A simple anti-aging program

 

Leave it to the boomer generation to reinvent things, or should I say rediscover? Not only are we interested in looking younger, we want to feel younger. Fortunately, the two go together. Go after one and the other will follow. So if youÕre interested in looking and feeling younger, then a simple anti-aging program should be at the top of your list. The right foods, more sleep and the right attitude can literally take years off your looks while adding years to your longevity.

How does one start? Read whatÕs available and incorporate what works for you. And here are four common sense top tips presented by the American Academy of Family Physicians at their annual meeting in 2006.

Tip1: Have a diet that reduces your LDL cholesterol. Not all fats are bad. That mindset will lead not only to weight gain it can cause heart problems. Fats are necessary for your bodyÕs proper functioning, and truly effective in an anti-aging diet. Use adequate amounts of monosaturated and unsaturated fats. Good sources of these fats are: extra virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, soy, salmon, almonds, pecans and walnuts.

 Tip 2: Increase your protective good cholesterol and reduce your triglycerides. Regular aerobic exercise 30-35 minutes daily is helpful to increase good cholesterol levels. Eat more vegetables, grains, beans and fruits — instead of bread or potatoes. Add onion, garlic and soy to the diet. These simple foods will reduce bad cholesterol and raise good. If foods arenÕt enough, try adding a supplement of fish oil, garlic tablets or red yeast rice. Red yeast rice is a naturally occurring statin that works well to lower total cholesterol.

Tip 3: DonÕt skip on sleep. A lack of sleep may not kill you but it has been proven that it not only shortens life span but also lessens the quality of life. Those who are chronically sleep deprived have lower immunity, higher levels of stress hormones, reduced brain function and are more prone to chronic illness. The westernerÕs norm of six hours is simply not enough. You really should sleep a third of your life.

Tip 4: Maintain a healthy outlook on life. Everyone, young as well as old, have times when life is a daily curve ball. Bernie Segal MD, well known writer and speaker on alternative therapies maintains that he thinks life is totally fair. The reason he says this is when he hears people discussing the topic of lifeÕs fairness everyone will complain that life is so unfair. If you canÕt change your circumstances then work on changing your attitude. 

These simple steps can change your biological age markers such as heart and respiration rate, blood pressure and other markers of aging. Your chronological and biological age donÕt necessarily need to match, they can be reversed, improved. Till next time, Rebecca.

 

11/22/07