Like any battle, the fight against aging is best fought on
several fronts simultaneously.
Get Up and Get Moving
Exercise is they key to a healthy life if you're eight or 80. A brisk 30
minute walk every day can do wonders. Take friends along or get a dog for
company.
It helps with motivation too. Even those unable to walk can
still get some exercise while stationary through repetitive movement
exercises. It's important to do what you can.
Eat Smart
The right kind of foods in the right quantities can do wonders to stave
off the
aging process. Plenty of fruits and vegetables, particularly the
most colorful ones, which tend to be rich in nutrients, are important. So is
keeping your total fat intake down, saturated fats in particular. Read food
labels and substitute saturated fat in the diet for complex carbohydrates like
starch and fiber.
Busy Body, Busy Mind
Exercise keeps the body working, but a flexible mind is just as important.
The more occupied the mind stays, the more its cells are stretched, the better
shape it stays in. Start tackling the daily crossword and read the rest of the
newspaper while you're at it. Take up a hobby, keep busy and give yourself
things to look forward to.
Products
It never hurts to have a
little help and there are a wide variety of anti-aging products on the market
to help beat the aging process. Aging most obviously manifests itself in
outward appearance and there's no shortage of products that tackle that
problem. Anti-wrinkle creams that hydrate and tighten skin can take years off
a face and are a more cost effective and safer alternative to expensive
plastic surgery procedures or injections of substances like Botox.
As well as creams and lotions, there are numerous hormone
supplements and pharmaceuticals available that make varying claims of slowing
or even reversing the aging process. The production of the hormone
Dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA for short, decline sharply in the elderly and
has been popular in the marketplace for almost 10 years thanks to its reported
life-extending qualities.
Other natural supplements that have been
lauded include fish oil, which helps combat heart disease, and green tea,
which is said to inhibit the growth of undesirable cells in the body.
Laugh Loud, Live Long
It's the best medicine, it keeps you young, it's
birthed a thousand clichés, but there's no getting a round it - laughter feels
good and that can't be bad. Rent a comedy, read a book of humorous fiction,
share some jokes, get together with friends and reminisce about the good old
days. Whatever gets you laughing keeps you young at heart, which is a good
thing physically and emotionally. Smiling makes you look younger, too.
