Anti-aging: Is It Really Possible?

 

Anti-aging: Is It Really Possible?

By Geri Richard

 

Although it is obviously not possible to turn the clock back entirely, we can take many steps now to ensure that not only do we slow down the aging process, but we can also reverse many of the signs of aging that we may presently be experiencing.

The biggest key in the fight against aging is of course our diet and nutrition. The old adage, "you are what you eat" is absolutely true! It is impossible to expect to be healthy and vital if we are not eating the nutrients we need to keep our bodies performing at its best.

I truly believe that the increase in lifestyle diseases that we are presently seeing is in great part due to poor diets and junk food. It is very important to try to increase the amount of whole foods that we eat and decrease the amount of processed foods that we eat.

Processed foods have almost no nutrients left in them ... they are considered "empty calories". But even worse than that, the preservatives, additives and chemicals that are in these processed foods interfere with many bodily functions including hormones. These chemical toxins are called "xenoestrogens" and they often trigger a condition called "Estrogen Dominance".

What is Estrogen Dominance? Simply explained, it is when the ratio of Estrogen and Progesterone get out of whack and you have higher levels of estrogen, compared to progesterone. There are many things in our modern society that contribute to this imbalance including birth control pills, caffeine, alcohol and xenoestrogens (which are caused by external toxins and pollutants like detergents, pesticides, plastics etc.), as well as impaired liver function and even stress!

The hormonal imbalances caused by Estrogen Dominance have many negative effects on the body and can make you feel a lot older by triggering many symptoms like poor memory, "foggy brain", weight gain and difficulty losing weight, increased facial hair, decreased sex drive, vaginal dryness, darkened skin pigmentation, water retention and much, much more. Estrogen Dominance also increases the risk of many lifestyle diseases like cancer, fibrocystic breasts, breast cancer, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and much more.

Estrogen Dominance is much more common than people think, thanks to the world we live in. And it is happening to women at younger and younger ages, even to women in their twenties or thirties! So how do you combat estrogen dominance? One of the most important changes you can make is losing weight if you are overweight, since this triggers a vicious cycle of hormonal imbalances and weight gain, especially in the abdominal area.

But of course, how you lose weight is just as important, if not more, than just losing weight. If you lose weight following unhealthy weight loss diets, you could be unbalancing your hormones even more. The better method is to lose weight in a slow, steady fashion by eating healthy, nutritious food and NOT starving yourself.

If instead of following an unhealthy diet, you follow a healthy eating program you will not only lose weight, but will have many health benefits as well. Check out these little-known, powerful anti-aging benefits you get from eating a healthy, balanced diet:

- Eating a healthy diet decreases free radical production through proper nutrition, which is a powerful anti-aging technique, as well as decreasing the risk of developing different types of cancer

- Eating healthy also helps to promote anti-aging by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides to healthy levels

When you follow a healthy diet and do not skip meals or starve yourself, you actually speed up your metabolism and increase fat burning capabilities. Dieting is one of the best ways of slowing down your metabolism, which of course makes losing weight very difficult. Yo-yo dieting is a good example of this. Each time you lose weight and gain it back, you are slowing down your metabolism so that each subsequent diet gets harder and harder to lose weight.

- It is also possible to make a few simple changes to your diet so that the food you eat stabilises your blood sugar levels and reduces insulin and improves insulin resistance ... ultimately decreasing the risk of Diabetes. And did you know that Insulin is a major culprit in weight gain?

- And here is a very powerful anti-aging secret: eating a healthy, balanced diet supports your liver! If your liver works better, your body detoxifies more efficiently, which improves all areas of your health (including cellulite reduction the natural way), as well as supporting your immune system which is of course very important for good health

And not only do unhealthy diets unbalance your hormones, one thing that many people don't think about when they decide to lose weight following unhealthy fast weight loss diets: the faster you lose weight, the bigger the chances that you will be left with loose, sagging skin! A healthy eating program decreases the chances of having loose, sagging skin, because you lose weight in a slow, steady way, which gives your body a chance to firm up your skin. There are also many foods you can eat that promote healthy, firm skin tone.

