Top Things You Can Do When You’re Younger to Feel Better When You’re Older

If you’re very young right now, then you may think that anti-aging articles and tips don’t apply to you. Those are for older people right?
Wrong!

In reality, those articles apply to you more than anyone else! After all, it’s too late to prevent aging once you are already feeling and looking a lot older! And when you get to that point where the crow’s feet and age spots are showing, you’ll only wish that you had taken the opportunity to protect yourself against aging when you were younger.
So what can you do right now, to make sure that you keep your good looks and good health well into older age?

Lifestyle
In terms of lifestyle, there are a ton of things you need to do to stay younger and healthier in the way you look and feel.
For starters, try to avoid too much direct sunlight. UV rays damage the skin cells and while you might think nothing of this; it makes a huge cumulative difference that is very apparent when you’re older!
Likewise, you absolutely have to make sure you are getting plenty of high quality sleep. This will help you improve your health in all manner of ways, as sleep is when the body restores cells, forms new neural connections and produces lots of growth hormone and testosterone.

Skin Care
The right skin care regimen can make a massive difference. Any good skin care routine should incorporate an exfoliator, some kind of protection and some kind of moisturizer. And don’t forget the hands! Often the hands are the biggest giveaway of your true age when you’re older!

Nutrition
Nutrition is massive important when it comes to the way you age. Many of the illnesses we associate with old age are in fact just the result of long-term nutrient deficiencies. If you ensure that you keep getting enough of your micronutrients, your body will be supplied with all the raw materials it needs to keep you looking and feeling as young as possible.
Movement

Finally: exercise!
And don’t just exercise: move more. Sitting takes years off of your life because it allows your heart to become weaker. What’s more, is that it also weakens your muscles, ruins your flexibility and damages your posture. It’s very important that you keep moving as you get older to avoid a hunched over appearance.

The Benefits of Getting Older

When we think of getting older, we tend to think of it only in terms of the negative. Getting older means slowing down, collecting new aches and pains, losing our memory and eventually losing our sex drive and continence… Not good!

But while this might be the case for some, it’s not the whole story.
Actually, getting older comes with a lot of benefits and remembering these can be a good way to avoid letting the thought of aging get you down too much. Here are just some of them…

You Become More Chiselled
This goes for women and men alike. Women will often lose the thin layer of subcutaneous bodyfat that exists under the skin, bringing out more defined cheekbones and giving them a much more chiselled appearance. Men become generally more gristly as their jaw and foreheads continue to grow and eventually end up looking like they’re cut out of granite!

What’s more, is that our skin tends to get thinner as we age. This isn’t good news for women but it’s very good for men who want to look more ripped, vascular and muscular! Getting a body like Sylvester Stallone or Hugh Jackman is only possible as you start to reach older age.

You Become Wiser
There are broadly speaking two types of intelligence. These are ‘crystalized’ intelligence and ‘fluid’ intelligence. Crystalized intelligence is really knowledge, while fluid intelligence is more like reasoning. While our reasoning skills often deteriorate as we age, our crystalized intelligence actually improves as we gain more knowledge over time.
As long as you protect your memory, this will only continue to improve the older you get – eventually making you some kind of walking oracle!

You Gain Respect
A big plus about being older is that you gain respect. This means people hold doors open for you, let you have their seat on the train and listen to what you have to say politely.
You Have More Time

If you’re like most people, then eventually you are going to retire. When that happens, you will free up a lot of time.

For many of us, retirement seems like a looming ‘end point’. In reality though, this can actually be a starting point. It’s never too late to be what you always wanted to be and with the money, experience and resources that come from retirement now is the perfect time to start!

Enregistrer

The Key to Happiness and Preventing Premature Aging

Happiness and preventing premature aging go hand in hand. No one wants to enter their later years in an unhappy situation from being physically and mentally unstable. Aging is a natural part of life, but there are many ways you can age gracefully – or rapidly.

Everyone is different in what makes him or her happy and also in how to keep the best health possible. When you know what you need to maintain good health and an active mind and body, you have power to combat the effects of premature aging.

The first thing you should know about preventing premature aging and maintaining your happiness is to strive to develop a positive attitude. Hope and optimism are essential to developing a positive attitude and that will make you happier and reduce the possibility of health problems such as arthritis, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.

Anger defeats happiness and can help to form deep lines which will be easier remembered by the muscles. A more relaxed and happy state of mind relates to a more relaxed face – one that’s glowing with happiness and health.

Three things that can destroy your efforts to prevent premature aging are smoking, drinking too much alcohol and harmful sleep patterns. Health problems are sure to attack your mind and body when you reduce the amount of nutrients you must have as you age by engaging in these three bad habits.

Climate and skin hydration are also paramount in preventing premature aging and keeping a positive attitude. As you age, drinking plenty of water should be first on your list of staying young – and protecting your skin by using sunscreen and keeping it covered during wind and cold.

