Ways to Stay Young

Health and Wellness - Aging

By: Anthonyj74 24-Feb-2011

Introduction:

Aging happens. But you can modify how it happens and when it happens. Do you want to grow old before your time? Or do you want to hold onto your youth and vitality for as long as possible, keeping your body as young and healthy as you can? If you vote for young and healthy, read on; you might learn something!

Don't Smoke

Besides being a nasty, offensive habit, smoking prematurely ages your body and makes you susceptible to many serious diseases. Smoking ages your skin, damages your blood vessels, weakens your heart, and destroys the lining of your lungs. Cigarette smoke should be the last thing that you'd ever want to put inside your body. To stay young and age gracefully, don't smoke. And if you currently smoke, quit! Take up golf or chess instead. Or chew gum!

Exercise

Engaging in regular exercise is a great way to stay young and retard the aging process. Besides strengthening your bones, joints, and cardiovascular system, regular exercise helps improve cognitive function, which can keep you mentally sharp well into old age. Exercise does not have to be strenuous to help you stay young; a brisk walk, yoga, weight-lifting, and even gardening are all great forms of exercise that can keep you feeling and looking young!

Relax

Stress is a killer. It robs the body of vitality and can increase your risk for many diseases. Stress can also age you prematurely; so, to stay young, make it a daily habit to de-stress. Meditation, yoga, deep breathing, or even a walk -- these are great ways to reduce stress. By keeping your stress levels low, you will optimize your health, increase your quality of life, and ensure that you stay as young as possible for as long as possible!

Eat

The better you eat, the better you will feel and the better you will look. Eating a diet high in processed foods, sugar, and fat will not only increase your risk of disease, but it will age you prematurely. To stay young and age gracefully, feed your body what it needs: high-quality foods. Ditch the junk food, fast food, and processed, sugar and fat-laden foods in favor of fresh fruits/vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and limited amounts of lean meat and dairy. Grass-fed organic beef is best; and for calcium, ditch cow milk in favor of almond milk or rice milk, both of which pack more calcium ounce for ounce than regular milk.

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on your body and, over time, can prematurely age you. Your body needs adequate rest to repair and rejuvenate itself. Chronic sleep deprivation can increase stress and blood pressure levels, interfere with optimum hormone and blood sugar function, and reduce cognitive function, which can all make you age faster. Aim to get at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night to stay young, vital, and healthy. Take naps during the day if necessary, and pay attention to your body. If you are tired, rest!

Final Thoughts

Well all get old, right? But there's a difference between aging and decaying. Aging signifies a natural progression; decaying signifies rot, disuse, and disease. Why not take steps to ensure that you age gracefully, that you stay as young as possible for as long as possible? You can do it!