Stay Healthy and Youthful Forever!
By Tom Bonanti
Your busy lifestyle can take its toll on you. The regular physical demands placed on your body at work, home and in the gym can leave you with tired muscles and sore joints. Add to that the emotional stresses of family, relationships and other personal issues and your poor body can age big time – and in no time at all! Don’t despair, because you don’t have to give in to Father Time if you understand a few things about your body and how it ages.
Studies indicate that the root cause of much physical and biological aging is due to free radical damage. Free radicals are toxic substances created in the body from stress that destroys DNA, valuable proteins and collagen cells. Free radicals are caused by pollution in your air and food, stress, poor eating habits, lack of sleep, exercise and the prolonged exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. These evil bitches can literally cause you to deteriorate from the inside out. The wrinkles, bags and circles you see in the mirror are nothing compared to what’s going on inside of you when free radicals move in and set up house.
There is good news! You can help your body to scavenge and destroy free radicals before they wreck you. By far, prevention is the most important course of action against the ravages of free radicals.
Some preventative measures include:
1) abstaining from smoking;
2) strict adherence to a carefully constructed and integrated training program (weight training, cardio, diet, and stretching); and
3) avoidance of pollutants and other toxic substances (excessive alcohol, party drugs, etc.) that are known to cause free radical formation.
Yet, no matter how hard you try to stay healthy and “radical free,” you just can’t avoid all stress at work and at home, pollutants in the air you breathe and the preservatives and other toxins pumped into your food. In this case, there are several natural “super nutrients” that can keep you young, increase your body’s resistance to free radical damage and help you retain your vim and vigor. The most commonly understood free radical scavenger, or anti-oxidant, is Vitamin C. Always a friend to the immune system, this vitamin fortifi es you against virus infections, strengthens blood vessels, reduces cardio-vascular abnormalities, inhibits fat storage and lowers bad cholesterol levels. It also reduces many kinds of pain, helps detoxify you and slows down the aging process in your skin. Do you need Vitamin C? Hell, yeah! Vitamin E is another great anti-oxidant, important for cellular respiration, good circulation, protection for the lungs against air pollutants and prevention of blood clots. For those who worship the sun, Vitamin E has also been an option for protecting and repairing sun exposed skin.
Carotenoids are a large family of over a hundred compounds that have been studied extensively. Vitamin A is the most commonly known of these and has shown significant scavenging activity, along with improved recovery from sun exposure damage, air pollutants, etc. The safest and most effective source of Vitamin A is deep green leafy vegetables like artichokes, brussel sprouts, spinach and broccoli.
Another family of carotenoids even more effective than Vitamin A is the xanthophylls found in red and yellow fruits and vegetables. The best sources for these healthy, tangy babies are red berries, red and yellow bell peppers and squash. A wonderful antioxidant that is enjoying popularity these days is green tea. This warm or cold elixir has been clinically shown to reduce:
1) bacterial and viral activity;
2) risk of lung cancer due to smoking;
3) risk of skin damage and skin cancer due to the sun’s radiation;
4) a host of other age related maladies.
Certainly before you start to pop the vitamin pills, you should consult your doctor about the correct dosage for you. But there is no time like the present to start eating more fresh fruits and veggies and other clean foods like yogurt and whole grains. Take pride in yourself ! Eat healthy. Get to the gym. Take care of your skin. Get some good sleep. Your health is a gift to be guarded lovingly.
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
