The New Science of Aging: Your DNA Is Not Your Destiny | Time Bomb #1: DNA

**Dr. Vonda Wright** (0:00)
Your DNA is not your destiny. How to rewrite your biological future. I hear it in my clinic every single day. A woman sits across from me, frustrated by the changes in her body and says, well, my mother had bad bones, so I guess I will too. Or something like, my father had heart disease, so it's just a matter of time. We have been culturally conditioned to believe that our genetic code is a life sentence.
But only 30% of our health and lifespan is determined by our genetics. The other 70%, that is determined by your lifestyle choices. And to me, that is so helpful.
Your DNA is simply the architectural blueprint. You, you are the master builder. Today, we are talking about the first major time bomb of aging.
DNA changes and damage, and how you can build shields to build an unbreakable lifestyle and protect your future. Think of your DNA as a grand piano. The keys don't change, but your lifestyle choices, how you move, what you eat, how you manage stress, they are the sheet music. They determine which keys are played and how loudly, and when a single session of aerobic exercise changes the expression of more than 9,000 genes that influence your metabolism, your proteins and your lipids. Telomeres are the protective end caps at the ends of your chromosomes, like the plastic aglets at the ends of your shoelaces. Every time your cells divide, these telomeres get a little shorter and a little shorter, and when they become too short, the cell can no longer divide. For women, as estrogen declines during the menopause transition, or menalescence, as I like to call it, our telomeres shrink rapidly. We lose that biological shield.
Research shows that just 90 minutes of strength training a week is associated with telomere lengths that represent nearly four years less biological aging.
Lifting heavy things can literally make your cells younger. A structured aerobic program has been shown to positively improve telomere length after just six months. You are not just burning calories. You are preserving the plastic end caps of your chromosomal shoelaces. So what do we do to build the unbreakable shields? First, fuel the engine. A diet rich in antioxidants like the Mediterranean style of eating combats oxidative stress that freys our telomeres. Second, manage the hormonal matrix. Hormone optimization, when appropriate, can help preserve telomere length and maintain protective benefits of your estrogen. Third, master your stress. Chronic stress and poor sleep accelerate telomere shortening.
Mindfulness and quality sleep are biologic imperatives. We are not the victims of the passage of time. We are architects of our own longevity. Through strategic movement, unbreakable nourishment, and a commitment to your own unbreakable lifestyle, you can alter your genetic expression. You can actually protect your telomeres. Longevity is built by design. If you have learned from this episode about the time bombs of aging and the shields that you can build to make your unbreakable lifestyle, you can find all the information in depth in my book Unbreakable, A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power. This book has been transformational in the lives of hundreds of thousands of women, and I invite you to read it too. So subscribe to this channel and go get your copy of Unbreakable, A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power.