Psychological Benefits Of Physical Fitness

 

Psychological Benefits Of Physical Fitness

By Anita Bern

 

Benefits of being physically fit and healthy go beyond mere physical health. Everyone knows that physical activity helps control your weight, builds muscles, and gives you great abs - but did you know that it also improves your mental health and mood, and helps you beat stress? The health benefits of regular exercise are numerous.

Regular physical activity makes you feel better, and - of course - look better, which in turn boosts your self-esteem. It helps you sleep better, and concentrate better. It can even improve your sex life!

When you exercise, your brain releases natural chemicals that work to improve your mood. That's why one will typically feel happier - maybe even euphoric - and more relaxed right after the exercise. It's more than just a sense of accomplishment - although that can help boost your mood too! Even those suffering from clinical depression and anxiety disorders can benefit from this healthy buzz brought by endorphins, your brain's natural feel-good chemicals.

Physical exercise can help combat stress, both mental and physical, by increasing the levels of norepinephrine, a chemical that moderates your brain's stress response. During any physical activity, a cocktail of brain chemicals is being released: it has been proven that some of these chemicals can, for example, prevent age-related memory loss and improve overall brain performance. Studies suggest that high-intensity workout increases levels of a specific protein that is believed to help with learning, thinking and decision making. Regular physical activity boosts your memory and the ability to learn new things!

Exercising can be your precious "me time", a perhaps rare opportunity to take a break without feeling guilty. It can give you something to look forward to, and provide you with a sense of purpose. Taking part in physical activities can also be a chance to engage with the larger community - which is in itself an important mental health benefit.

An active lifestyle can reduce your risk of dying early from the leading causes of death - heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer - in a way that no other lifestyle factor, over which you have a full control, can. When you engage in any form of physical activity, oxygen and nutrients are delivered to your heart and lungs more efficiently, and you feel a boost of energy. Being active boosts "good" cholesterol while decreasing harmful triglycerides, which keeps your blood flowing smoothly. And that in turn cuts your risk of cardiovascular diseases! If you already have high blood pressure, physical exercise is your doctor's order!

It is never too late to become physically active. All these health benefits are yours for the taking! Regular physical activity, along with healthy nutrition, is the closest anyone can hope to get to the real-life elixir of youth!

Anger Kills!

 

Anger Kills!

By Anita Bern

 

Anger is an emotion that can damage your mental and physical health. This is a fact that can be supported with scientific evidence about how anger works on a physiological level.

Anger triggers the body's fight-or-flight response, a biological mechanism that is genetically coded. This automatic anger response pumps stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline into your blood so your body can physically respond to a perceived threat.

Does anger make your blood boil? These chemical reactions to anger do raise your blood pressure and heart beat high above the normal. The circulation is impeded and the lack of oxygen causes chest pain. Your body also releases chemicals to clot the blood - and that can potentially form a clot that can travel to your brain or heart, resulting in a heart attack or stroke. The communication between the brain and the heart (and probably other organs too) is disrupted, which can lead to a host of serious health problems.

Your whole body is tense, and especially the muscles. Tense muscles in your neck and head can cause spasms, migraines and insomnia. Lung function can also get compromised by anger. Since the release of acids in the stomach is amplified by the anger response, that can result in ulcers and acid reflux.

Your whole body is in survival mode! All bodily functions that are not absolutely essential to surviving - like the digestive process, cell production, immunological defenses, body maintenance, and healing - are put on hold until the threat is dealt with. Suppressing the body's immune response makes it more susceptible to chronic inflammation.

Even your brain chemistry is altered. It has long been observed that anger impairs one's thinking, learning, decision making and memory. But the consequences of stress caused by an anger reaction can be even worse: chronic stress seems to alter the brain at a cellular level. It can make neurons shrink and disconnect, and cause neuron death, which leads to depression.

Shaking from anger? Your pancreas has been tricked into deregulating your blood sugar levels, and now there is none left. The chemical cocktail released as an answer to the threat can slow down the metabolism, decrease bone density, and suppress the thyroid function.

The problem lies in the fact that all of these can be triggered by only thinking about the thing that makes us angry. Most often than not, we cannot actually do something physically - like punching a person who made us angry. Chronically hostile people can at the very least expect to suffer from frequent colds and flu, infections, and flare-ups. Doesn't that make you angry?