Thursday, January 8, 2009

Anti-Aging Tips for You!

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Let’s face it. We all want to stay as young, healthy, mentally alert and strong as long as we can into our latter years. What follows are some helpful tips to help you do just that.
Exercise
Whether that means full out exercising or gentle stretching, regular physical activity will reduce your level of free-radical induced oxidative stress, which adds to the cause of aging and disease, including Alzheimer’s. Dr. James Jessup of the University of Florida tracked 9,777 men between the ages of 20 and 82 and found that those who exercised and took Vitamin E had a death rate 44 per cent lower than those who didn’t. As well, inactivity can lead to arthritis and osteoporosis.
Mental Acuity
Use it or lose it is the motto when it comes to maintaining your mental acuity. Reading helps keep the mind sharp, as do crosswords that make you think. As well, eat blueberries and take Vitamin E.
Healthy Diet
Your fat intake per day should be less than 30 percent of your total calorie intake to lower your risk of heart disease. Eat five servings a day of fruits and vegetables to lower your risk of cancer and three servings of whole grains daily. When you choose foods, choose color and choose fish or chicken over beef. Drink green tea because it contains a potent antioxidant called EGCG, which is good for your mind and heart. Researchers at the University of Montpellier found that drinking apple and grape juice protects against clogged arteries.
Vitamins
Perhaps the most important vitamin you can take over 50 is calcium to stave off osteoporosis and for more effective results, take with magnesium. Good antioxidants for better skin are Vitamins A, E and C.
Minerals
Two important minerals that should be a part of your regular routine are chromium and selenium. Chromium slows down the aging process, while selenium helps protect against disease. For better skin take selenium, zinc and copper.
Hormone Balance
Balanced hormones can add years to your life. Hormones are chemical messengers that send messages to receptors in the cells. When your hormones are out of whack there is miscommunication. If you feel this may be a problem, see your doctor.
Check-ups
When you’re over 50, health care is all about prevention. Both men and women should have their cholesterol level tested. Women should have regular mammograms and both sexes should have their heart and blood pressure tested regularly.
Eye Exam
Have your eyes tested annually to avoid glaucoma and macular degeneration.
Hearing Test
If you are having trouble hearing, get tested. There are many new gadgets available today that can help you.
Don’t Smoke
Smoking ages your skin and more importantly, cause cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Drink in Moderation
Alcohol not only kills brain cells, it also raises your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, as well as liver and kidney problems. Common sense should tell you that drinking heavily raises your risk of falling and injuring yourself too.
Wear Sunscreen
The best anti-aging cream is sunscreen to reduce the drying effect of the sun on your skin, as well as reduce your risk of skin cancer.
Sufficient Sleep
While you sleep, your body shuts down and goes to work repairing itself. If you don’t get enough Z’s your body produces too much coristol, which breaks down collagen and causes wrinkles.
Slow Down
By that we don’t mean exercising. We mean the day-to-day running rat race. Slow down to reduce stress and extend your life.
Laugh Often
Laughter really can be the best medicine. It reduces stress, boosts your immune system, enhances brain chemistry, can add years to your life and makes life a whole lot more fun!

Boomer Aging: It’ll Change Everything

1 comment:

Dawn Wilson said...

This is very informative! And I totally agree that laughter is the best medicine! Especially when it's the knee-slapping, belly-clutching, laugh-out-loud kind. :)