Read these 25 Health and Aging Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Antiaging tips and hundreds of other topics.
Stress can be caused by some "forces" that might never have occurred to you. Did you know that air pollution, cigarette smoke, too little humidity, travelling or even sleeping in an uncomfortable bed can put you in a bad mood. It's so true!
The Japanese have an unusual way of inviting sweet dreams. They have their feet massaged before retiring.
Your immune system gets to work building cells to fight off disease and rebuilding tissue as you sleep each night. A disturbed sleep cycle, often experienced by the over-stressed, the non-exercisers, and those with a substance dependency problem, robs you of energy the coming day and can actually shorten your life span! Decide on a reasonable time to get to sleep each night and stick with it. You'll be more energetic when you wake up and have a healthier body to show for it.
Still can't sleep? There are great little machines on the market that mimic the sounds of the ocean, a gentle brook or even the woods in the early afternoon. The timer feature of these great little gadgets allows you to pre-program the sounds and the machine will shut itself off, long after you are asleep.
A recent study conducted by Harvard found, that you could reduce your chances of a stroke by 30% if all you do is increase your fruit and veggies to nine servings a day. Just imagine how this would affect your calorie intake, and most fruits and veggies contain great anti-oxidents. We stay healthy and slow down the aging process at the same time!
A study completed by the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found that adequate Vitamin C in your diet can reduce your risk of dying by cancer by a whopping 62%. Sounds like a great reason to include oranges on your shopping list next week.
Doctors at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center have discovered that certain scents when filtered through an MRI room, calmed the patients down!
Research as of February 2002 shows that a glass or two of wine or spirits reduces cardiovascular risk in post menopausal women. While information on wine has been reported previously, 'spirits' has been added to lessen risk. This research comes from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Are you getting enough fibre each day? You should be consuming 25-35 grams and most of us don't!
From this point on, every time you put anything into your mouth, ask yourself... do I really want this food to become my face, hair, energy, reflect in my moods etc.? It does make a big difference in how you will look and feel.
Stress can be reduced by practicing yoga. Hatha yoga, for example, incorporates slow, stretching movements that not only tone your muscles, but soothe the mind as well. If you find it difficult to relax (as I do), this is an excellent program.
Can't sleep? Lots of little things running through your mind could be the problem. Instead of solving all of life's little problems when you should be asleep, write them down and then put them out of your mind until tomorrow. Believe it or not, the process of writing them down helps to sort things out in your mind. What is even better is the fact that your subconscious will work on the problems while you are asleep and in the morning... a lot of the problems won't seem quite so bad. Solutions have already occurred to you.
Free radicals are something we can't seem to avoid. They are everywhere, but we can try our best to minimize them as best we can. One particularly nasty area is the stress in our lives. Believe it or not, our bodies go to work and create more free radicals. Our best defense is a diet rich in Vitamins A, C, and E.
Here is one of my favorites. Do something totally different. Today, I cleaned the house and baked before coming anywhere near the computer. Believe it or not, it was just what I needed! My house is clean, the scones look and smell incredible and my mood... is blissful. Who would have thought?
Still can't sleep? Maybe it's your bedroom. Give it a thorough cleaning, clear off the dresser, change the sheets, spray the pillows with your favorite scent and chances are, you will be asleep the minute your head touches the pillow. How will this help? You have fallen in love with your bedroom and relaxing is suddenly so easy.
It is becoming more and more apparent that lifestyle and diet play a bigger role in how you age than we once thought. That's even more reason to eat the best foods you can and learn how to deal with any stresses that you face.
Your brain is composed of 95% water, your blood is 82%, and your lungs are nearly 90% water. Replenishing the moisture that is lost throughout the day is critical to your short and long term health. Drinking eight, 8 oz. glasses of water per day will improve your memory, fight against irritability, help you think more sharply, ward off disease, ease joint and back pain, and enhance the health and glow of your skin.
One of the best stress reducers is plain laughter. Do you remember the last time you laughed? And here is something else to think about. Go to a playground and listen to how often children laugh. Does this tell you something?
Do you need another reason to exercise? I think that I have just the one for you! Research has shown
that women who began exercising AFTER menopause, still reduced their chances of getting breast cancer by a whopping 40%. That's a good enough reason for me. I'm going to work just a little MORE exercise into my day.
Cut your alcohol consumption down to a glass or two of GOOD wine a day and be sure that your intake of Essential Fatty Acids are adequate. Alcohol dehydrates the skin, robbing it of moisture and nutrients.
You probably never thought this possible, but exercise is the number one stress reducer available to you. So before popping a pill, simply start moving.
You might not think about them very often, but preservatives, coloring agents, artificial flavors, and hydrogenated oils that are so often present in our foods, will accelerate the aging process.
Stress and indigestion are connected! The reason is this... the body releases substances when you are stressed that interfere with digestion. To make matters worse, fatty acids in your blood and these acids combined with glycerin, form fat. So in a nutshell, you are in a rotten mood, your stomach hurts and you are putting on weight.
Guru Spotlight |
Sheri Ann Richerson |