Maintain a Healthy Body and Grow Old Gracefully

Almost everyone wants to stay looking as fresh and as young as possible unfortunately we cannot stop or turn back the clock. We all know that we all grow old, but that does not mean we all want to look our biological age. More than that, we do not want to feel our real age. Both men and women reach a certain point in life when they take so long to dress up for the office simply because their corporate uniforms no longer fit or look good on them. Or is it the other way around? But days when women were the only ones interested in looking beautiful and spending time, money and effort to make themselves look and feel good are gone. These days even men take the time out to get physically fit not only for vanity reasons but also for health reasons. We have realized that not only do we want to look younger but we also want to maintain a healthier body.

Some may want to stay looking as young as they can and doing everything in their power to achieve that. But let us be realistic and just desire to grow old gracefully. We really do not need to spend much on doing that. What we really need is a lot of discipline on our part and to start out young in taking care of our health and body. Do not wait until it is too late to follow some tips and tricks that can help us stay and feel young and happy.

Maintaining a healthy balanced diet is crucial in aging gracefully. There are certain foods that are anti-aging because they are rich in anti-oxidants and can therefore fight the free radicals which speed up aging and cause health problems. Eating a balanced and healthy diet ensures that you get the proper nutrients that will increase your immunity to disease, keeping you safe from illnesses. Some of the top anti-aging foods are:

Avocado - Avocado is very rich in the healthy monosaturated fats. It also an excellent source of potassium and Vitamin E that can help improve the texture of your skin. Avocado can also reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, eliminate fluid retention, alleviate menopausal flashes and also contains a lot of fiber which helps remove harmful toxins and have an effective digestive system.

Nuts - Healthy nut are great sources of cardio-protective monounsaturated fats and hypertension-fighting L-arginine. Walnuts in particular, contain a great deal of omega-3s. They have essential elements like iron, zinc, copper, selenium, potassium, and magnesium which can help improve your immune system. Essentially these contain a large amount of anti-oxidants but always eat in moderation as these can be quite fatty too.

Green Leafy Vegetables - Green leafy vegetables contain a great deal of lutein and zeaxanthin. These two naturally occurring substances can protect your eyes from the harmful effects of the sun. Kale, although not as popular as other cruciferous vegetable family broccoli or cabbage, stands out in three particular areas: antioxidant nutrients, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and anti-cancer nutrients in the form of glucosinolates. It can provide special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming. Researchers can now identify over 45 different flavonoids in kale which combines both anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Berries - Blue and black berries, black currant and black grapes as well as gooseberries are perfect for your regimen to stay younger. These fruits are rich in antioxidants and Vitamin C that are also referred to as the phytochemicals. These nutrients are known to fight the signs of aging.

Greek Yogurt – Contains more protein than regular yogurt and is rich in calcium with good bacteria that helps keep our gut healthy and decrease age-related intestinal illnesses.

Water – Drinking plenty of water is always good for us. It helps to hydrate the body, cleanse the blood and detoxify the body. It can increase energy level and give your skin a boost. People often does not drink sufficient water and complain about headaches, low concentration levels and fatigue and not think this are symptoms of dehydration. Make sure you drink the recommended daily intake of 8 glasses of water a day and taking more after exercise or have been in a dry and overheated environment is best. Water should always be your primary drink.

Red Wine and Dark Chocolate – are said to be anti-aging foods because of some substances in them but these are food that should always be taken in moderation.

Physical inactivity or sedentary life is unhealthy and considered to be the biggest problem of the 21^st century. This does not necessarily mean pushing yourself to go to the gym or undergo a program that does not suit you and your lifestyle. It is best that you choose an exercise that you really like in order to make so that you will enjoy and stick to it. There so many to choose from aside from the gym such as yoga, Pilates, swimming and even walking. Exercise helps in blood circulation as well as in stimulating all parts of the body but even walking has been shown lower the risk of heart disease and prevents other diseases like diabetes, decrease risks of breast and colon cancers, high blood pressure, slows the ageing process and many more. Just walking a moderate pace 30 minutes a day is enough. Being in the corporate world should not limit you in doing a little exercise every day.  Take the time to exercise after office work and even in your corporate apparel it is still possible to have stretching breaks. Sitting in front of the computer 8 hours a day should be reason enough to stand up, stretch and move around. Some even makes use of exercise balls as office chairs although it is not recommended by experts.

Getting enough quality sleep for 7 to 8 hours is important to any person not only because you would look haggard with not much sleep. More importantly, chronic sleep loss can contribute to more health problems such as decrease in your immune system, weight gain, high blood pressure. Unfortunately, studies have shown that more people are not getting enough sleep and more are having sleep difficulties. Some are even have a sleep disorder called Shift Work Disorder experienced by those who work graveyard shifts or rotating shifts. This shift schedule disrupts their body’s internal sleep-wake clock and thus causes the sleeping disorders. They struggle to stay awake during their waking hours or have trouble sleeping during their sleeping hours. The problem is that people in the family may be putting on their corporate uniforms and go to their offices when it is time for you to sleep which makes it difficult to sleep. Whether you work normal 9 to 5 work hours or rotating shifts, sleep should be made a priority to ensure a healthier and happier you.

Stress is what we feel when we have to handle more than what we are used to, when we feel that everything is suddenly too much to handle. While there are normal stresses which can help you work harder for something, stress that happens very often and lasts very long are not good for your health. It can cause you headaches, an upset stomach, restless sleep, and can accelerate the formation of lines around your eyes making you look so much older than you really are. It can even produce skin conditions like eczema. The good news is that if you really want to, stress can be managed by finding out what your stressors are or what is causing the stress in your life, look for ways to reduce the amount of stress, and learn the different healthy ways to relieve stress or reduce its harmful effects.