As it turns out, we have the perfect role models to pattern our lifestyles after and they just happen to be the healthiest group of people on this big blue marble of ours! The nation of Japan gets pretty high marks for their health and longevity, no question. However, I am speaking about the tiny Island just off the Japanese mainland called Okinawa. If you blink you will miss this little sub tropical retreat, more known for fishing and the movie “The Karate Kid” from back in the eighties. You remember Mr. Miyagi don’t you? Even he was portrayed in the film as a Karate master obviously in great health whose tranquil sense of being and quite capable self defense prowess helped a youngster learn how to defend himself. Anyway, I digress – rent the movie!

The Okinawans are number one in the world for the longest life spans and have amazingly good health with few of the age related diseases that are so prevalent in the west. There are more centenarians living in Okinawa than anywhere else in the world based on population. The thing is, who among us would have a desire to live to one hundred years of age if the last third of your life is wracked with pain and discomfort as you live out your years in physician waiting rooms and pharmacy line ups. The elders in Okinawa are living a life of health and purpose even as they reach very senior, golden years.

Unfortunately the younger generation of Okinawans does not appear to have the same sense of discipline as their elders have for keeping fit and healthy. The senior Okinawan citizens are living the sort of life we all should be following and yet their offspring are not, and this is very telling about the differences in generations and their experiences. These senior citizens in Okinawa are living confirmation that if we follow a similar lifestyle we to will benefit in health and longevity, just like we have been reminded time and again by western pundits.

Now it is time to find out just exactly what the Okinawans are doing to live such remarkable lives. They certainly do their best to steer clear of tobacco smoking; they eat a low caloric yet healthful diet consisting of whole innate foods from island sources along with abundant fruits and vegetables. These folks are getting loads of fresh air and exposure to the sunlight and also avoid alcohol for the most part. Theirs is certainly not an excessive lifestyle by any stretch.

It helps I am sure that these people are living in a tropical region with little or no hustle and bustle of mainland life to distract them. Their diet contains a lot of essential fatty acids no doubt because they are living on an island surrounded by sea and seafood – fish being a huge source of omega 3 fatty acids. The scientific – medical community are only beginning to acknowledge how important this variety of fat is to or health.

Of the numerous reasons why Okinawans have such healthy golden years, the most significant of these would likely be the low caloric intake. One interesting tidbit from Okinawan life is the practice known as hari hachi bu which is essentially “eating until you are eighty percent full.” They never overstuff themselves when they eat. In the book called “the Zone Diet” the author discusses this calorie association relative to their longevity.

The considerable healthful advantages of caloric limitation are evident in some serious anti aging and longevity studies conducted on lab rodents and evidence of a dramatic spike in life span has been verified. Studies on humans are currently being evaluated but the research community is certainly hopeful. One thing is certain, there are not many obese eighty and ninety year olds walking about so there may be something to the theory.

An extended life span, while a wonderful gift to those who enjoy it, also signifies genuine health and an ability to ride that healthy wave to impressive age duration, doing so in the best physical condition. The way the aging people of Okinawa live safeguards them from the deadly diseases so widespread in the west. For instance, cases of heart disease, cancer and strokes are quite rare in Okinawa; the arteries in these islanders are as clean as a whistle!

These folks also have a reduced quantity of the amino acid – homocysteine – which is known to cause damage to the walls of arteries. This is fairly novel as a risk characteristic for heart disease and the risk increases when an individual is lacking in folate, found in leafy green vegetables like spinach. When levels of homocysteine are high in elderly people it has been a factor in the reduction of mental capacity.

Enjoying a stress free and relaxed lifestyle is one more feature of the Okinawan lifestyle and it is noteworthy. Amazingly these characteristics are so obvious to us in western nations as hallmarks for health and longevity; their uniqueness lies in the fact that they are all present in this one society. It makes me think about a number of older neighbors of mine, all of whom lived or are still living long lives and they all had gardens, all of them took long daily walks and all of them were non smokers and teetotalers.

