lifestyle and nutrition tips

from Elizabeth Somers

1. 1. By taking advantage of all the options available for you to nourish your body, mind, and looks on the inside as well as those options that help build confidence by improving your looks on the outside, you can slow, stop, and even reverse the aging process - at any age. You can feel great, vibrant, and gorgeous. The best news is that the sooner you start the better, but it’s never too late to turn back the hands of time and feel wonderful.
2. 2. Only 15% to 20% of aging is genetically predetermined. The rest - between 80% and 85% - is within our control. For example, 70% of cancers are diet and lifestyle-related and one in every two people with heart disease could prevent this misery by diet alone. But the link between what you eat and how you feel goes far beyond physical health. Literally what you eat or don’t eat for breakfast will affect how well you feel, how much energy you have, and how clearly you think by mid-afternoon. What you have for lunch may well determine how sharp you are mid-afternoon or set the stage for whether or not you battle cravings at night for buttery popcorn or gallons of ice cream. It also might affect how well you sleep that night, which then affects how alert and energetic you are the next day. The better care you take of yourself today the more likely you will live disease-free, sharp-as-a-tack, and independent into your 90s or beyond. In short, the older you get, the healthier you’ve been.
3. 3. Do you really want to feel great? Do you really want to lose the extra pounds for good? Do you really want to think clearly, handle stress better, sleep like a log, and lower your risk for age-related diseases, from heart disease to dementia? Are you being completely honest when you answer those questions? Because you already are making decisions every day by the choices you choose in what you eat, how much you move, and how you live that are creating who you are. If you really want to feel great and lose weight, then you must adopt the habits that will get you there.

   A) Focus on Produce: Include at least 8 servings daily of colorful fruits and vegetables. They are Mother Nature’s goldmine of antioxidants; almost 1 million different antioxidant-rich phytonutrients have been identified so far. The more colorful, the more antioxidants, which in turn protect tissues from damage and keep arteries, skin, brain cells, and more vibrant and youthful throughout life. Include two at every meal and one at every snack.

   B) Add Good Fats, Remove Bad Fats: The saturated fats in meat and fatty dairy products, as well as many processed foods clog arteries which can lead to dementia and heart disease, increase cancer risk, and aged skin. In contrast, the good fats, especially Docosahexaeonic acid (DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid), in fish like salmon and sardines, can help protect skin from aging, keeps arteries subtle, and brain cells sharp. They also help boost mood. Include at least two servings a week of omega-3 rich fish, add DHA-fortified foods to your daily diet, or take a fish oil or DHA supplement.

   C) Go for the Grain: But make sure it is whole grain. While refined grains add inches to your waistline and raise the risk for heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, whole grains lower the risk for all these problems. Choose 100% whole grain breads, brown rice, old fashioned oatmeal, and other real grains.

   D) Choose Real Food: The more a food is processed, the higher its calorie, fat, salt, and sugar content and the lower its content of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Choose oatmeal over a granola bar, fresh broccoli instead of frozen broccoli with cheese sauce, blueberries instead of blueberry-flavored juice.

   E) Supplement Right: Take a multi-vitamin to fill in the gaps on the days when you don’t eat perfectly. Supplement your multi with extra calcium and magnesium. Consider taking extra vitamin D and either fish oils or a DHA supplement.

4. 4. Your skin, smile, and twinkle in your eye are the outer reflections of your inner health. I’m not talking about severe deficiencies - You needn’t be so drained of vitamin C that you bruise easily (a sign of scurvy) or so lacking in vitamin B2 (riboflavin) to have cracks at the corners of your mouth. Even slight short falls from an optimal diet leave subtle effects on your looks. The good news is that the nutrients needed for a healthy glow also revitalize your whole body, since every cell - right down to those cute freckles! - need the same arsenal of vitamins and minerals to stay well-tuned. Vanity might just be your best vice! For example,

   A) Vitamin C: An important antioxidant defender of the skin. Sun exposure (as well as stress) drains C from the skin for up to 72 hours, leaving skin vulnerable to damage. The combination of vitamins E and C is especially effective in reducing sunburn damage. Vitamin C also helps maintain collagen, the underlying supporting structure of skin. Make sure a couple of those 8 colorful fruits and vegetables each day come from vitamin C-rich sources, such as citrus fruits and juices, kiwifruit, currants, cantaloupe, papaya, strawberries, broccoli, and green peas.

   B) Vitamin E: Sun exposure depletes vitamin E from the skin (by up to 50%!), while boosting intake of this antioxidant, alone or in combination with other antioxidants like beta carotene, helps lower skin-cancer risk. Vitamin E also slows the aging of skin cells, by reducing the production of an enzyme called collagenase that otherwise breaks down collagen, causing the skin to sag and wrinkle. Vitamin E-rich foods include almond, canola, or wheat germ oils; nuts and seeds; and avocados.

   C) Vitamin A or Beta Carotene: This fat-soluble vitamin is essential for the maintenance of epithelial tissues, with skin being the largest epithelial tissue you’ve got. Skimp on this vitamin and your skin might be dry, scaly, and rough. While vitamin A can be toxic in large doses, beta carotene is the plant source of this vitamin and is nontoxic at any dose. Make sure a couple of your daily 8 come from beta carotene-rich produce, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, or apricots.

5. 5. Daily exercise. Anyone who is really serious about feeling and looking their best must exercise daily. Any diet that tells you otherwise is a con job. Almost everyone who has successfully lost weight and kept the weight off, as well as raised their happiness quotient, lowered their risk for all diseases, and slowed or stopped the hands of time, all of them exercise. No excuses. Period. But, the benefits are so worth it that I promise you this habit is well worth adopting, no matter what your age, limitations, or current physical fitness level. Build up to an hour a day of semi-vigorous activity, including brisk walking, cycling, dancing, snowshoeing...you name it! Please be sure to visit your physician before starting a new workout regimen.

comments

No comments have been added yet.