Growing older is inevitable, but that doesn't mean that we have to succumb to the woes of premature aging.
By making a few lifestyle changes and forming some healthy habits, our minds and bodies can live and function near peak efficiency much longer than we thought possible just a generation ago.
Exercise doesn't just help you lose weight, it has too many benefits to list here.
Our bodies are designed to be active.
We either use them or eventually lose them.
A physically active lifestyle has been linked to an increase of HDL ("good") cholesterol, lowered blood pressure, a more positive mental outlook as well asless chance of depression.
Many other benefits include higher bone density, important in preventing osteoporosis and joint degeneration and brittle bones, so often associated with the elderly.
By exercising we also enjoystabilized blood sugar levels and a boosted immune system.
Each of these benefits are counteracted by the aging process.
Try to get at least thirty minutes of exercise, three times a week, into your daily routine and you'll help your body fight the natural aging process and enjoy life to it's fullest.
Studies have proven beyond any doubt that an active mind is one of the best anti aging methods available, period.
After all, we're only as old as we feel, right? We probably all know someone in their eighties , nineties or more who seem to live on and on, always on the go and enjoying life as much or more than people less than half their age.
I think that it's pretty much all the evidence that we need to see that active people tend to be happy and busy people and therefor healthier, mentally and physically, the results being a longer and better life.
They're not parked in a nursing home or their rocking chairs, as a rule, until very advanced old age and sometimes not even then.
Personally, I would like to be shot in bed at age 95 by a jealous husband.
I suspect that most of us could eat healthier than we are now, I know that I should.
Without a doubt, the worst foods that we can possibly eat are heavily processed foods, full of trans fat, bad cholesterol, preservatives and so on.
Fried foods taste good but frying virtually destroys all available nutrients as well as loading us down with harmful fats.
There are no exceptions to this rule.
Key word here is to limit fried foods as much as possible.
Many nutritionists believe that the world's worst food is the potato chip, which violates every nutrition rule in the book.
I'm sure that it has plenty of company and I have cut back on chips and other similar snack foods.
Donuts and heavily processed pastries are right up there with the evil chips.
Soda pop and refined sugary so called foods are a no brainer also.
What is the best thing we can do as far as intake? Good old water and lots of it.
Our bodies are around 95% water, and it stands to reason that by replenishing our bodies with water, we optimize everything from brain function, body metabolism, waste removal and the list goes on and on.
At least eight 12 ounce glasses a day for a normally active 180 pound man is the suggested minimum.
It's also great for appetite control.
This is just a short list but definitely all common denominators in contributing to long and healthy lives.
By leaving out the worst foods which are common knowledge for the most part, we can take steps towards enjoying our old ages in style.
Thanks for reading.