WHAT IS ANTI-AGING?
Anti-aging isn’t about going backward like Benjamin Button. It’s about slowing down or stopping the aging process. Now, you know you can’t really stop the aging process, no matter what you do you can’t stop it, but you can slow it down by choosing the right lifestyle to combat aging.
The Aging Process
While aging refers to getting older, it’s also a biological process that involves your cells. When you’re born your cells easily regenerate as you grow. At some point in time, your cells stop regenerating at a fast pace when this happens the aging process becomes faster.
What to Expect When You Age
There are some things that you’ve probably been taught by word if not deeds about the aging process. You likely think that as you get older you will have a painful body, that you will get a fat middle, that you’re going to get a disease and die.
Many people look on typical diseases as normal. But, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other diseases often associate with old age don’t have to happen. Not even arthritis or painful joints must happen. While some of this is affected by genetics, you have some measure of control based on your lifestyle.
While you are going to die eventually, you don’t have to die sick. You have a lot more control over that than you may believe. It’s all about expectations and lifestyle. If you live the right lifestyle you can avoid most of the problems associated with aging and hopefully live to a ripe old age happily.
What’s Normal?
That depends on your genetics. But, science is showing more and more that you don’t have to age as soon as you might think and that you don’t have to age poorly. “Normal” varies from person to person but in general, if you’re eating right, exercising, staying hydrated and have a positive outlook on life you’re going to look and feel younger longer than average.
Aging is a slow process that for the most part, is not noticeable unless something major happens such as needing hip surgery or knee surgery. But consider that for a moment. Why do some people end up needing hip replacements while others never do?
Genetics vs. Lifestyle
About three percent of all disease is related directly to genetics. There is nothing you can do about it. But, the rest can be avoided with the proper anti-aging mindset, nutrition, and lifestyle.
The problem is that most people see aging negatively. When you do that, you’re going to be disappointed as life goes on instead of excited by your prospects. To maintain that positive attitude, look for ways to help yourself.
Look for supplements that help anti-aging based on scientific studies. Look for research about diet and exercise that is peer reviewed and fully researched. Find out what is normal about aging and what isn’t. Every pain you have as you get older isn’t about age. It’s about something specific to do with your genetics or your lifestyle. You have a lot more control than you think.
HOW DOES AGING AFFECT MEN VS WOMEN?
Men and women do age differently, but they all age. Both men and women experience very similar aging signs but often they are perceived differently due to the variance in how the sexes are encouraged by society. For example, older men are often seen as more handsome than even when they were young, while women aren’t.
Women Live Longer Than Men
Even though women engage in things like childbirth, on average women still live longer than men. In fact, women tend to live almost five years longer than men per the CDC.
Scientists claim a combination of factors in play from genetics to how women and men handle stress differently. Women are more likely to go to the doctor when they feel poorly than men. Plus, women are more likely to have close friendships that help them ward off stress.
Hormones Affect Women More
While both men and women have variances in hormone levels as they age, it seems to affect women more. This has to do with cultural issues because in some cultures menopause is treated as a good thing while in western cultures it’s not.
Men also have hormonal changes but these changes aren’t associated with the same problems that they are in women in western cultures.
Men lose about 1 percent of their testosterone each year after age 30, due to this some men also experience problems with erectile dysfunction. But, they don’t generally have the same experiences western women report such as hot flashes, night sweats, and difficulty sleeping at night.
Men Have Thicker Skin
Since men have thicker skin, their skin shows fewer signs of aging than women at the same age. Therefore, the cosmetics industry focuses on women more than men.
In addition, due to menopause which causes collagen production to plummet for a few years at and after onset, which men do not have, women appear to age faster during that time than men who age at a steady rate over time.
Men Don’t Gain Weight as Easily
Overall, most men don’t gain weight as easily as women. Men usually gain weight without a healthy diet up until about 50 years old in their mid-sections, while women tend to gain weight their entire lives easily all the way through retirement.
Both men and women suffer age-related muscle loss after age 30, but due to having more testosterone men can keep more so, they look leaner. Men tend to lose weight after age 50 due to the muscle loss while women keep gaining fat until about 65 or 70 before they naturally start to lose due to muscle loss.
Men Are More Likely to Go Bald Than Women
While both men and women lose hair and some women even go bald, it’s more likely for men to go bald than women in their older years. Fully half of all men have hair loss by age 50 in that typical “male pattern” we are familiar with while women usually have thinner hair but no noticeable baldness.
The aging process is going to happen no matter what you do. The alternative is not to live. But, if you know what causes different signs of aging you can find anti-aging solutions regardless of whether you’re a man or a woman.