Interestingly, Okinawan females have far fewer issues regarding their change of life or menopause, rarely if ever requiring western style treatments or hormone replacement therapy [or HRT]. The speculation is they eat a fair amount of soy in their diets and this helps though the jury is still out on whether soy is fit for human consumption.

It would behoove anyone interested in extended life and good health to read up on the Okinawan diet and lifestyle. They eat extremely healthy food and oddly some believe that with some minor modifications to their diet they could perhaps live even longer! Dairy products are usually not a staple in many Asian cultures so illnesses associated with this consumable are minimized.

Rather than rushing out and buying up the seafood section of your supermarket, as healthy as the diet is, even focusing on and adapting aspects of their lifestyle will benefit many westerners and essential fatty acids are available in supplement form.

The Okinawan elders are proof that a healthy diet and lifestyle equals extended longevity with great physical condition. Just accomplishing the fundamentals of the Okinawan way of life can improve our chances of living longer with greater health and a positive outlook for the remaining years of our lives.

Anti Aging, Anti Aging Theories, Health And Aging, Longevity

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It is not the actual time that makes you grow old but the maltreatment that catches up to us. When we contract a degenerative disease it is a strong signal that free radicals have damaged our cells. When we slow or delay this free radical harm, we call this anti aging. Out longevity is dependent upon good nutrition and modification of our lifestyle while getting adequate physical exercise on a day to day basis.

Research into why we age has been extensive but in the most rudimentary of explanations, what follow are some reasons why we start aging:

• We absorb fewer nutrients because of a decline in our enzymes along with a shortage of hydrochloric acid in our stomach;
• An accumulation of contaminants inside our body caused by our food intake and exposure to our environmental surroundings;
• Our metabolism is slowed and we gain weight, thus frustrating the problem with a lack of activity;
• Our breathing capacity begins to decline which impacts the supply of oxygen to our cells;
• Our cells become damaged due to unchecked free radical damage;

A very large part of how we age is the result of how we have lived our life. Like a retirement savings plan, later in life you will be relying on what you invested into it earlier on. The good news is that there is no time limit on physical and psychological restoration thanks to anti aging tactical planning. We will all end up dying sooner or later, longevity has an expiration date. However, we can comfortably progress in age without having to suffer through the agonizing decline usually associated with aging.

We’ve all heard of those people who simply grow old and die comfortably in their sleep. Not sick a day in their lives and they simply pass away for no other reason than they were old. Most of us on the other hand wind up perishing because of a failure of vital organs usually related to a serious chronic illness or as a consequence of disease. Diseases considered to be age related are not related at all to age but rather to lousy lifestyle options we have chosen and so beginning at the molecular level, the process of dying begins.

The sooner we begin to properly feed and nourish our cells so they can efficiently regenerate, the better off we will be from a health perspective. This of course begins with us making the choice to stop something harming us – just as we initially made the choice to start willfully harming ourselves. When we make the right choice we can make a fast start to health by eating a better diet, starting to get more physical activity and by taking a strong anti aging supplement. We stop doing things like smoking, drinking too much alcohol, illicit drug use and eating crappy food on the run.

The progressive diseases like cancer, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease etc., are not unique from one another factually. These illnesses are actually dissimilar outcomes from the free radical harm being done to or cellular structure. By doing something effective to thwart or safeguard oneself from this free radical damage is anti aging.

How To Avoid Early Onset Aging

Be careful not to overdo it with poor choice extremes such as smoking, drinking alcohol, abusing illicit drugs and eating excessively, and refrain from assuming a blithe attitude toward your lifestyle, it will catch up to you.

We take our respiratory system for granted – it’s just breathing. Each breath of oxygen is a gift and is essentially what is sustaining your life, without it you will perish. Regardless of your current age, learn to breathe correctly.

Some may wonder why the act of breathing is so crucial to your longevity. Consider that we take approximately twenty thousand breaths per day [or twelve to fourteen breaths each minute]. This is one way we rid our bodies of toxicity like carbon dioxide.
When we breathe we are cleaning and oxygenating our blood. Our energy and endurance are enhanced by the act of breathing and we manage and regulate any pain we have with our breathing. Our blood pressure is maintained by our breathing and we actually can lower our cholesterol by breathing. We cleanse our minds when we breathe, free ourselves from objectionable emotions as well as reduce stress when breathing. Our concentration and focus is augmented by proper breathing.

