As you age, you start to notice differences in the way you feel, the way you look and in your health in general. Many of these changes are totally normal and to be expected, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about them. Some changes are more sinister and are actually caused by underlying inflammation and auto-immune disorders. This latter group we refer to as inflammaging.

What is inflammaging? Inflammaging is a form of chronic low-grade inflammation that can develop as part of the body’s natural aging process. Inflammaging accelerates biological aging and can worsen age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and osteoporosis. Low-grade inflammation as you age will also result in increased prevalence of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as leaving hair and nails brittle and susceptible to breakage. Inflammaging is a consequence of long-term and chronic physiological stimulation of the immune system over the course of one’s life.

So how to fight inflammaging and stop it accelerating the aging process? Incorporating regular anti-aging exercise into your routine, along with taking the right supplements, is a sure-fire way to reduce inflammation and turn back the clock on aging. Exercises to slow aging might sound far-out, but there are certain workouts you can do that have the ability to fight aging on a cellular level. Combine some of these exercises with a rigorous anti-aging supplement regime and you’ll be well on your way to re-establishing that youthful glow.

High intensity interval training, or HIIT as it is commonly referred to, involves short periods of intense exercise interspersed with easier recovery periods.

Research has found that HIIT workouts can have a super powerful effect on aging. According to a study published in the European Heart Journal, regular HIIT training can help to preserve something called our ‘telomeres’. Telomeres are the caps at the end of our DNA structures that protect our chromosomes from damage and ‘fraying’. A good way to imagine their appearance, and their role, is to picture the plastic covering at either end of a shoelace.

How does HIIT training protect our DNA from damage? Firstly it defends against the natural shrinkage of the telomeres that occurs ordinarily with age. Furthermore, HIIT has been shown to increase the length of telomeres, thereby increasing their protective function. Some people have naturally longer (and thus more protective) telomeres than others, but regular HIIT workouts can help to level the playing field.

A typical HIIT workout can last anywhere from seven minutes to half an hour, depending on your fitness level. We love Kirsty Godso’s workouts. Kirsty is a Nike Master Trainer with a focus on HIIT and resistance training that’s effective whatever your level. The study referenced above saw growth in the telomere length of middle-aged participants regardless of their initial level of fitness.

Whilst HIIT is the most effective form of exercise for anti-aging, it’s effectiveness is enhanced by interspersing it with endurance workouts to support your cardiovascular health.

In addition to supporting your heart, lungs and circulatory system, swimming can also elicit anti-aging benefits that include reduced blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels. Swimming is a particularly great workout if you're suffering from joint pain, brittle bones or age-related niggles as it is innately low-impact and can improve flexibility in the joints while at the same time reducing joint inflammation.

Key ingredients of LYMA’s formula can help to combat age-related inflammation.

HydroCurc®, as formulated at 250mg in LYMA, is a highly bioavailable and patented form of anti-inflammatory compound curcumin. Supplementing daily with curcumin has been shown to reduce joint inflammation and boost your post-workout recovery by mitigating the effects of inflammatory markers associated with intense exercise.

Pro tip: you can even turn swimming into a HIIT workout by coupling short bursts of intense freestyle with more relaxed bouts of languid backstroke!

Dancing isn’t only fantastic for your fitness and physique at any age, dancing has absolutely incredible anti-aging brain-health benefits too. In fact, research has concluded that dancing - specifically choreographed dancing - is the only form of exercise that has a discernible impact on reducing age-related cognitive decline.

Choreographed dancing, it seems, can function as both a prevention and as a treatment for neurodegenerative and memory disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Researchers think that the combination of physical exertion and mental processing involved in following the steps, or learning the choreography coupled with actually moving the body, might have something to do with it. What is certain is that the sum is greater than its parts, as neither pattern memory tests nor free-style dancing delivered the same results.

Dancing is fun, sociable, varied and can stop neurodegeneration in its tracks. What’s not to love about that?

LYMA contains Cognizin®, the world’s leading nootropic. Cognizin® is formulated at 250mg in the LYMA formula and has been shown to mitigate the effects of age-related mental impairment.

Supplementing with Cognizin® can improve memory, mood and focus in people of all ages and is particularly potent in slowing cognitive decline. Supplementing with Cognizin® may even help to prevent the onset of dementia.

Weight training is important at any age in order to keep your bones strong and maintain musculoskeletal integrity and a healthy posture. However, these things become all the more urgent as you age.

Bone loss occurs naturally from the age of 35 onwards so prevention and intervention are key. Falls, fractures and osteoporosis are common complaints in old age, and if you want to prevent bone loss and breakage , you should start lifting weights now. Weight-bearing exercises help to strengthen bones, muscles, joints and connective tissue.

Furthermore, weight training has been shown to increase motivation and confidence in older people, with one particularly interesting study highlighting the potential mental and emotional benefits of lifting weights. Those people who lifted weights were more likely to engage in other forms of exercise too.

MenaQ7® Matrix is the world’s most bioavailable form of Vitamin K2 and is formulated at a clinical dose of 75µg in LYMA. Formulated in combination with Vita-Algae D3™ at 2,000 i.u. to support your body’s natural calcium metabolism, MenaQ7® Matrix (Vitamin K2) facilitates the efficient delivery of calcium to the parts of the body that need it most, bolstering the health of your heart and bones in the process.

When your body ceases to function as well as it once did, it can be hard to ramp up the motivation required to hit the gym hard. You may not be physically capable of dancing, running or lifting weights. If this sounds like you, then how about a walk?

Walking is perhaps the best anti-aging prescription of all. A daily walk is a wonderful way to move the entire body; it is innately weight-bearing which means that you’ll be getting a lot of the same benefits as you would from lifting weights at the gym, including improved bone strength, joint health and muscular function. Plus, evidence points towards the copious benefits of walking for your mental health.

One study reported that after four months of committing to a daily 30 minute walk, people’s lung capacity had improved dramatically, their risk of disability has plummeted by 41%, and the likelihood of them experiencing cardiovascular problems was reduced by 32%.

Furthermore walking every day improved participants’ ability to perform well on cognition tests and in carrying out routine daily tasks and - as if that weren’t enough to convince you to put on your shoes and head out of the door - participants universally reported that they were happier and had a sunnier outlook on life at the end of the study.

Learning to exercise right is one of the keys to aging well. When you learn to move your body in cell-supporting and anti-inflammaging ways, and combine regular movement with taking the right supplements, then you’ll be well on your way to hacking the aging process and stopping it from working against you. Our goal is to help you reclaim your wellbeing and to feel the best you’ve ever felt, regardless of age. When it comes to maintaining healthy inflammation levels and slowing down the ageing process more generally, LYMA is in a league of its own.

Always consult your medical professional if you have a medical condition, or existing health protocol, before beginning any new supplementation regime.