| published in: Taste for Life magazine: November, 2004 |
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WAYS to slow aging LIFESTYLE CHANGES
CAN KEEP YOU YOUNG |
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Technically, we begin to age from the day we're born. But most of us don't give it much thought until we begin to notice several signs of aging: lagging energy, digestive complaints, wrinkles, weight gain, difficulty concentrating, poor memory, lowered stress tolerance, and reduced mobility. With enough of these symptoms of aging, we may be motivated to make some changes
Here are five steps to practice daily if you want to look and feel great as long as possible whatever your age. CONTROL STRESS
The father of stress research, Hans Selye, MD, PhD, DSc, identified various types of stresses and the typical response mechanisms used to cope with stress. "Every stress leaves an indelible scar, and the organism pays for its survival after a stressful situation by becoming a little older," he once said. The daily stress imposed by relationships, work, and lifestyle are a major factor in aging and the development of aging conditions. In today's world, a "busy brain" that's constantly driving us to achieve or cope with stress can shut out our ability to enjoy the present moment, and we become slaves of our own thinking. A constant state of mental agitation keeps cortisol (the fight-or-flight hormone) levels high and alters metabolism, leading to weight gain and other metabolic disorders. Stress also affects our nervous, digestive, and immune systems.
The most effective antidote for reducing stress is living as much as possible in the present moment. Every day, practice meditation, t'ai chi, qi gong, and prayer. Listen to relaxation tapes designed to synchronize both hemispheres of the brain. Try to keep your mind totally focused on what you're doing at the moment, even during the most mundane tasks. With practice, you'll become much better at thinking less and accessing your intuition and inner wisdom, which will improve your quality of life and long-term health. NOURISH YOUR BODY
Fast becoming a worldwide problem, obesity is a chronic disease that accelerates aging, helping to explain why it's implicated in heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Overweight stems from eating too much, eating the wrong foods, eating while stressed, and your genetic inheritance. The greatest culprit is sugar - not just table sugar but sweeteners and all "white" carbohydrates (white bread, white pasta, white potatoes). Sugar contributes to skin wrinkling, impairs immune function, and causes hormone imbalances, particularly insulin and cortisol. Insulin minimizes fat burning and reduces levels of the fat-burning hormone glucagon. Insulin also increases inflammation, thus contributing to chronic pain conditions. High cortisol accelerates memory loss, makes it harder to adapt to stress, and may even induce clinical depression. By contrast, reducing portion sizes and eating foods that are colorful stave off aging and related conditions (See sidebar)
A COLOR-CODED EATING PLAN Choose brightly colored food and drink. Each of the following color groups contains foods with particular phytochemicals, a class of nutrients that fights aging and disease:
Reducing caloric intake is a scientifically proven way to extend longevity. Ideal body weight, age, and exercise level determine how many calories you should ingest daily. Women 25 to 50 need a daily intake of 1,800 to 2,400 calories. Men in this age group can eat between 2,200 and 2,600 calories. Anyone over the age of 50 needs to limit calories to somewhere between 1,500 to 2,200 a day. ANTI-AGING EXERCISE
Yoga and Pilates are workouts that enhance cognitive function, as well as improve muscle strength, reaction time, flexibility, and balance. Both offer the ideal active phase of meditative practice, so enjoy one or the other daily. Pilates offers resistance training for small muscle groups as well as larger ones. It uses less weight and fewer repetitions than standard resistance equipment at most gyms or fitness clubs, making it an ideal choice for those who want to improve body composition and flexibility or to recover from injury. Convenient for most people even during the middle of the workday, walking is an excellent way to improve cardiovascular function. Swimming, cycling, running, and other aerobic activities prime the body to release growth hormone and testosterone, which is converted into estrogen in women. Aerobic exercise also reduces insulin and corticol levels, while releasing the "feel good" neurotransmitters that elevate mood and improve sleep.
Always begin your exercise session by deep breathing for several minutes. Warm up with mild aerobics for five minutes; then complete 20 to 30 minutes of more vigorous aerobic exercise to begin raising hormone levels. Follow aerobics with no more than 40 - 45 minutes of heavy lifting (anabolic or resistance) exercises. Heavy lifting for longer periods of time can actually sabotage your efforts. That's because body toning and muscle building hormones begin declining rapidly and cortisol starts kicking in. ANTI-AGING SUPPLEMENTS
Aging occurs because stress, poor diet, and the lack of regular exercise increase the production of free radicals - rogue molecules that damage DNA, proteins, and fat membranes. When we're young, the body's internal defenses may be sufficient to block free radical damage with antioxidants and detoxifying enzymes in the diet. But as we grow older, or when we're under great stress, these internal defensive mechanisms grow less effective, and we need supplements to bolster protection against free radical activity. Common antioxidants include vitamins A, C, E, plus alpha and beta carotene. The amino acid cysteine, the B vitamin niacin, and the minerals selenium, zinc, copper, and manganese are essential components of detoxifying enzymes.
Other antioxidants specifically protect mitochondria, the tiny energy-producing factories within each cell. Because the energy process isn't 100 percent effective, many free radicals escape. Researcher Bruce Ames, PhD, has estimated that the human cell is buffeted by 10,000 free radical his a day - most within the mitochodria. Needed to convert glucose into energy, lipoic acid also protects glutathione, the most important detoxifying agent. Acetyl carnitine is the only vehicle by which fatty acids (the preferred fuel for mitochondria) enter the cell's energy-producing apparatus. A mitochondrial antioxidant, CoQ10 completes the final phase in energy production. SUPPORT THE EXTERNAL SHELL
All the previous steps help counter skin and body aging. In addition, topical creams can protect the skin from UV radiation and help heal redness, scarring and wrinkles. Alpha lipoic acid is very effective when applied topically. Also effective topically in its estrified form (ascorbyl palmitate) vitamin C is necessary for repairing collagen and elastin. Green tea and Pycnogenol™ are excellent anti-inflammatory agents. Zinc, niacin, and other topical ingredients help repair the DNA in skin cells, so that healthy new tissue grows to replace wrinkled and sagging skin. In addition, several anti-aging hormone precursors are available in topical liposome dispensers. Before beginning any hormone therapy, check your levels, using saliva hormone test kits that are available in natural products stores.§ Selected Sources: |
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Copyright©, 2001 by The Zimmerman Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. |
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