“Everything in moderation” is a great phraseology and a standout approach to one’s life. Be careful not to eat too much, safeguard yourself from stressful environments and try not to wear yourself down physically or emotionally. Always strive for adequate rest and sleep. Understand that when you allow stress to overtake you one significant result of this is you open up your immunity system to hazard. Nothing you achieve is worth risking your health over, simply ask anyone who paid the price for success. Teaching yourself to relax and not burn the candle at both ends is a worthy challenge and practicing relaxation techniques and meditation are proven methods for doing this.

Genetics plays a role in our longevity and health and some folks do not need the anti aging planning that some others may require. If you are one of those who comes up short on genetics, implementing the lifestyle modifications discussed can go a long way to securing a healthy anti aging lifestyle.

Being optimistic, a cup half full kind of person is another means of anti aging. Knowing that just being happy and not worrying about things can add years to your life. This is no joke; it is proven fact that people who remain optimistic into their senior years have better longevity than average. People who are optimistic live longer than the average gloomy Gus out there. You can tell who these people are by the way they pull away from society and seem to only speak of negative things. Those people who worry about everything and fret over nothing age quickly! Have ways of releasing stress such as healthy sexual activity, sports excitement and some doable physical challenges that test you.

One of the least mentioned but most effective means of staving off old age is having a sense of humor. Laughter truly is the best medicine and some people believe that it is a little known way to burn off calories! It is a reliable way of quickly adjusting your attitude from unconstructive to upbeat. Learn to laugh at yourself first and laughing at others will become easier.

Laughing at adversity really does work as anyone who laughs even in the wake of someone’s death can readily attest to. It dramatically relieves stress and is an instant mood lifter. Humor is an important part of life as is evident in the fact that laughter is one of our more prevalent dispositions. Those people who have the ability to laugh and utilize their sense of humor will live longer.

Keep your mind actively participating in life. Sounds strange yes, but as we age our minds can easily become slowed through inactivity. Read more and quiz yourself afterwards to see what you were able to comprehend. Play skill games that challenge you and do whatever is necessary to grow your mental prowess.

Practice the power of forgiveness and nurture all relationships. Let go of negative feeling towards other people who you think have wronged you. In your mind’s eye, think about having a large eraser and brush away all unpleasant memories or inequities done to you. It is actually unhealthy to harbor these unpleasant experiences inside you so learn to let them go. The simple act of forgiving, even if it is only one way, it takes the burden off you and frees you to move forward.

Friendships are important and need to be two way deals. Companionship is a bit different whereby you are closer to an individual, say a spouse or dear friend. These relationships will help you to live longer and if you do not have such a companion, it would behoove you to nurture such a relationship at work, with neighbors and friends so you have someone you can share with and doing so is practicing yet another form of anti aging.

There is no better way to speak of emotional people than to say they should harmonize their emotions so they are converted to a personal spirituality of oneself. Avoid being held hostage by your emotions but rather control them rather than them controlling you. Unbalanced emotions deny you the spirituality you require to achieve peace as you age. Locate that middle ground where your emotions are concerned so you will be able to enjoy harmony and tranquility for your longevity.

It is time you did something to prepare for your advancement of age. Regardless of where you are at in your life from a health perspective or age, practicing anti aging techniques like those we have just discussed will actually help you live a longer life.

Anti Aging, Anti Aging Theories, Health And Aging, Longevity

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Rest assured that all these nutrients and elements from the food we are eating make it into the tiniest reaches of our system. Without them we would not survive so they have an obvious impact on our being. The nutrients that we ingest establish the makeup of our cellular membrane covering, our bone marrow, blood and even our hormones. When you think that an average person sheds approximately three hundred billion cells every single day to age progression and needs to replace these, it becomes apparent this process is complex. This complexity is derived from the fact that our body is actually produced based on the food we are giving it to survive.

