When Will My Body Start to Lose Its Strength and Vigor?

Hey there, Superman! Remember when you thought you were invincible? Those were the days when you could hit the Taco Bell drive-thru at 2 am to pick up ten tacos because you were hungry after a long night of partying. After a few hours of sleep, you would wake up on the sofa with hot sauce stains on your shirt. All you needed was a rinse in the shower, some clean clothes, and an energy drink to be good-to-go for another day. What happened to that guy?

That guy isn't a kid anymore! Abusing your body with crappy food, binge drinking, and surviving on four hours of sleep doesn't quite cut it these days. Your body is starting to show signs of all that wear and tear. You notice the early indications of a dad-bod and don't even have kids yet!

The most challenging part is that you don't want to accept the physical changes to your once-invincible self. Accept it or not, Father Time comes for us all. 

While becoming an old man is inevitable, it doesn't need to happen as quickly as it might. It's possible to delay the onset of aging, but you need to start now.

When does aging begin?

Most men fail to realize that aging doesn't occur everywhere in the body at the same time. Your heart may show signs of aging before your brain. You may feel physically strong, but your cardio seems to be weakening. Each individual's timeline varies based on several factors like genetics, diet, exercise, and sleep patterns.

Assuming all things are equal, let's take a look at how a body ages:

• Heart - As we get older, our heart loses its ability to maintain the same blood flow rate. Our vessels begin to lose elasticity around age 40

• Lungs - The average 30-year-old man can suck in around two pints of oxygen, but your lung capacity decreases at age 35. Over the next 30 years, you'll be lucky to get a single pint.

• Brain - Believe it or not, your brain is usually the first thing to deteriorate. Starting around 24, the amount of neurons in your head decreases by the day. Neuroscientists estimate that by age 40, you could slough off about 10,000 neurons daily.

• Penis - Sadly, not far behind the loss of brain cells is your sexual function. A man reaches his peak in his late teens, but it's a hormonal thing. It gets dicey in your 30s when blood flow is an issue, and your ability to perform becomes intermittent.

• Muscles - The process of building muscle is continuous throughout your lifetime. Physical activity breaks them down, and they repair themselves to make you stronger. When you hit 30, muscle starts to break down faster than it can rebuild. At 40, the average man can lose up to two percent of muscle mass per year.

That covers the parts of the body that most men care about. If you like to party and your liver is a concern, don't worry too much. The liver is a beast! Not only is it resilient into your 70s, but it only takes 90 days for a liver to regenerate up to fifty percent. Probably not a bad idea to ease of the sauce though.

You're on the clock

Unless you're twenty-something and reading this on your phone while waiting to place an order at a Taco Bell drive-thru, the race against time has begun. Whether you're stuck in the starting blocks or tripped out of the gate, there's still time for you to catch up. 

Remember, Father Time runs in sandals and robes while carrying a shepherd's hook with a big clock around his neck. He may not be fast, but he's steady.

The fundamentals

We're sure this won't be the first time you hear this, but every good play starts with the fundamentals. In the fight against aging, the basics are eating better, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, and taking daily supplements.

This article is not a lecture on healthy living, so we'll be brief, but we want to point out where many men go wrong. We men love to go a total 180 on a lot of stuff when only a few degrees could make all the difference. 

When we say eat better, it doesn't have to mean kale smoothies and embracing veganism. Maybe try a green salad instead of fries with your burger or water instead of soda. Regular exercise could be a brisk daily walk or a game of hoops. You don't need to join CrossFit or sign-up for an early morning boot camp. Don't feel that you need to go to extremes. Just get started with something.

Next-level wellness

Like any other activity, anti-aging and wellness have a next level. Achieving a higher level of wellness doesn't require a guru or a sensei, but the same principle applies. After all, what does a coach do other than get you to focus on the details?

By hammering individual skills through repetition, you become stronger and more skilled overall. As it applies to wellness, you reach the next level when you address aging in each part of the body. Train your brain, heart, and penis individually to fight aging most effectively throughout your entire system.

Remember that every person ages uniquely and asynchronously. Do you know what part of your body is aging most quickly? Probably not. 

Why aren't you giving the essential parts of your body the individual attention they require?

Anther! Male wellness where it counts.