Strategies to help you slow down the aging process
“Growing older can be a graceful process of evolution and discovery. ” – Tom Bonanti
By TOM BONANTI
Father Time is no benevolent “daddy” as he wields his sickle and yields to no one. Whether you’re a tasty twink just beginning to experience life, or a burley bear who’s been around longer than Cher and cockroaches, time ravages onward leaving only wrinkles and wreckage in its wake.
I suppose I’m sounding a bit negative, but there are things you can do right now to slow the aging process and feel years younger. Why not try a few of these happy, healthy and cheap suggestions before shelling out a fortune to the plastic surgeon!
Eat less sugar.
Sugar depletes your body of important minerals needed for a healthy metabolism. It depresses the immune system making your body susceptible to evil little pathogens that will make you sick. High glycemic diets – high in refined sugars and processed foods (bagels, donuts, fried fast food, and white bread) have now been associated with many forms of cancer. Sugary diets raise triglycerides and increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Go with whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies…you’ll live longer and have tons of energy to stay active!
Quiet your mind and meditate a little everyday. Stress can cause or at least exacerbate every major disease. The stress hormone cortisol can actually shrink the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential to thinking and memory. High levels of cortisol can also cause you to store more blood sugar and accumulate more ugly, stubborn blubber around your middle. Take a few moments everyday, put on some calming music, light some candles and try to meditate, calm down and relax.
Eat more fish! The Omega-3 fatty acids in fish are among the most heart healthy on the planet. Eating fish can help lower blood pressure, improve your mood and feed your brain. Only two servings of broiled or baked fish a week or ½ gram of fish oil a day from fish or supplements is all you need to accrue the benefits of consuming man’s fine scaly friends.
Doctors often don’t check homocysteine levels, but they should. According to experts, the lower your homocysteine, the healthier you are. A level of 9 umol more or less is generally considered optimal. Those with higher levels are dangerously at risk for heart attacks and strokes. Simply by supplementing with these three common B vitamins – Folic Acid, B6 and B12 you can bring homocysteine levels back to normal.
There’s no better anti-aging strategy in the universe than daily exercise. Anaerobic weight training twice a week for ½ to 1 hour will tighten and tone muscles and strengthen bones and joints. Working out 3-4 times a week for the same amount of time can help you build the lean muscle that will rev up your metabolism . Aerobic exercise 2-3 times per week for ½ hour to 45 minutes is sure to strengthen your heart and lungs and help you burn fat. Regular exercise relieves depression and anxiety; it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol; and it helps you to control your weight and maintain a “smokin” bod.
In 2011, make more connections. People who live and work and socialize with other folks live longer and enjoy life more. Making friends, volunteering or working for a cause and just having good friends and enjoying conversations are life-extending and health enriching. After all, “People who need people, are the luckiest people in the world.”
Growing older can be a graceful process of evolution and discovery. Keeping fit, feeling great, and looking like a million bucks while you’re doing it takes work, some common sense, and a little love for the person you are!
Tom Bonanti, is a certified personal
trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc gym
at 1271 NE 9th Avenue, Fort
Lauderdale, FL 33304, Facebook:
TrainerTomB. www.pumpnincgym.com