A diet rich in the nutrients you need for your particular body and mind is also imperative to prevent premature aging. Another benefit from enjoying a healthy diet plan is that your body works better and that makes you a happier and more satisfied person.

Watch your weight as you age. Keep in mind that your metabolism slows as you age and you may have to change your diet and exercise regimen to meet the demands of the slow-down.

Seek help if you encounter physical and mental problems, but try natural remedies if possible to alleviate any stress or difficulties rather than powerful drugs, which can wreak havoc on your health and mental well-being.

Making proper choices about your life and how you live it are also keys to maintaining your happiness, good health and good looks during the aging process. Slow down if you need to. Enjoy life to the fullest and you’ll enter your later years happy and satisfied.

How to Gain Energy and Lose Weight as You Age

How do you keep your energy up and your weight down as you age? It all depends on how effective your metabolism is working to burn fat and provide the energy you need to stay active.

You may be consuming the same amount of calories you did when you were younger, but still gaining wait – and your energy may be waning much more rapidly than you’d like. You still want to be active and maintain your weight and something’s just not working.

Adjusting your food intake or the types of foods you eat is necessary as you age. You may also want to concentrate on different types of exercises than in the past to keep your metabolism revved up as much as possible.

As you age, it’s important that you reassess your diet and exercise plans – especially if you’re noticing the pounds creep on and have much less energy than usual. An aging body doesn’t react the same to any efforts you might expend, so it may be necessary to change your strategy.

Menopause is a phenomenon that causes weight gain and low energy. These rapidly changing hormones can wreak havoc with your muscle tone, weight and energy level. This is why women tend to put on weight more easily than men during the aging process.

You don’t need as many calories as you age, but you may be eating the same. Try to ingest smaller portions and eat a more balanced diet with lower calorie foods to keep your weight in check.

It’s likely that you don’t move around as much as when you were young because life isn’t as hectic and you have more time for relaxation. Many physicians are recommending the Mediterranean diet plan to seniors for more energy and weight maintenance and loss.

The Mediterranean diet places more of an emphasis on whole grains, healthy fats, veggies and fruit, which are usually lower in calories and provide more energy to help you exercise more.

Choose an exercise you love to participate in. You may want to enjoy less demanding types such as Yoga or a dance class. If you enjoy it, you’ll keep at it and that’s the key to maintaining your fitness level.

Unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet to maintaining or losing weight as you age or keeping the energy level you once had. The key continues to be found in diet and exercise, but the benefits you’ll enjoy are numerous.

How Exercising Your Brain Can Stave Off Memory Loss

Exercising the brain is every bit as important as exercising your body for your overall health and to stave off memory loss and the risks of dementia and/or Alzheimer’s disease.

Your memory is totally dependent on the strength and health of your brain and staying mentally sharp as you age is going to play a huge factor in your future mental acuity. It’s easier to stay sharp when you’re young and studying and working, but when you retire or cut down on activities, it may not be as easy.

It’s possible to boost your brain power no matter what your age. Your brain can benefit from exercise at any age, the same as your body can. The proper stimulation can open those neural paths to any amount of learning you want and enhance your memory.

Exercising your brain can be as simple as studying a language or learning something new. It may take more of an effort than when you were younger, but the results are well worth it.

Challenge yourself with brain-boosting activities which mandate your attention and your time. Get outside of your comfort zone and engage in an activity that’s unfamiliar to the skills you’ve already developed.

When you’ve mastered a new skill, don’t forget to reward yourself. That communicates to the brain that you’re enjoying the benefits of the skill or activity and that it’s enjoyable and very satisfying to you.

Also, exercise your body at the same time you’re exercising your brain. Physical exercise releases chemicals in the brain which can greatly enhance your brain power and memorization abilities.

Make sure you get plenty of sleep as you age. Sleep is the brain’s elixir and can have a huge effect on your creativity, energy, focus and ability to think critically and perform at your best.

Keeping in touch and socializing with friends and family may also serve to stave off memory loss. Humans are a social species and isolation may lead to depression and loneliness that could have an effect on your brain and memory skills.

Minimize stress in your life. Stress can affect the aging in mental and physical ways. Learn some stress-reducing methods you can use on a regular basis and make plans to get rid of stress factors that could lead to memory and physical problems.

You’ve likely heard the old adage, “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” That’s never been more relevant than as it applies to exercising the brain. Change your routine, learn something new and challenge your brain to keep memory loss at bay.

B Vitamins That Boost Your Body’s Ability to Fight Aging

B vitamins can help prevent premature aging and also rejuvenate your skin and your health. When you understand how B vitamins operate, you’ll want to check out the various types of B vitamins available and which supplements you’ll want to ingest.