This fact makes it so crucial that we must take the utmost care in what we are supplying our bodies – also why consuming clean food should be a vital precedence. We can no longer tolerate the consumption of junk food since we know it is far from harmless. If our body is made up from what we are feeding it, we must be sure that food is “clean”.

Prior to 1993, any list documenting the major causes of mortality in America would have included heart disease, cancer and strokes. In this same year, several medical doctors shifted the standards when they released in print a report called “Actual Causes of Death in the United States” to the Journal of American Medical Association looking at what was at the root of these diseases.

Their results showed that entirely half of the yearly mortality rate of almost one million were early onset and might have been avoided for a time by altering certain behaviors such as smoking, their food intake and amount of physical activity, alcohol use, firearms usage, sexual permissiveness, automobile accidents and illegal use of drugs. Just smoking, lousy diets and poor exercise commitment made up about seven hundred thousand early onset deaths in the year 1990.

Scientists working with the Center for Disease Control [CDC] in 2004 once again looked at the Medical Association report from the Journal and revealed an identical outcome. There was a difference that stood out this time around; deaths from poor diets had increased mainly due to a spike in the amount of obesity and diabetes that was prevalent.

 A year ago in the summer of 2009, the CDC science community released a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine evaluating case work of better than twenty three thousand German citizens, all adults who were signed on to the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition research or [EPIC] and looked into four behaviors: Were they eating properly? Were they a healthy weight? Did they get enough physical activity? Did they smoke?

Those contributors who rated four good answers [proper diet, body mass index under thirty, physically active, non smokers] versus the people with four negative answers [all opposites], had an eighty percent reduced risk of developing any major prolonged illnesses. Think of the impact if there was an available medication that reduced our risk of dying early for any reason by eighty percent!

I am sure the phrase nature versus nurture – or genetics versus environment – is not new to most but these studies have clearly displayed that our lifestyle choices are very influential where they can be used to cultivate nature or command our genes. Numerous research studies have revealed this to be so, Researcher r. Dean Ornish and his associates have compiled evidence that is the most persuasive to this point. They prepared a program for men diagnosed with prostate cancer a clean living strategy that incorporated a healthy, plant based meal plan; consistent exercise and a program for managing their stress levels, all of which displayed an obvious decrease in gene reaction that ordinarily would encourage prostate cancer progression and at the same time elevating the genes that are able to have power over it.

 It is that type of power and assurance we derive from clean eating so it is useful to understand its definition. It is not necessarily organic. There is some food that is organic but not very nutritious, or even nutritious while not being organic, for instance broccoli produced by conventional manners. Organic is no doubt good for us but it is not an altogether final definition of “clean.”

When food is considered clean, it has been refined or processed as little as possible and it comes straight from nature’s source. These are whole foods that are additive free with no coloring, flavoring, sweeteners or hormones. Better are those foods that have singular word ingredients such as almonds, spinach, blueberries, lentils and salmon. If the included list of ingredients is shorter, all the better, since it leaves little space for production waywardness by adding other substances and chemicals like sugar, salt, hazardous oils and any useless calories. If you see this long and hard to understand labeling, turn your back and start walking away quickly!

Evidence exists that, in general, the more natural the food that you eat is, and the lesser quantity of calories you will require to feel full. The grounds for this fact is due to heavily processed foods having low fiber and water content, higher rates of calories versus nutrients and an amalgam of tastes ranging from sugar to salt and other flavoring that are meant to trigger your appetite region in the hypothalamus portion of your brain.

Clean foods do just the reverse: they contain plenty of fiber and liquid, a high rate of nutrients over calories with no additional flavors – the combination of which drives indicators to satiate your brain prior to you overloading on calories. A fir instance would be considering the number of raw almonds you would consume before halting, now think about if they were honey coated almonds. It is the honey laden exterior that propels you to eat more than you require or perhaps even want. When you practice “clean eating”, you will be able to manage your weight all the time with no feeling of being disadvantaged by hunger pangs or a constant hankering for more.
 