MEN’S HEALTH & ANTI-AGING
The anti-aging advice seems like it is mostly directed toward women, but the truth is men can do things that make aging worse or better too. After all, men age and get old too. Plus, they tend to die sooner. So, men need advice too.
Care About Your Skin – Many men never worry about any lotions or potions at all. They just go about their lives and never think about it. But the truth is men can use all the anti-aging skin care techniques that women can. However, it is important to find products made for men since their skin is 25 percent thicker. Of course, your wife’s eye cream won’t hurt you, so go for it. It’s just that one made for men might be more effective.
Get Plenty of Exercise – Try to move every single day. You don’t want to overdo exercise any more than you want to under do it. Moving at least an hour a day doing purposeful exercise is imperative to help keep your joints loose and your muscle ratio up.
Eat Right & Drink Plenty of Water – There is no real controversy on what is the best diet. An unprocessed diet rich in whole, natural plant foods will keep you healthy and be the best anti-aging thing you can do for yourself.
Avoid Too Much Partying – Of course, all young people (for the most part) want to party. That’s understandable. But, the more you party the more it’s going to show on your skin and body as you age. If you want to look younger, a great anti-aging tip is to avoid drinking alcohol. Go out and party, but do it without too much libation.
Get Regular Checkups – Many men don’t seek medical treatment for problems until it’s too late. Therefore, men die sooner than women. If you want to ensure that you’re healthy your entire life, get your yearly checkups and the test you should at the right age.
Wear the Right Clothes & Hair Styles – This might seem silly but as an anti-aging solution, it works. When you wear clothing that fits you properly and is the right style for your age and body type you’ll just naturally look younger. Same with hairstyles. If you have a haircut from the 1980’s you’re going to look older than if you modernize your hair.
Have the Right Attitude – For most of life and your perception of happiness has to do with your attitude. It’s how you react to the world. If you generally react in a positive way you’re going to feel younger longer than if you react badly.
Fill Your Life with Love – It’s amazing the anti-aging effect that love can have in your life. The more you surround yourself with people that love you, and that you love, who make you feel good about yourself the younger you’re going to feel.
By doing these things you’ll be able to focus on your life instead of aging. The best anti-aging advice anyone can give is to keep a positive outlook on life and take care of yourself.
WOMEN’S HEALTH & ANTI-AGING SECRETS
The truth is, there really aren’t any anti-aging secrets. There are tips and tricks to help overcome some of the issues surrounding aging but you can’t stop it. And, the tricks really aren’t big secrets. You all know them, you just don’t want to do them all the time.
The main issue is that it takes a long time to age so it’s mostly not something noticeable until about 40 to 50 years of age. By then a lot of the damage has already happened. But, you can still do things to reverse some of the issues and help retard others by living a proper anti-aging lifestyle.
Menopause is Normal
There are some issues with aging that are completely normal and menopause is one of them. The average age of menopause is 51.5 years of age. All women experience it. But, did you know that how you experience it depends on your culture?
Women who come from Eastern countries do still have hot flashes and symptoms but since their culture doesn’t see it as a bad thing, they don’t look at it as bad. They look on it is a normal part of life. Due to this, they experience fewer symptoms associated with menopause. This fact proves that attitude is important when it comes to anti-aging.
Weight Gain Doesn’t Have to Be Normal
It’s true that as you age your body needs fewer calories to maintain itself. That’s the real reason women tend to put on weight as they age and get the so-called middle age spread. But, you can circumvent the problem if you eat a healthy process free diet full of plants.
If you eat meat, make it a condiment and not the main course. Fill your plate three-quarters with plants. Plus, you can have seconds of the plants until you’re full if they don’t have a lot of added fat like butter, oil, or even coconut oil.
Memory Fog and Tiredness Doesn’t Have to Be Normal
Many women report memory fog and tiredness and they chalk it up to age. But, if you find that you’re tired a lot, it’s not due to age. More than likely you’re not getting restful sleep for one reason or another. Try to identify the reasons. Create a sanctuary in your bedroom made for sleeping by getting rid of clutter and electronics. Buy the most luxurious sheets and blankets you can afford, and the best and most comfortable pajamas so that you can sleep well.
Shoot for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night by going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time each night and day.
Stiff Joints Don’t Have to Be Normal
Many people think that as you get old your joints have to get stiff and be painful. As long as you don’t have an underlying condition this doesn’t have to happen to you. The key is to stay hydrated and exercise. Movement is the key to many issues with aging and is one of the best anti-aging things you can do for yourself.