Unfortunately, you probably don’t get enough B vitamins unless you adhere rigidly to a diet rich in this nutrient. Vitamin B is complex and each type contributes to your well-being in a different way.

Some help reduce the risk of cancer, another may help stabilize the nervous system and others may enhance your skin or help your metabolism function properly. Vitamin B also encourages the development of red blood cells and combats the harmful results of stress.

Vitamins B6 and B12 are two of the most effective vitamins that can help your skin look younger and healthier. You can get them in your diet by eating foods such as greens (spinach and mustard), fish, garlic, eggs, milk and others.

Probiotics is another way to assist your anti-aging regimen. They contain vitamin B and B12 and are found in fermented foods and drinks and such foods as yogurt and help you resist diseases and slows the aging process.

Since B vitamins are diluted by water, it’s difficult to get too much – so overdosing isn’t a problem. You should know that Vitamin B12 is found in animal products, so if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you may need supplements getting enough.

If you don’t get enough vitamin B, you may develop a vitamin deficiency and that could result in lowering your body’s immune system which helps fight illness and diseases. Your organs’ functions depe

Nutritional aspects of B vitamins include Thiamine, also known as Vitamin B1, Niacin, better known as vitamin B3, Pantothenic Acid, or Vitamin B5, Cobalamin, which is commonly called B12, Pyridoxine – or Vitamin B6, Inositol, which is actually B8, Biotin – important for hair and nails, which is B7, Folic Acid – or Vitamin B9 and Riboflavin – also known as Vitamin B2.

Each of these nutrients are unique, but act together to contribute to your body’s overall health. Your skin can also benefit from B vitamins. B12 can rejuvenate your skin and help it produce new cells and slough off the old ones. B12 is also known to boost brain acuity by helping develop brain cells and to improve memory.

Some B vitamins can be found in liquid moisturizer form to help keep your skin soft and supple and prevent dryness, fine lines and wrinkles. A blood test can verify if you’re getting enough vitamin B in your normal diet plan or if you need to enhance it with supplements.

Are the Changes in Your Sleep Patterns Caused By Aging?

Hormones, stress and changes in sleep cycles after you retire can wreak havoc with your sleep patterns, making you feel groggy and ineffective during the day and preventing you from getting enough sleep at night.

If you’re having problems with your sleep patterns, it may help to know how they can affect you and how you can overcome those caused by aging. During the nighttime hours, you usually experience both light and deep sleep. Dreaming (REM) sleep is also part of the cycle and can occur many times.

As you age, the sleep patterns change and you may find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. Wakening during the night is a common problem and can be caused by changing physical patterns or inability to shut off the thinking process.

Seniors average awakening during the night as many as three or four times. Need to urinate, discomfort in bed or a chronic disease which makes it difficult to maintain sleep could be the culprits.

As you age, you may get enough sleep in terms of time, but you don’t feel like it because it wasn’t good quality sleep. This type of sleep deprivation can cause seniors to become depressed or develop a chronic health condition and should be addressed before it gets that far.

Many think that sleep problems are a part of aging and seniors may not mention it to their health care providers. Unfortunately, changes in your sleep patterns as you age can cause side effects that you don’t want to happen.

Depression, congestive heart failure, GERD (gastroesophogeal reflux) and sleep apnea can wreak havoc on the elderly’s sleep patterns. Medications are available to help most of these chronic conditions.

Unfortunately, medications are sometimes a cause, rather than a cure, for recurring sleep disorders. Some may cause restless leg syndrome (the urge to move your legs when trying to relax) and those medications used for arthritis could interfere with normal sleep patterns.

Explore ways to develop healthy sleep patterns as you age and seek methods to help you relax other than medication. Environment and lifestyle play important parts in how well you sleep at night.

Also, keep active during the day. When you go to bed after a day of activities or work, you tend to sleep better than if you had no stimulation at all. Also, maintain contact with friends and family. An active social life can help you relax much more during the nighttime hours.

5 Lifestyle Factors That Contribute to a Decline in Brain Function

Your lifestyle can contribute to either having a healthy brain that functions well – or cause your brain to decline in powers such as memory, cognitive and focus. Bad habits such as eating a poor diet, too much alcohol, stress and not getting enough sleep can greatly affect the brain’s function and become worse as you age.

Some lifestyle factors which can affect your brain function and cause it to decline are:

1. Lack of exercise – If you live a sedentary lifestyle, you risk a decline in brain function as well as a decline in your physical health. It all works together – if your body isn’t physically fit, your brain will suffer because of a lack of stimulation that produces healthy endorphins.

Studies have shown that physical activity is connected to mental sharpness and a healthy flow of blood through the circulatory system, which includes the brain.

2. Poor diet choices – Another benefit of a healthy diet besides keeping your weight at a desirable level is that the nutrients you enjoy affect the brain by fighting against free radicals that cause inflammation and deterioration of brain functions.

