Why do some people age so much faster than others? Part of reason for this may be found in our genes, but there are also a lot of things we can personally do to stop the anti-aging process and stay younger for longer. In this article we will highlight the most important things you can do to stop the aging process.
Food
Make sure you get lots of anti-oxidants from your diet.
So why are anti-oxidants so good for you and what are they exactly? Anti-oxidants help protect our skin against the exposure of oxygen. Think of an apple for example. If you sprinkle one half with lemon juice and the other part not, the sprinkled half will look a lot better after a day.
Some foods and beverages rich in anti-oxidents include:
- Blueberry
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Green tea (4 cups daily)
- White tea (4 cups daily)
- Red wine (not more than 1 glass per day though)
- Grape juice
Don’t like to eat a lot of vegetables or eat fruit, then try turning these vegetables and fruit into juices. Juices are great to start of the day and great for detoxing too!
Spices
- Cinnamon: can lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol
- Turmeric can be good for the treatment of arthritis.
- Paprika, cayenne and ginger can help with high blood pressure and improve circulation.
Fiber for healthy intestines
It is recommended that you get at least 25 grams of fiber each day. Fiber helps to keep all the nutrients you eat in your intestines, which are only released when needed. You can find fiber in:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grain foods like whole grain rise and brown pasta and 100% whole grain bread
- Steel-cut oatmeal
- Beans
- Chia seeds
Omega 3 fatty acids
- Flax seeds (roasted or grinded)
- Walnuts
- Hemp seeds
- Salmon
- Spirulina algae
- Olive oil
Exercize
Cardio
Staying fit and keeping the pounds off is an important part of your anti-aging plan. As it is harder to keep the weight off when you are older, it is important to step up the fitness regime. Find your ideal heart rate for exercise by deducting your age from 220 and multiplying that by 0.80. So for a 43 year old woman that would be (220-43) x 0.8 = 141 beats per minute. To get in shape you will need about 20 minutes of cardio exercise 3 times a week.
Strength
In addition to cardio you will also need to build up your muscles through strength training. Some good exercises are knee lunges, leg lifts and pull-ups. Combine this with your cardio exercise 3 times a week.
Flexibility
The third part of your exercise regime should be flexibility which can be achieved through yoga practice. Yoga will increase your flexibility and can help build up your strength. In addition it can help to calm the mind through meditative practice. If you find it difficult to make time for yoga, you could try to do at home. YogaToday is a wonderful website that has daily free yoga classes. And if you really want to treat yourself then go on a special yoga retreat.
Meditation
Mediation can really help you relax and quiet the mind. It does not have to be a long drawn out process. Just 10 minutes each can be enough to achieve real results. Just withdraw yourself for a moment and focus on a particular word or image, like Ohm.
Sleep
Sleep is essential for energizing ourselves. Sleep helps to release the growth hormone and not getting enough sleep can add years to your age. Make sure you don’t have any distracting things like a computer or TV in your bedroom and relax before going to sleep. My experience is that reading a book is a great way to relax and calm down. After a short while of reading your eyes will almost close by itself.
Sex
Sex is good for keeping young. It releases and increases oxytocin levels in women which helps us to get that loving feeling and keep us young. So if possible increase the number of times you have sex with your partner.
Vitamins
Some vitamins can really help with the anti-aging process.
- Vitamin D helps prevent cancer and reduce heart problems. It also helps to reduce infections and improves your immune system. Get it through 10 minutes of sun exposure or 1 supplement per day.
- Calcium: for stronger bones. 600 mg calcium and 200 mg magnesium twice daily. ( take together with magnesium to avoid constipation)
- DHA omega-3 helps with lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. 600 mg / day
- Baby aspirins: recommended for men and women over 40 to reduce chances of heart disease and cancer. There is also evidence that it may reduce wrinkles. One baby aspirin is 162 mg.
- Multivitamins: it is recommended to take 1 multivitamin each day broken up in halp so you can get the right amount of vitamins when you need it.
Following all the steps above should keep you in great shape and take yours off your ‘real’ age.