Take up a yoga practice, join a gym with water aerobics, and take daily walks. You’ll be glad you did when your friends are complaining about being in pain and you’re still able to tend to your garden and go out dancing with your husband in retirement.
The important thing is to realize that all “age-related” symptoms aren’t really age-related at all. They’re related to not taking good enough care of your body. This is the only body you have, try to take care of it at least 80 percent of the time and it will pay off.
TOP 10 WAYS TO COMBAT AGING
Aging is a part of life. In fact, if you don’t age, something bad happened to you. When you put that into perspective, getting older isn’t a bad thing. But, you can do your part to combat early aging with an anti-aging regimen.
Eat the Right Food – Eliminate processed food and food with additives. Eat fewer if any animal-based foods sticking mostly to a high volume of plant foods. When you do add animal-based food, stick to grass-fed, hormone free lower fat alternatives like lean chicken and fish.
Drink Enough Water – Hydrating is important for a variety of bodily functions including skin rejuvenation, and well pretty much everything your body must do to stay alive. Try to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each day.
Get Enough Exercise – Moving on purpose each day will help you feel and look young longer because muscle has an anti-aging effect on the look of your body. Plus, you feel better too.
Get Enough Sleep – Finding a way to sleep 7 to 9 hours each night is essential to good health. Your body can’t clean it’s liver and repair itself unless you are sleeping enough.
Avoid Too Much Sunshine – Everyone should seek to get some direct sunshine each day to maximize vitamin D stores but, don’t sunbathe. Thirty minutes a day is enough for most people to stay healthy. The rest of the time you should avoid the sun or wear sunscreen.
Foster a Positive Attitude – It seems kind of silly to say it but your attitude does play a major factor in how young you feel and look to others. That’s why we have jokes about “crotchety old men” and “bitchy old women”. It’s a stereotype that you can avoid with a positive attitude.
Take the Right Supplements – Today food, even plant food, is deficient in many minerals and vitamins that you need. Therefore, consider finding an all-natural supplement to take to address your specific issues. For example, you may need more D3 or B12.
Use the Right Anti-Aging Products – If you choose to use anti-aging products do your due diligence to ensure proper testing and studies to make sure they work. Plus, only use products that address the issues you have.
Create a Healthy Routine – Everyone does better if they have a set schedule or a routine for their lifestyle. If you plan to eat right but don’t have a menu and grocery list and a plan to ensure it happens, it won’t happen.
Know Yourself – When you seek to get to know who you are in this world, you’re always going to feel better as you age. The best anti-aging serum or pill around can’t change how you feel inside. Only you can do that.
These anti-aging tips will go far in helping you combat the signs of aging. The point is that you should choose things based on who you are, for the lifestyle you want to live, within your means and ability to stick to it. Be realistic, have a positive outlook, and your anti-aging efforts will pay off in a big way.
HOW TO CHOOSE PRODUCTS THAT ENCOURAGE ANTI-AGING
Life seems far too short. That’s why people are so concerned with aging. It almost feels as though youth is wasted on the young (as they say). When you’re old enough to enjoy life, you are already having aging symptoms. It’s natural to want to find ways to fight aging, and thankfully there are many products out there today that you can try. Many of them work too.
Natural Ingredients – You want the products that you put in and on your body to be natural. Always read the ingredients to ensure that they’re safe and effective and that you know what’s in the product before you try it.
Clinically Tested – Find products that have research to back up their effectiveness. Anyone can put anything out there and say it’s anti-aging but without studies to back up the results, it’s just marketing and words.
Doctor Approved – The best products have been tests and approved by real doctors. They’re going to make sure that the product isn’t dangerous. Of course, you do always need to check with your own doctor to ensure you’re not taking something that contradicts your medication or health issues.
Affordable – The other thing you want to ensure is that the products you’re using are affordable. After all, if they’re not affordable you’re not going to be able to keep using them. You want the products to have a price that enables you to keep using them over time.
Realistic – Always read the dosing instructions before choosing a product. For example, if a bottle of supplements has 30 caps but you need to take 3 a day, that bottle will only last 10 days. Additionally, if you’re not happy taking supplements three times a day you might want to find a different dose that is more realistic for your lifestyle.
Formulated for You – There are different products for men and women for a reason. Men and women have different skin textures, different hormones, and different needs. Find a product that is formulated for your needs including your sex, age, and anti-aging qualities you desire.
Try Them Long Enough – Many people take a supplement or use a cream a few times and then give up. Most of these types of products require continuous use over a long period. Don’t give up. Give the product at least enough time to use all your first purchase before you determine it doesn’t work.
