Anti Aging Tips to Live By
You don’t need to do a thousand things to improve your health and fight aging. Apply Pareto’s Law, or the 80/20 Principle and follow the 7 anti aging tips below.
Get Plenty of Restful Sleep
Of all the anti aging tips sleep may be the most important. We still don’t know the full reasons for sleep, but we do know when we don’t get good or adequate sleep our minds and bodies suffer. Two critical hormones are produced at night, melatonin and growth hormone. These are anti aging hormones.Poor sleep will effect the production of these two hormones that provide many health benefits.
Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland and regulates our awake-sleep cycle and other circadian rhythms. It induces sleep and improves the quality of sleep. Melatonin production typically declines after age 40 contributing to poor quality of sleep as we age. Melatonin has anti-cancer effects and is a potent antioxidant. It also modulates the immune system helping to fight and prevent disease.
Growth hormone is produced in the anterior pituitary gland and serves many functions. Growth hormone is largely released at night during deep sleep. In adults, growth hormone primarily functions as healing or regenerative hormone. It also improves body composition, muscle strength, energy levels, immune function, and provides an increased sense of well being.
Eat a Low Glycemic Diet
Insulin which is produced in response to blood sugar, is inflammatory and promotes fat gain. It is a necessary hormone as it drives sugar and other nutrients into the cells. But, you want insulin levels too to be as low as possible to get the job done. Eating a low glycemic diet is the best way to keep insulin levels to a minimum.
Exercise
Exercise is the closest thing to a perfect drug. It improves blood flow and therefore delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the entire body and brain. It facilitates maintenance of body weight and improves glucose metabolism. It improves cardiovascular and muscular function, and keeps our bones strong. Exercise is a great way to dissipate stress and keep blood pressure normal. See “Exercises to Lose Weight“.
Take Nutritional Supplements
The soil is depleted of nutrients and foods today have less nutritional value than in the past. Plus we are exposed to increasing toxins in the air, water, and food supplies. This overwhelms our body’s natural defense mechanisms that fight off inflammation and free radicals, which both accelerate the aging process.
A good anti-aging protocol would consist of taking a multivitamin and mineral complex to insure adequate levels of those nutrients, fish oil to fight inflammation, and vitamin D, which is being recognized as providing many health benefits.
Resveratrol, which is found in grape skins, peanuts, seeds, and some berries, looks promising as an anti-aging supplement. Resveratrol stimulates sirtuin genes, sometimes called the “survival” genes. This activation improves DNA/genetic repair, immune function, and metabolism. See “Resveratrol Anti Aging“.
Hormonal Optimization
Incidence of many diseases increases during middle age when our hormones drop below critical levels. Studies have shown that regardless of hormone being studied, that individuals with hormone levels in the upper half to the upper third of the reference ranges suffer less from chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, and diabetes, while enjoying a better quality of life. Keep your hormone levels optimal. See “Anti Aging Hormones“.
Sun Protection
Sun exposure is necessary for vitamin D production, which has many health benefits. However, too much sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer and contributes greatly to the aging of skin. There is a lack of prospective studies to show that sunscreens actually reduce the incidence of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers, however, the use of sunscreens seems reasonable and smart. If you do regularly use sunscreens, be sure to take a vitamin D supplement to ensure optimal levels of this important vitamin.
Protective clothing like hats can also shield the body from the sun.
Water
One of the more simple anti aging tips is to drink plenty of fluid. Our body is 70% water. Adequate hydration enhances blood flow and improves elimination of toxins and wastes through sweat, urine, and feces. Water improves the appearance of skin, improves lubrication of our joints, and is vital to the structural integrity of connective tissues.
See related articles.
“Melatonin: the Other Anti Aging Hormone”
“Antiaging- The 4 Secrets: Part II”
“Boost Your Health with Probiotics”
“Anti Aging Research: the Effects of Lifestyle on Longevity”
“Anti Aging News: There’s a Test that Can Tell if You Are Aging Too Fast”
