3. Aging Happens from Both the Inside Out and the Outside In
Many of us like to think that aging is a magical process that
happens deep within our bodies; that some so-called gremlins of
gerontology ratchet down our cells and our systems so we grow
old. You'll learn in this book that aging is not only about
those cellular processes, but, more important, it's how you
respond, adapt to, and deal with the stressors that affect you
from the outside?things like sun and stress and slippery
sidewalks. What does that mean? It means that aging is really
about the rate of aging?specifically, how the outside and inside
factors accelerate or decelerate your aging. Here's the big
secret about aging: Your rate of aging doubles every eight
years. So, if we were able to maintain a forty-year-old's rate
of aging for the rest of our lives, we would live past age one
hundred twenty and "die of old age." While inside out and
outside in both play a role?and both influence each other?your
job is to try to manage both forms, so tha