Using anti-aging products is a perfectly acceptable way to treat aging. It doesn’t mean you’re having issues getting older, it doesn’t mean that you’re imperfect, it just means you like to do a little extra to feel good about yourself. It’s also not self-centered to want to look and feel good.
You should want to stay as viable as you can for as long as you can. There is no science that says you must experience all the aging symptoms people report. You can grow older and stay vibrant when you know what products to use, how to pick them, and what is right for you.
LIFESTYLE CHOICES THAT AFFECT ANTI-AGING
thing is clear about aging. You’re going to do it anyway if all goes right. But, you can have a huge effect on how you age if you know what to do. You can make aging less painful and disruptive to your life when you make smart lifestyle choices.
Get Moving – Exercise is imperative if you want to age gracefully.
One of the hardest parts of aging is losing independence. That can happen if you can’t handle the basic functions of life such as cooking for yourself, cleaning up after yourself, and other activities of daily living. It might not seem important now if you’re healthy – but daily exercise will allow you to remain independent longer barring any unforeseen disease.
Sleep Enough – Our busy lives often prevent us from focusing on one of the most important anti-aging things you can do for yourself, which is sleep enough. Most people are chronically tired due to lack of sleep. Turn off screens two or three hours before bed. Get up and go to bed at the same time most nights. Shoot for 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
Be Positive – While it might seem trite, attitude makes a huge difference in how old you feel and look. If you have a good attitude it will carry you far in the world. To be honest, there is no reason to fear aging. It’s part of life. Take the anti-aging measures that you can, and be happy for each day that you get to live on this earth.
Eat Right – There are many people out there saying what diet is best. There is a lot of misleading information. But, when it comes to aging one thing is clear, you need to eat fewer processed foods and more whole, natural plant foods. What’s more, if you stick to plant foods and nix processed food you can eat more without weight gain due to the low caloric content in plant foods.
Have More Sex – Sexual health is best maintained by having more sex. Sex releases endorphins that make you feel good, loosen your joints, and even plump up the skin. Sex may be different as you age, but it’s not worse, it’s better. Don’t skip out on it due to your busy lifestyle. If you must put it on your calendar to ensure that you are having more sex do that. It’s that important.
Drink Enough Water – If you eat a lot of plant foods you can drink less straight water, but in general you need about 8 to 10 glasses of water per day to stay hydrated. You can do your own home anti-aging treatment by trying the gallon a day challenge. If you’re very healthy without kidney issues, you’ll notice within the 30-day challenge that your skin looks years younger as fine lines and wrinkles are filled in and your coloring becomes brighter.
The younger you are when you make these changes the better off you’ll be. However, people have made changes at all ages and experienced great benefits. You can too.
ANTI-AGING SKIN TREATMENTS
As you get older you start to notice it first on your skin. You’ll notice your hands start looking older than your body, and your chest area or anyplace that is often exposed to sunlight. Even if you feel young inside these outward signs of aging can be a serious impediment to feeling confident and vibrant.
Thankfully, there are a lot of anti-aging treatments that you can use to help. There are homemade treatments, over the counter treatments, prescription treatments, and even surgery. In this article, we’ll talk about some over the counter treatments you can get, why you may want to try them, and what condition they treat.
Lotions & Potions
Lines and wrinkles appear in the skin as you get older due to the loss of collagen. This is a protein that holds your skin together. When you’re young you have more of it which is why your skin will look full, plump, have plenty of elasticity and still be firm.
As you get older you need to find ways to replace or replicate what collagen does for your skin. There are collagen boosters that cause your body to produce more collagen that works well will test to back up the claims.
Follow directions when you use any product on your face or skin. Many of them will say to not use around the eyes or safe for eyes. It’s imperative that you use the creams correctly to avoid problems. Just because something is over the counter doesn’t mean it’s not effective.
Supplements
Your skin needs the right nutrients to help it stay or become healthy. You can get that through a great diet, but if you’re not sure if your diet is enough you can use supplements. Supplements help your skin from the inside out just like your diet.
The right supplements will help all your skin become healthier by replacing ceramides. This is a lipid that combines with cholesterol and fatty acids to strength the outermost layer of your skin keeping it moist and supple. If you have any skin issues at all this supplement is worth a try because it can help anything from dry scalp to fine lines.
Finally, one of the most anti-aging things you can do is to drink plenty of fresh filtered water. If you don’t have a filter on your tap, you can get one at your nearest Home Depot or Walmart. Even if you use the treatments described drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each day to help increase the effects and make your skin look even younger.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP & ANTI-AGING
Everyone needs sleep. Unfortunately, a large portion of us aren’t getting enough. Lack of sleep impacts your health in a negative way. This is probably not anything new, but if you’re interested in anti-aging solutions then sleep is one of your best cures.
