Your body comes with built-in superpowers. And sort of like plants, flowers, and trees, you only need the right conditions to flourish.
Specifically, our superpower is what I like to call “restricted regeneration”. For any of you who don’t know, the concept of regeneration is simple — if you lose a body part, you regrow it.
Now this might sound like it’s straight out of a sci-fi movie, but regeneration can be found in nature:
- Deers who’ve lost their antlers can grow their bone back at a whopping rate of 60 pounds (27 kilograms) in three months
- Starfish have an abundance of stem cells, so those who’ve had their arms cut off can recover their whole bodies as long as vital organs are intact
- Lizards have a “switch” in their bodies for 326 genes related to embryonic development, and they can use it to regenerate their tails even if they’ve had their spines completely severed
Now what does this mean for your health? Well, it’s obvious we can’t regrow limbs, and we all know how our skin can grow back, but what about stuff on the inside?
Your Liver
The liver has the greatest regenerative capacity of any organ in your body.
In a case of severe alcohol poisoning, or a horrific Tylenol overdose, or any other one-time toxin overload, any of these could kill over half your liver cells.
But guess what? If you were committed to repairing your health, and didn’t experience any additional complications, your liver would completely heal after 30 days! (Even more interesting, if you voluntarily gave away 70% of your liver and it was healthy to begin with, the whole thing can grow back from the 30% you had left!)
Your Brain
Experts used to believe memory loss and and declining cognitive skills were the inevitable result of aging. Now, scientists know that if you exercise, your brain can strengthen old cells and generate new ones!
Experts used to believe memory loss and and declining cognitive skills were the inevitable result of aging. Now, scientists know that if you exercise, your brain can strengthen old cells and generate new ones!
Muscles
Research discovered 70-year-olds who regularly lifted weights were as strong as 28-year-olds who didn’t work out. That’s a 42 year gap!
Research discovered 70-year-olds who regularly lifted weights were as strong as 28-year-olds who didn’t work out. That’s a 42 year gap!
Heart
An unhealthy lifestyle can make your arteries become stiff and clogged with fat. On top of this, ageing also weakens your heart’s ability to contract and pump blood. Both of these can add up to 40 years to your biological age. However, with exercise, your heart muscle will learn to contract more forcefully, making your arteries more supple and flexible — like you’ve aged in reverse!
Bones
Your skeleton grows lighter with time because your bones start to lose strength as you get older. But research shows lifting weights pumps up your body’s natural bone-building system so that your bone density increases instead — again, another age-defying feat!
Your skeleton grows lighter with time because your bones start to lose strength as you get older. But research shows lifting weights pumps up your body’s natural bone-building system so that your bone density increases instead — again, another age-defying feat!
So you see? There is NEVER giving up hope that you can influence your own health outcomes.
There are so many things we can do on a daily basis to keep ourselves healthy, and all it takes is priming our bodies to maximize their regenerative capabilities. If you give your body what it needs, it IS possible to experience new cellular growth (no matter what age you’re at), and in some cases, you could slow aging or completely reverse it.
All you need to do to bring out your natural regenerative capabilities is to eat healthy, workout, and treat your body the RIGHT way, which is exactly what I teach in Best of You.
The main takeaway? I hope you feel INSPIRED to reach your goals today! Get your steps in, nourish yourself with veggies, and stay away from inflammatory foods. All of your hard work today accumulate into amazing things for your future health.
