In an interview, the presenter and author reveals how she keeps Nina Ruge fit and how she celebrates her 65th birthday.
“For over 20 years I have spurned desserts, cakes, white bread, sweet drinks, sweet fruit – and I don’t miss anything”: TV presenter and author Nina Ruge (65), who is currently writing her new book “Rejuvenation is possible: Scientifically researched – what really helps” (Gräfe und Unzer) explains how she keeps fit. In an interview with spot on news, she also reveals how she is celebrating her 65th birthday on August 24th.
In “Rejuvenation is Possible” you explain how you can grow old in a healthy way. Which findings did you surprise yourself?
Nina Ruge: There was a lot! What impressed me most, however, was the so-called TRIIM study: Nine men had injected a “rejuvenation cocktail” into their abdominal wall every day for almost a year – and their cells actually showed increasing rejuvenation. In addition, their thymus gland regenerated, which is extremely important for our immune system and which normally has long since ceased to work in people of this age. This is really a sensation …
You are now officially 65. A cell analysis revealed that you are biologically seven years younger. Does that correspond to your “perceived age”?
Ruge: Well – how does a 65-year-old feel – and how does a 58-year-old feel? No idea! I feel mentally and physically in top shape, but sometimes I feel the need for breaks and regeneration. That was never the case before. Today, for example, I regularly treat myself to “power naps”, a wonderful short nap in the early afternoon.
Hollywood star Julianne Moore criticized the expression “aging gracefully” in an interview with “As If” magazine. And also said: Nobody has a choice regarding aging, so it is neither positive nor negative. It is part of human existence. “Why do we always talk about it like it’s something we are in control of?” Would you agree with that?
Ruge: I think we have a lot of influence on aging. The personal attitude to which Julianne Moore alludes can range from desperate defense to humorous acceptance. And we can definitely positively influence the physical aging process. After all, it is estimated that only 30 percent of aging is genetically programmed. We have around 70 percent in our own hands: through optimal nutrition, correct breathing, regular exercise, with the help of food supplements, etc.!
You describe the subject of nutrition in detail in your book. What do you completely do without yourself?
Ruge: Particularly important: do without the killer sugar! For over 20 years I have spurned desserts, cakes, white bread, sweet drinks, sweet fruit – and I don’t miss anything. Meat, fish, ready meals, industrially produced foods are not on the table. Just like fried food, fried in bad oil or egg noodles, peeled rice, etc. Vegetable dishes of all kinds – whether Asian, Italian or traditional German – I am addicted, as well as fresh wholemeal bread, good cheese or meatless soups of all kinds.
What is the place of fasting in you?
Ruge: Not a very big one. I only eat twice a day, I also skip snacks – but what I cancel is breakfast. Dinner canceling would have much more intense effects, but I don’t feel like doing that. Dinner together with my husband and friends is too valuable to me. And I tried classic therapeutic fasting – the result was circulatory collapse and chills. But I had also continued to work fully. I did not try again.
Exercise is also an important factor. How do you stay fit?
Ruge: Endurance sports and strength training are becoming increasingly difficult for many people as they get older – and both are becoming more and more important. If we want to stop the notorious muscle wasting, we need at least 30 minutes of running, swimming, cycling every day if possible. We use it to train the red muscle fibers, which tire more slowly but do not have as much power. The white muscle fibers are the first to let us down in old age, which is why they need special training. They are responsible for the short-term, fast muscle work. Unfortunately, we can only achieve this with high-intensity interval training on machines, and I don’t like that at all. So: I run and swim almost every day, usually just under an hour. But I still have to incorporate interval training into my daily routine …
And when do you take breaks?
Ruge: I love power napping! But only since my days are no longer packed to the limit. 20 minutes of nodding away in the early afternoon are fantastic refreshment. I also try to go to bed by 11 p.m. as often as possible. Sleep before midnight has been shown to be very valuable because of the release of the growth hormone and the sleep hormone melatonin.
What five tips that can be easily implemented in everyday life would you like to give people?
Ruge: In addition to everything that most of you already know, such as daily training, a vegetable-heavy diet, regular sleep of at least seven hours, no snacking, no sugar, etc .:
How do you celebrate your 65th birthday?
Ruge: With my husband and three close friends in Florence.
What are your plans for the coming period?
Ruge: To write the next book … about the most powerful weapons against aging: drugs that will soon hit the market, about stem cell therapies – those that already exist and others that will come soon. Startups work on fascinating projects. It is not science fiction, what is to come in the research on healthy longevity, it is science future!