The Secret to Healthy Aging
If you are over the age of 40, you have probably begun to move a little slower, feel a few more aches and pains, and are now beginning to search for the secret to healthy aging. Healthy aging is sought after by many. Cosmetic surgery, weight loss supplements, medications, and self-help magazines are everywhere full of empty promises to take 20 years off your life. However, the secret to healthy aging is not found in a medication or surgery, but by a lifetime of Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude, and Nutrition (L.E.A.N) choices.
Causes of Aging
- Oxidation results when free radicals attack your body’s cells causing hardened arteries, stiff joints, blurry vision, and wrinkled skin.
- Inflammation results from a weakened immune system that makes our bodies more prone to sickness, diseases, pain, and an inability to repair naturally occurring wear and tear on the body.
- Glycation results when “aging proteins,” or AGE’s, prevent healthy growth and repair of new tissues and cause things like wrinkles and stiffening of the arteries.
According to Dr. William Sears, author of bestselling book Prime-Time Health, one “-tion” leads to another. Glycation alters proteins, which the body in turn perceives as foreign, which triggers inflammation, which triggers oxidation and results in unhealthy aging.
The good news is that each of these causes of unhealthy aging can be slowed and even reversed! The secret to healthy aging is found when you make health your hobby and invest in your IRAH (Individual Retirement Account for Health). People who invest in their health enjoy better digestion, vision, skin, hearing, breathing, strength, and memory while experiencing fewer diseases and disorders.
Simple Steps to Healthy Aging
Fight Oxidation with Anti-Oxidants
Antioxidants are powerful nutrients found in fruits and vegetables that slow the naturally occurring oxidation process. They can also be found in foods like whole grains, garlic, fish, chicken, red meat, red wine, dark chocolate. The key to choosing foods high in antioxidants is finding natural, fresh, non-processed foods. Click here to read a list of Dr. Williams Sears’ sixteen super foods.
Control Inflammation
Growing evidence shows that inflammation contributes more to cardiovascular disease than does high cholesterol. And, new research suggest that inflammation may be the number one cause of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia. Most of these conditions begin when our body’s immune system is out of balance and produces excess cytokines. Cytokines are chemicals produced by the body that help heal damage to tissue and mobilize an infection-fighting army. When the immune system overreacts and produces excess cytokines, it confuses the body’s inflammatory response and causes the body to begin attacking its own tissues leading to diseases like heart disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, bronchitis, colitis, and dermatitis. You can help healthy aging by boosting your immune system and helping balance your body’s inflammation by following the steps below.
- Reduce your waist size. Excess belly fat promotes excess inflammation. Our bodies regard fat cells as the enemy and tries to fight them by producing more inflammatory chemicals.
- Get an oil change. Eat more omega-3 and unsaturated oils and less hydrogenated, trans-fats, and saturated oils. Omega-3 oils, especially those found in cold-water fish, are the most healthful anti-inflammatory foods you can eat. They help prevent excess clotting and damage to the arterial walls. Omega-3s are also found in fish, flax, olives, and walnuts.
- Move more. Exercise regulates the inflammatory response in the body by stabilizing insulin, burns fat, and blocks the body’s production of proinflammatory substances. Even though very strenuous exercise producers oxidative stress, all levels of exercise help the body achieve inflammatory balance and help with healthy aging.
- Reduce Stress. Excessive and unresolved stress causes the body to spew out excess stress hormones. Every stressful situation we encounter causes our bodies to age a little more.
Reduce and Stabilize Blood Sugar
High blood sugar causes all kinds of problems with healthy aging. The incidence of just about every age-related illness goes up as your blood sugar rises: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and other “-itis” (inflammatory) illnesses. Insulin can also cause the kidneys to retain excess sodium, which can lead to high blood pressure. Excess insulin also stimulates the cholesterol-making enzyme in the liver. Grazing on small amounts of quality foods throughout the day helps stabilize blood sugar, provides your body with a steady supply of energy, and prevents mood swings. Grazing is also good for your brain since the brain can’t store energy and needs a constant supply of fuel.
