Nov 02 2009
Posted by admin under Uncategorized
How To Prevent Aging
Photo by: lululemon athletica
- Do you know having a healthy immune system can add years to your life? As we age so does the immune system, which you want to keep strong to fend off cancer. Preventing cancer is much easier than to cure it. By protecting the immune system it can be possible to make your real age of up to six years younger.
- Taking care of your teeth can be very important. The bacteria that cause periodontal disease seem to set-off an immune reaction throughout the body. Inflammation of the arteries can be a side effect which is a major precursor to heart disease. Flossing the teeth may add years to your life.
- Getting 10 to 20 minutes of sunshine (vitamin D) a day can help prevent some cancers and helps strengthen the immune system. If you live in an area that doesn’t have a lot of sunshine (especially in the winter) you should consider taking vitamin D3 (see my post on Vitamin D3). Look for a supplement that says cholecaliferol on the label which is a natural form and is better absorbed. By getting a good balance of enough sun, but not too much you can reduce your appearance by 1.7 years younger.
- Stimulating the mind through continuing education or activities such as crossword puzzles, learning a new language, or new computer program reduces mental aging. You can reduce the aging mind by 2.5 years using one or more of these functions to exercise the brain.
- Eating a balanced diet is an important change one can make to prevent aging. Getting a diverse diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and grains can reduce your aging process by 4 years. Reducing the intake of red meat can be a great benefit to the body. Try eating a diet low in calories but high in nutrients.
- A huge change one can make to reduce the aging process is to stop smoking. Smoking will instantly make you older. A person will have shortness of breath, and more wrinkles due to the decreased amount of oxygen that gets to the cells, which makes the cell age faster than it should. Smoking can cause high blood pressure, and clogged arteries due to the damage done to the cardiovascular system. Smoking one pack of cigarettes a day can add 8 years to your biological age. Two months of cessation of smoking can make you 1 year younger.
- Social networks are very important in helping keep one younger. We all can benefit with having close friends and family to talk to when there are emotional issues to handle in our lives. Working on reducing the stress can take 2 to thirty years off the biological age.
I have named only a few of the many areas we need to be conscientious of in prevent aging. There are obvious ones such as exercise, lowering cholesterol, reducing our intake of alcohol, and keeping blood pressure low. Some areas one may not think of that can reduce years off the biological age are; owning a pet, getting regular sleep, laughter, and starting the day with a balanced breakfast.
A summary of reducing your biological age:
- Build the immune system = 6 years younger
- Flossing teeth = Up to 6.4 years younger
- Eating a balanced diet = 4 years younger
- Getting a good amount of vitamin D3 daily = 1.7 years younger
- Exercising the brain = 2.5 years younger
- Stop smoking = 7 years younger in 5 years
- Friends and family = 2 to 30 years younger
Reference:
Real Age: Are You as Young as You Can Be?; Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
