Don’t Let Aging Happen to You—You Happen to Aging

angelchristensen
May 2
3 min read

By Shannon Kasun, Neuroscience Specialist

Imagine you’ve just been hired as the safety manager of a brand-new building—congratulations! Your first assignment? Design and implement the facility’s fire safety system. You’re given two options:

Install smart sprinklers—an advanced system that detects smoke and automatically activates the sprinkler closest to the source, extinguishing flames before they have a chance to spread.
Skip the sprinkler system entirely. Instead, instruct your team to stay alert for signs of smoke. If a fire breaks out, someone will call the local fire department. They’ll arrive about 10 minutes later—just in time to battle a blaze that’s already raging.

Which do you choose?

It's obvious that Option #1 keeps the building, equipment, and workers safest. It prevents disaster; Option #2 reacts to it—too late.

Now apply that analogy to your health.

You face a similar decision everyday:

Will you proactively support and protect your health—nourishing your body and preventing disease before it takes root?
Or will you wait until symptoms flare—until the “fire” has already started—to seek help?

Unfortunately, modern healthcare operates under Option #2. You get sick, go to the doctor, and (hopefully) they help manage your symptoms with prescriptions, pills, and procedures. It’s a reactive system—putting out fires, rather than preventing them.

But what if we could act before the first cough, ache, or wave of fatigue? What if we could intervene early—long before illness ever manifests?

That’s the essence of proactive medicine—and exactly what we stand for at CerePro Bioscience.

You shouldn’t wait until your health is failing to care about it—because by then, the fire may already be spreading. Instead, step in early. Be proactive. Take the small, daily steps that protect your body, preserve your vitality, and extend your longevity.

I’m currently reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Early in the first chapter, author Stephen Covey emphasizes proactivity. “Don’t let life happen to you,” he says. “You happen to life.”

The same applies to health and aging.

Don’t passively accept the illnesses, pains, and aches that often accompany aging. Take the wheel. Aging, by definition, is the gradual deterioration of the physiological processes essential for survival. It is inevitable—but how you age is up to you. By adopting a proactive mindset, you regain control of your health and your future.

A proactive mindset prevents fires before they start.

When you make the conscious decision to eat right, exercise regularly, and prioritize sleep, you reduce your risk of the very diseases that bring millions of people unnecessary pain. 80% of chronic diseases—conditions like heart disease and diabetes—are preventable (Katz et al., 2018). Yet, 6 in 10 Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease (CDC, 2024).

You have the power to change your trajectory. Choose prevention. Choose proactivity.

Start taking control of your aging journey with these "sprinklers":

Move your body

Walk. Lift weights. Dance. Do wall-sits. Garden.
Do anything but nothing.

Sleep

Aim for 7-8 hours tonight.
Avoid screens 1-2 hours before bed.
Take a warm bath 1-2 hours before bed to cool your body and signal it’s time for sleep.
Keep your room dark and cool.

Nutrition

Get 25-30g of protein per meal to activate mTOR, a biological signaling pathway that promotes muscle building.
Make veggies the lead, not a supporting character.
For a healthy spring/summer treat, try this: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjS8myAY/

Outdoor exposure

Spend 20 minutes in sunshine in the morning. This helps regulate your circadian rhythm and boosts vitamin D levels.

Meditation

Just 13 minutes a day can make a difference—even if you’re a beginner (Basso et al., 2019).
Check out Insight Timer for some guided meditation sessions.

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