Getting Older
Ten Tips on How to Stay Healthy as You Age
By Bernard Brown
Aging gracefully is something we all aspire to. If we take a look around us, we are constantly reminded of the vagaries of aging: poor general health, impaired mobility, deteriorating eye sight and muscle atrophy. The list goes on. Getting old is bad enough, but being old and sickly is not a comforting thought. As we get older, most of us are searching for ways to improve our health.
So, how do we grow old gracefully and remain healthy enough to enjoy our golden years? Here are ten tips that will help you live a long and healthy life.
1. Develop a wellness mindset (in terms of your thoughts, attitude and beliefs). Be proactive - take appropriate steps to remain healthy and prevent illness and disease.
2. Eat healthy. Proper nutrition is an imperative. Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to what you eat: 80% alkaline foods, 20% acidic foods. An acidic diet will expose you to all kinds of diseases and illnesses.
3. Exercise regularly. Exercise will improve your general metabolism as well as help detoxify your body through sweating. It is not necessary to overwork while you exercise, but you do need to exercise on a regular basis for at least forty minutes per day. As you age, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain healthy muscles. Weight training and physical exercise becomes crucial to retain your muscles and achieve optimal health and longevity.
4. Drink plenty of water. Water truly is the substance of life. Water plays a vital role in nearly every bodily function. It is essential for proper digestion, nutrient absorption and chemical reactions, proper circulation in the body and flexibility of the blood vessels. Water helps remove acidic waste (toxins) from the body, particularly from the digestive tract. You cannot exist without water. You cannot substitute water with coffee and sodas.
5. Work on your posture. Too few people realize that posture plays an important role in their health and quality of live. Bad and forward head posture can be the cause of all sorts of problems including back ache, headaches, muscle fatigue and strain. The position and function of major organs can also be affected by bad posture.
6. Be positive. Negative thoughts can literally make you sick. You become what you think about so strive to have a happy disposition. Immerse yourself in everything postive: books, audio and DVD's. Happiness is a choice - choose to be happy and positive.
7. Balance your HPA axis. Your hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the most important component of your endocrine system. It is the key to the strength of your "Life-Force" and is often central to most health problems, syndromes, diseases, and even aging itself. Getting your body back to a state of homeostasis is absolutely essential to maintaining good health as you get older.
8. Supplement where necessary. Our bodies do not produce certain nutrients (such as omega-3 fatty acids and iodine) and it may be necessary to supplement if your diet does not deliver these much-needed nutrients.
9. Eliminate stress from your life. Aging is characterized by a gradual decline in most physiologic functions, and in particular, by a reduced capacity to maintain homeostasis during episodes of stress. Your ability to function normally and to survive is dependent on your cells' ability to resist or adapt to such stress and to repair or replace damaged molecules. It is not stress that kills us, but rather our inability to adapt to it. You need to find ways to cope with and relieve stress.
10. Get enough sleep. Sleep heals and restores the body. Sleep deprivation can lead to deficiencies of the immune system and loss of hormone production.
You are never too old to start living healthy. The ten tips above apply to anyone seeking optimal health and wellbeing. However, they will become more relevant the older you get so do not wait a moment longer. Start living healthy today.
Bernard Brown is the President of Health & Wellness Inc and is dedicated to improving the quality of life. Visit their web site now to learn more about stress relief, endocrine support and balancing your HPA axis: http://www.GenomeMultiplex.com |