Aging with intention: A smart strategy for your health span starts early

What healthy aging means

Maybe it’s instigated by a life event: A sick family member, a child’s birth (or grandchild!), your knees hurt when you get up, your first gray hair. So many things in body and mind remind us we’re not teenagers anymore. But our curiosity about aging begins way before the signs. Chances are, no matter how old you are, you’re already doing something to thwart aging — like meditating, using sunscreen, or staying physically or socially active. Physiological aging begins as early as our late 20s. It’s time to acknowledge that if you’re living, you’re aging. And it’s never too early to start doing it healthfully.

But first: We have to stop thinking about healthy aging as being for older people, because foundational nutrition holds the key to feeling strong, vital, and energetic for everyone, regardless of age. In fact, why think about aging at all when we could consider your health span? Health span is about enhancing your quality of life over your whole life. Aside from eking out more time for adventures, experiences, and joy, you hope to feel strong, vibrant, and energetic while you’re at it. And that applies to now, not just your latter years.

This article will explain the steps you can take to support the everyday needs of your body, and the key to supporting your health span — now, and for decades to come.

Stresses on your health span

There’s aging, which every living person does, and there’s supporting your health span, which can help you feel more vibrant now. To get started you’ll need to examine your nutrition, your environment, stress, and gut health.

Those aspects can compound as cumulative “stressors.” The factors that influence aging don’t only affect certain parts of the body — they interconnect and have a head-to-toe impact¹.

• Poor gut health can weaken your immune system, and hinder your body’s ability to protect itself.
• Emotional stress can affect your hormone levels — thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone — which can impact your mental well-being and energy levels.
• Environmental exposures cause stress in your immune system and create disruptions in cellular repair throughout your whole body, including your heart and brain.

Supporting your gut, hormones, heart, and brain with nutrition helps. Antioxidants from citrus fruits, and essential fatty acids like omegas are great for the structural integrity of your brain. Metabolism and normal blood sugar ranges are supported with superfoods like spirulina. And folate and B12 support how your body processes amino acids. Get those nutrients in your diet every day, and you’ll be off to a good start.

What you can do to age healthfully

As you may suspect, there is no quick fix or hack. But starting immediately doesn’t only improve your outcomes later in life, it also helps you feel more energetic today.

The best way to support your health span is through Foundational Nutrition, a plan for whole-body health with support for your circulation, metabolic balance, gut health, immune defenses, cognitive support, and energy.

Supporting circulation and metabolic balance: Circulation and metabolism support are integral to maintaining quality of life. But only one in eight people are metabolically well2. For the other seven of eight, upping your daily intake of B vitamins, superfoods like spirulina, vitamin C, and magnesium will give you the support you need.

It also helps to stay physically active. Cardio, strength training, and stretching trains the body to respond better, regulates metabolism, and maintains strength in muscles and bones. And if you’re already active? Plus it up with daily nutrient replenishment, as it supports your body under physical stress.

Gut health: Wondering how to live to 100? The answers could be multiplying in a centenarian’s gut. Compared to younger groups, centenarians showed increased diversity of gut microbiota, the “good” bacteria that influence metabolism and balance the immune system3.

Scientists are still determining why people with a more favorable gut microbiome outlive those without. Until they figure it out, we must emphasize the importance of prioritizing gut health. Enrich your diet with fiber and antioxidants to help cultivate a healthy gut environment. And you don’t have to wait until you’re 100 to reap the benefits. As a bonus, you’ll enjoy a better immune and inflammatory response throughout the whole body.

Immune system: Your immune defenses are critical for showing up and participating in daily activities. Our immune systems are constantly taxed by our lifestyles and environment, requiring ongoing support to maintain vitality.

Brain: Keep your brain agile by solving puzzles and problems: Our control center is responsible for decision-making, thinking, feeling, and even our ability to move. Support cognitive function with omega-3 fatty acids and phospholipids, a type of fatty acid found in eggs and fish.

Cellular turnover: The body is made up of trillions of cells that are constantly turning over into new healthy cells. A third travels through our bloodstream, bringing nutrients and oxygen to other cells supporting our essential functions. Some of these cells line our gut, which is responsible for absorbing and transferring nutrients into the body from the gut lumen. The lifespan of these cells lasts between 7–120 days before our body naturally recycles them and produces new cells.

Truly, you are what you eat. Balanced nutrition supports your cells for turnover, as many vitamins and minerals, like B12 and Folate, are some of the building blocks in the process. Adequate nutrition supports the cellular turnover process and impacts the quality of cell repair via the immune system. As the body ages, it becomes more difficult for cells to keep up with “fixing” damaged cells. As cellular stress builds up in the body, cells become "zombie cells,” leading to accelerated aging, called cellular senescence.4

Every day, new cells are replacing old ones. To get enough energy to keep the cellular turnover process running smoothly, your body needs a constant infusion of vitamins and minerals.

How you feel tomorrow depends on today

By using what you have in the present, you can start to build a healthy foundation to help your future self feel their best.

AG1 provides powerfully convenient support for your mental and physical health with ingredients optimized for bioavailability, meaning they work with your body’s natural processes to help you face the future feeling strong, vital, and energetic.

By using what you have in the present, you can start to build a healthy foundation to help your future self feel their best.

AG1 provides powerfully convenient support for your mental and physical health with ingredients optimized for bioavailability, meaning they work with your body’s natural processes to help you face the future feeling strong, vital, and energetic.

The benefits of AG1 compound over time, so each step toward a healthier future takes you farther than the last. It feels great to know you’ve laid the foundation for a better day tomorrow. AG1 makes it powerfully simple to start today.*

Now, picture yourself in the distant future. You’ve taken care of yourself with balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and the support of good friends. If that person could reach through time to this moment, and see you planning for decades of a healthy, energetic life, what would they say?

^{* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.}