FOLLOW A HEALTHY DIET

You only get out of your body what you put into it. If you have a consistently bad diet, you will consistently feel bad. What starts out as just feeling bad, will first lead to aches and pains, then disease, then death. Eating right is the first step in feeling healthy, preventing disease and keeping a person young and full of energy.

 

Consuming plenty of anti-oxidants is the one of the most important keys to anti-aging. Oxidation is a naturally occurring process of the body. It cannot be prevented but it can be slowed. Like putting lemon on an apple to stop it from browning, adding certain foods into your diet will help decrease the rate of oxidation. Anti-oxidants can even repair oxidative stress, a process that damages cells within the body and has been linked to the development of cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Some foods that are rich in anti-oxidants include blueberries, acai, sweet potato, broccoli, and green tea. 

 

Increasing the amount of fiber in your diet is also an important way to prevent disease and support the anti-aging process. The intestines and bowels are the machinery involved in detoxifying the body. Keeping them clean allows them to do their job and fiber is essential to their health and function. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and chia are some fiber rich foods that you can consume. 

 

GET CONSISTENT EXERCISE

Some medical doctors might tell you that age is an important factor in your cardiovascular health - that the older you get, the more your heart function will deteriorate. New research will tell you the opposite: that cardiovascular health will affect how old you feel and how long you will live.

 

Exercise is the only way to achieve cardiovascular health. There is no pill that exists that will make your heart stronger and less likely to develop cardiovascular disease. If you increase your heart rate with cardiovascular exercise at least 3 times a week, you will strengthen your heart, and increase your chances of living longer.

 

Strength training is an often overlooked type of exercise, especially for women. This kind of exercise will not only increase muscle mass, but is also known to increase bone density, tendon and ligament strength, improve joint function and metabolism, improve cardiac function and increase your HDL (good cholesterol) level.

 

NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION

Even the best diets can be supplemented in order to optimize the anti-aging process. Everyone can benefit by adding a few supplements into their daily nutritional regimen.

 

Omega-3 fatty acids

Probably the most widely reported source of omega-3 is salmon. Recently however, concerns have been raised about eating salmon, and all fish in general. Whether the fish is wild or farm-raised, the compounding worries include harmful mercury levels, pharmaceutical drug levels, overfishing and global sustainability. Of course, there are other ways to increase your levels of omega-3, like consuming chia, flax and hemp seeds, walnuts, and spirulina algae. But the easiest way to make sure you are meeting the recommended dose of omega-3 is to take a nutritional supplement such as purified fish oil.

 

Vitamin D

It is estimated that over half of all Americans are deficient in vitamin D. In the past, it was primarily regarded as an essential nutrient for bone health. However, new research shows that vitamin D is also critically important for preventing cancer and heart disease, reducing the risk of multiple sclerosis and juvenile diabetes, reducing infection rates and boosting the immune system. Exposure to sunlight is the best way to absorb vitamin D. However, during the wintertime and in today’s society it’s nearly impossible to get the daily recommended dose. Taking a liquid vitamin D supplement is the next best thing to daily sun exposure.

 

Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a powerful anti-oxidant that comes from the skin of grapes, raspberries, mulberries, peanuts, and cocoa powder. Red wine is commonly thought to contain high levels of resveratrol, but in actuality it contains very little. The best and most efficient way of ingesting resveratrol is in supplement form.

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP

Sleeping is the fundamental way we reboot ourselves. Without sleep, it’s almost impossible to increase the growth hormones which are important for maintaining vitality and youthful vigor.

 

Chronic sleep loss can also contribute to health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and decreased immunity. Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels and irregular heartbeat. Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

 

Getting enough sleep would seem a simple task. Most adults need an average of 8 hours of sleep per night, but emotional stress, being overworked, and inconsistent or bad nightly routines can result in a person not meeting those needs.

 

SEX AND LONGEVITY

Having sex twice a week can increase your lifespan by 3 years! Sex increases hormones in both men and women that keep you young.

 

In women, sexual activity causes the pituitary gland to release oxytocin. Research shows that oxytocin decreases the level of stress hormones (namely, cortisol), lowers blood pressure, increases heart health, reduces cell death and inflammation, and has even been found to reduce the cravings of drugs, alcohol and sweets.

 

During sex, men have an increase in testosterone, which helps fortify bones and muscles. It has also been shown that frequent ejaculation reduces prostate cancer

 

STRESS AND ANTI-AGING

Your body can have physical, mental and emotional reactions to stress. Physically speaking, stress hormones bring about immediate changes in the body’s biochemical state by the production of adrenaline.

 

Constant stress will result in the constant production of adrenaline, which can tax the adrenal glands raise blood pressure, and cause a host of symptoms like headaches, upset stomach, chest pain and insomnia. Stress also has a direct impact on inflammation, which is the underlying cause of many life shortening and threatening diseases.

 

Your body’s natural reaction to stress is crucial in life-threatening situations, but chronic stress can be detrimental to your overall health and increase your rate of disease and aging.

 

If you consider the following statistics, it’s easy to see that stress has become one of today’s most deteriorating “diseases.”

• 43% of adults suffer adverse health effects from stress

• 75% -- 90% of all doctor visits are for stress-related ailments

• Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.

• Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.