Obesity and bad health from a poor diet may result in long-term diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. A diet such as the Mediterranean is well rounded and keeps the oxygen flowing uninhibited through the pathways of the brain.

3. Lack of sleep – Sleep may become a problem – especially as you age. It can be caused from responsibilities which keep you up and going, stress that keeps you thinking negative thoughts or physical or mental impairments.

Lack of sleep can greatly affect your brain function by causing lack of focus, memory loss, irritability and fatigue. Your brain performs poorly when these factors keep you from getting enough sleep.

4. Lack of socialization and feelings of isolation – These two lifestyle factors go hand-in-hand when a person isolates himself and doesn’t socialize with friends and family.

This lifestyle usually happens as you age, retirement occurs and friends and family drift away or pass away. Illness may also be a factor in this type of lifestyle and both can cause the brain to deteriorate.

5. Too much stress – Stress can come in many forms, but if it lasts too long and is very severe, it can begin to cause both physical and mental problems. Think about ways you can alter your lifestyle to get rid of some stress in your life.

Take time for your brain to rest and rejuvenate itself. You’ll find that your focus and cognitive powers will be improved – and your brain will have the energy to function as it should.

Other bad habits that might contribute to a decline in brain function include smoking and drinking alcohol in excess. Check your lifestyle to see if your brain may be suffering some decline because of bad habits you’ve developed.

Fit Body, Fit Brain and Other Fitness Trends

For those of you who thought working out was just good for your waistline and general condition there is now another very good reason to consider adding that fitness goal to your new year’s resolutions, read on to discover how your brain performance will benefit from you being fit!
The most persistent theme in exercise science in 2015 was that to live long, age well and maintain both a nimble mind and shapely brain, we must be physically active, but not for as long as many of us might fear or in the ways that many of us might guess.

Certainly the most encouraging exercise research this year focused on the links between regular exercise and improvements in our thinking and the structure of our brains. I’ve often written in past years about how exercise — usually running, especially in animal studies — increases the number of new neurons in the brain and sharpens thinking skills and mood, especially as we age.

But this year, interest among scientists in exercise and brain health seemed to reach a critical mass. Many of the new studies highlighted previously unexplored ways in which exercise changes our brains and minds. One of my favorites was a brain-scan study in which Japanese scientists found that the brains of fit older men were almost as efficient as the brains of young people.

This finding meant, in practice, that the aerobically fit older men’s brains used fewer resources during thinking than the brains of out-of-shape men of the same age, much as a fit body can use less energy to perform the same physical task as one that is less fit. This study introduced me to a cautionary scientific acronym, Harold, for hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults, a weakening of the function of aging brains that I now fervently hope to avoid or lessen by regularly working out…

Read on

Snack Alterations for More Energy as You Age

As you age, it may be important to consider changing your eating habits – especially the way you snack. Healthy snacks can help boost your energy level and actually work to slow or reverse the aging process.

They can also improve your mood and digestion. Changing your snack habits might not be as bad as you think. Did you know that the top three foods which can boost your mood and energy levels include chocolate, coffee and protein-rich foods?

Here’s how these three power-foods can help boost your energy and mental acuity as you age:

Chocolate – Yum! One of the most desired of foods – chocolate is now touted in studies and medical reports to be one of the best foods to reduce stress and anxiety. Snacking on chocolate (in moderation, of course) reduces cortisol, a stress hormone which is known to cause symptoms of anxiety.

It also raises serotonin and endorphin levels which are neurotransmitters produced by the brain and are effective adjusting mood and brain chemistry. These elements are so powerful that they can even prevent pain and sadness and increase mental acuity. Body reactions like ecstasy and euphoria are also increased by snacking on chocolate.

How could some of us make it without our daily quotient of morning coffee? We rise from our sleep in a fog and so mentally challenged that we sometimes stumble to the kitchen.

After drinking a steaming cup of the miracle drink, our mood is usually boosted and we’re ready to face the day. Snacking on a caffeinated beverage such as a skinny latte or non-fat cappuccino can provide you with the boost of caffeine you need to boost your energy level, but keep you from the high-fat and sugar loaded alternatives.

A cup of java can be a great midday snack to enhance your mood and keep you active until it’s time to slow down in the evening. But, beware – too much coffee can cause depression and make you crave unhealthy snacks.

Maintain a healthy and energetic mindset with a snack of protein such as beef, eggs, chicken or fish. It’s also highly important to your body health to get enough protein in your daily diet plan.

Lack of protein can also cause multiple health problems such as muscle mass loss, immune deficiency, heart problems and respiratory concerns. An intake of about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of weight provides enough protein for a person who weighs about 150 pounds. Meeting your protein needs can give you the energy you need to function well as you age.