出生时就决定好了，但基因特性与你的生活方式有关。简单来说：你的思想、情绪、压力程度、睡眠、运动、呼吸和身心协调会影响你的基因特性。也就是说，你能开启或加强好的基因、关闭或减弱坏的基因。这种靠后天影响基因的行为就是我正在研究的新学科--后遗传学。我们可能从后遗传学中发现自己比想象中更能掌控细胞老化行为。


Myth #2: Getting older means feeling older
Why it's not true: We each have a chronological age and a biological age. Your chronological age is the age on your birth certificate and answers the question, "How many times have you, in this body, revolved around the sun?" Your biological age basically reflects how well your body is functioning. Biological age is based on everything from your blood pressure and body fat, to your bone density and cholesterol levels. It is determined by several factors and does not have to match your chronological age. How you perceive the process of aging, your expectations and beliefs; how you experience time and how energetic you feel actually determines the biology of aging. Think about it this way: A 50-year-old who takes good care of herself can have the biology of a 35-year-old. Alternatively, a 50-year-old who has let himself go may have the biology of someone many years older. You can be much younger biologically than what your birth certificate says.

迷思#2：随着年纪增长感到老化
错误所在：每个人都有实际年龄和生物年龄。你的实际年龄是出生证明上的年纪，也代表着：「你和你的身体，绕着地球转了几圈？」你的生物年龄则反映着你身体的运作状态，从血压、体脂肪到骨骼密度和胆固醇都会影响你的生物年龄，它由很多因素决定，与实际年龄不一定相等。你如何看待老化，你的期待和信念是什么，你如何度过人生和你的积极度决定了你的生物年龄。你可以这样想：「认真保养身体的50岁中年人生物年龄仅35岁。而50岁不重视保养的人生物年龄可能比实际多了好几岁。你的生物年龄可以比出生证明上的年轻很多。


Myth #3: Your body gets frail as you age
Why it's not true: Your body doesn’t have to get frail when you get older. You can increase both the strength and mass of your muscles and even improve bone density through exercises and weight-training. Within six weeks of beginning to exercise, studies show 100 to 200 percent increase in strength in men aged 60 to 70. And walking for 30 minutes, five days a week, can add more than seven years to your life, according to a recent Harvard University study.

迷思#3：你的身体随着年龄变虚弱
错误所在：年龄增长不会导致身体虚弱。你可以透过运动和重量训练增强体能、肌肉量和骨骼密度。根据近日哈佛大学研究显示，在运动六周后，60到70岁的人能增强100到200%的体力；一周进行五次30分钟散步，可至少增加7年寿命。


Myth #4: Your brain is destined to deteriorate over time
Why it's not true: If you think you lose brain cells as you get older, and those cells are gone forever, think again. Research shows that some areas of the brain involved with memory and learning continue to produce new nerve cells every day. So while you do lose brain cells every day, you also are constantly replacing brain cells. The best thing you can do to build new brain cells is to keep your brain active with new activities and learning. And one of the best things you can do for your brain later in life, research shows, is learn a new language. (Though learning anything new is good for your brain.) One more thing about your brain: Only 3 to 4% of disease-related gene mutations, including mutations for Alzheimer's disease, are genetically determined. Most disease-related gene mutations are influenced by lifestyle including emotions, quality of sleep, diet, and stress levels. You don’t have to get Alzheimer’s disease or lose mental alertness as you grow old, unless you have a rare gene mutation.

迷思#4：你的大脑注定跟随时间衰退
错误所在：如果你认为随着年龄增长，脑细胞会跟着永久消失，那你最好再仔细想想。研究显示大脑某些与记忆和学习有关的区域会每天制造新的神经细胞。所以就算你的脑细胞每天消失，新的细胞还是不断被递补进来。建造新脑细胞的最佳方法是让大脑多接触新的活动和学习新的事物。而研究表示，晚年对大脑最好的做法是学习新的语言。（虽然学习任何新事物都对大脑有好处。）另外，只有3到4%疾病相关的突变基因在出生时就存在着，包括阿兹海默症的突变基因在内。大部份疾病相关的突变基因是被情绪、睡眠品质、饮食和压力程度等生活习惯影响。除非你有罕见的基因突变，否则你不会因为变老罹患阿兹海默症或脑力迟缓。


Myth #5: Your energy decreases as you age
Why it's not true: Energy levels in the body don’t depend on age—they depend on your attitude and are influenced by the quality of your life. Meditation, restful sleep, and exercise are the best ways to experience a joyful and energetic body.

迷思#5：你的体力会随着年龄变差
错误所在：体力与年龄没有直接关系-- 关系着它的是你的态度和生活品质。冥想、深沈的睡眠和运动是拥有快乐人生和强健体格的不二法门。


Myth #6: The older you are, the more unhappy you are
Why it's not true: Happiness has nothing to do with aging. In fact, the later years can be the best time of your life. Many studies have shown that people get happier as they age. If you eat healthfully, exercise, take care of your mind, and stay connected with others, you can influence your happiness levels, and what I call your "Set Point".

迷思#6：年纪越大，越不快乐
错误所在：年纪增长并不会影响快乐的程度，事实上，老年可以是人生中最美好的时光。很多研究显示人们在年纪增长的同时也变得更快乐。健康饮食、运动、保健脑力并且时常与人接触，都能让你更加快乐，也就是Deepak Chopra说称的「定位点」。

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