Healthy ageing or how to age healthily

This multidisciplinary programme is designed for you enjoy optimal physical, mental and emotional health at any age.

Ageing is a natural process that cannot be stopped, but what we can do is to slow down the biological clock. Because, as Vicente Mera, head of the Genomic Medicine and Healthy Ageing Unit at SHA Wellness Clinic, says, “healthy ageing doesn’t just mean the absence of illness, but also a full state of physical, mental and social wellbeing. This is achieved by systematically assessing and planning the ageing process which, in the long run, leads to an improvement in both the quality and length of life expectancy, sometimes with minimal effort”.

To find out why two people born on the same day of the same year may appear to be very different ages, it’s important to recognise the difference between biological and chronological age. “Chronological age only takes into account the effect of the passage of time and is determined by the date of birth”, says the doctor, “whereas biological age considers the added value of the relationships between organs. For example, and using a car analogy, chronological age would be the date the vehicle is registered and biological age would take into account other elements, such as mileage, the type of driving (sport or urban) and the road conditions. That’s why two cars registered at the same time can be in very different condition”.

Chronological age is determined by simply subtracting the year of birth from the current year, but the biological age is calculated differently. Vicente tells us how. “We use many biomarkers with different degrees of significance, such as body mass index and the composition and distribution of the different compartments. We also have genetic biomarkers, which measure telomere length; clinical biomarkers, such as blood pressure, pulse rate and oxygen saturation at rest; and analytical biomarkers, such as basal blood glucose, cholesterol, glycosylated haemoglobin or C-reactive protein”.

Based on all this information, SHA personalises the healthy ageing programme by adapting it to the specific needs of each guest. However, all share a similar methodology based on guidelines for the quality and quantity of nutrition, digestion and healthy hydration; constant, moderate and supervised physical exercise in accordance with cardiorespiratory capacity; stress management; optimisation of rest in general and sleep in particular; hormonal balance; depurative and metabolic capacity; analysis of the non-specific and adaptive immune system and the study of genetic predispositions to prevent the risk of illness. This holistic approach helps to restore vitality, improve physical appearance and optimise general well-being at any age.

To find out more about the healthy ageing programme, please visit: https://shawellness.com/shamagazine/es/tratamiento-rejuvenecimiento/