The Effects of Too Little Sleep
Lack of sleep affects everything you do. If you don’t get enough sleep you’ll have poor memory, poor reflexes, and get sick easier. Your skin will look sallow, and you’ll have circles under your eyes. You might even put yourself and others in danger by falling asleep at the wheel in rush hour traffic.
You’ll seem older because your skin looks sad, your eyes look bloodshot, and you can’t keep a coherent thought. You’ve heard the term “absent-minded professor” and this is you if you’re not getting enough sleep. Not only that, you’ll probably collect more fat around your midsection which can lead to cardiovascular diseases and early death.
The Signs of Too Little Sleep
There are many signs that you’re not getting enough sleep. Let’s talk about those, then we’ll talk about how to fix a problem with not getting enough sleep.
After Lunch Sleepiness – In our society, this after lunch lull is considered normal, but the truth is, it’s not normal. Even if you’re bored, driving, typing or reading, if you’re getting enough sleep and you’re eating right and staying hydrated you shouldn’t experience that problem. You should stay alert throughout most of the day when everything is in alignment.
Inability to Wake Rested – If you are in your bed for 8 hours and you still wake up tired, you’re not sleeping enough. Something is keeping you from getting enough sleep whether it’s electronics in your bedroom, or sleep apnea, you should identify why you are tired in the morning. Being tired and not wanting to wake up only happens when you don’t get enough rest.
Cognitive Issues – When you’re not well-rested you can develop issues with your memory and communication. You may appear to space out to others and seem flighty. Many people don’t go to the doctor due to these issues due to fear. When just more sleep will help.
There are other things like headaches and poor digestion that are signs of lack of sleep too. If you’ve realized you’re not getting enough sleep now you can fix it.
How to Get Enough Sleep
The best thing you can do for yourself and your anti-aging efforts is to get enough sleep. These methods will work for almost anyone given enough time and effort.
Rise & Sleep on A Schedule – This seems boring but for the most part, you should be getting up and going to bed around the same time on a schedule each day. It’s a myth that you can “catch up” on sleep. You need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every single night. The way to tell how much you need is by paying attention to your daily energy level.
Get Rid of Electronics Early – Each day about 3 hours before bed turn off all screens. When you get your sleep back on track you may be able to move down to an hour depending on how the electronics affect your body. But for now, use three hours. Read a book, color, or do something that doesn’t involve screens.
Finally, create a sanctuary in your bedroom that promotes sleep.
Get a comfortable mattress, keep the room clean, make it a little colder than you think you need. Wear comfortable pajamas or sleep naked, but don’t wear things that bind you. If this doesn’t work, you may want to seek medical attention because you may have other issues such as sleep apnea.
ANTI-AGING HOME REMEDIES
Anti-aging isn’t just about looking younger, but also feeling younger. But good feelings can start from the outside and make the inside feel better. But true anti-aging works to make your insides feel younger and your outside look younger.
There are products you can buy that work great, but you can also make your own.
Age Spots
These are spots caused by sun exposure over time. They usually appear in people over 50 on areas often exposed to the sun. They are benign flat spots that can be from white to black in color.
The best way to treat age spots in men or women is to lighten them. You can buy creams that lighten or you can use one or more of these home remedies to look years younger.
Lemon Juice to The Rescue
Just take a lemon, cut it in half and take the seeds out. Then just rub it on the age spots. You can do this with a used lemon that you’ve squeezed out most of the juice. Just make it a habit of saving that lemon and rubbing it on your age spots. Leave on your skin for 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse off. Don’t get near your eyes.
Scars
Many people get scars for a variety of reasons over time. Surgery, weight gain and loss, and other reasons can cause you to develop scar tissue. No one wants unsightly scars to make them look older than they are. Thankfully you can treat scars at home.
Coconut Oil is a Miracle
This home remedy is useful for a variety of things including skin moisturizing, scar fading and as a nutritional supplement or healthy fat in your diet. So, it’s good inside and out.
Just use coconut oil on your skin daily rubbing it into and paying special attention to the scars you want to fade. Ensure that you buy good organic, virgin coconut oil as it has properties in it that only mother’s milk has, to help keep you young.
Brain Fog
Most people experience brain fog at some point in their lives, but it’s most associated with aging and illnesses that come with aging. You can eliminate brain fog by eating right and sleeping well at night. A good way to sleep well at night is to get up at the same time daily and go to bed at the same time each day while avoiding “blue lights” at night from your electronics.
These home remedies work well to help you feel and look younger.