Therefore we need to have a final look at clean eating and why it is so important to you. Our physical bodies are busy replenishing so many billions of cells on a daily basis as they utilize the food we provide as the root of this cell rebuilding enterprise. When we eat properly we achieve a piece of the blueprint that might well modify our chances of contracting any of the serious and eventual age related illnesses and diseases by eighty percent and actually accomplish inner health at the genetic molecular level.

The scientific community has proven how critical every piece of food is that we put into our bodies. Little did we realize back in the day when our mother said “you are what you eat” that she really did know what she was talking about. When we choose to eat clean food, we are choosing life, longevity and good health for ourselves and what can be better than that!

Anti Aging Theories, Health And Aging, Lifestyle, Longevity

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Knowing this information one is inclined to question how if the body is so adept at rejuvenation, why on earth do we get so many illnesses and diseases? Why did our evolutionary process not bestow upon us a means of achieving “new health”?

We need to consider two points in order to come up with some answers to these queries. One has to do with our physical tier and the other deals with the mental tier. Where our physical field is concerned, if we traumatize our bodies through mistreatment the functionality of it will be affected so when our cells divide the effected portion is transferred to the subsequent generation of cells and so forth. There is also the inevitable altered form of DNA occurring with each cell division – little wonder why caring for our cells are such a big deal.

What occurs at the mental tier is also significant. It only stands to reason that the majority of us if not ach one of us has at one point unknowingly turned off the “good health control”. There has been a pre-conditioning process happening to us thanks largely to the manufacturers of health care items and health care professionals – likely unintended – that aging means ill health as usual. We have this again pounded into us when our own elderly friends and relatives take ill and pass away and even we become blunted to the inevitability of illness and age equals death. So, everyone believes this to be the eventual outcome – except for our own bodies.

What can we make of this? In this way, whatever we attempt at the conscious tier to better our health situation, our subconscious plane is going to be hearing that same old song “forget it, it will not help, it won’t work” or something close to that anyway. This must also be why the majority of weight loss attempts eventually prove futile and elementary confirmation and optimistic thinking do not have much success in instigating any prolonged modification.

The answer is fairly straightforward, our subconscious requires a bit of reprogramming being able to acknowledge that we are indeed capable of experiencing energetic health as well as a magnificent sex life, and anything else we want for our body for as long as we want it. To make this happen we have to see to it our subconscious mind is continuously supplied with positive scenarios based on action and reward [sort of like training your dog!]. Stated a different way, we need to be sure our method is based on action and movement, not just something we think about and it must be followed up with unquestionable incentive.

Re-Programming The Subconscious Mind

So, our discussion thus far has been about:

• The obstacles that interfere with our personal health management seem to solely concern themselves with our body’s physical situation, when in fact they are also innately psychological. Somewhere along our timeline we have managed to shut off our “good health” switch.

• We underestimate the power of our subconscious as it pertains to its effectual influence over our health.

• We have unintentionally been acutely pre-conditioned into believing aging and poor health is a normal eventuality and part of life.

Time to have a closer look at that last point above…

Advertising gurus understood long ago that the most effective means of marketing their health care products was through the promotion and effects displaying symptoms of aging and poor health. Health professionals and pundits are continuously bombarding us with disturbing data that reinforces how we are prone to this disease or that chronic condition – cancer, diabetes, you name it. It is no wonder that our belief system is altered to their way of thinking – that this decline is inevitable. Throw in the mortality of our loved ones and friends from whatever kills them, then those kind souls who state how we are not to blame for getting sick and that it all just seems so out of control!

 And what about us? We could just be the biggest contributor to this mind set. Many of us are doomed to a Groundhog Day experience of insane health. Some smart guy with a high forehead once said the definition of insanity was doing the exact same thing over and over while expecting to get a different outcome. This is how most of us treat our own mental and physical health.

Day in and day out we follow the same game plan where our bodies are concerned. We think in the same way continuously and then hope our health gets better or can at least be sustained. We are lacking a tactical plan to aid in our escape from this insane form of “health” and to robotically alter our thought process and how we do things – allowing us to once again have power over of our health.

It does not require a Mensa membership card to realize how this kind of pre-conditioning can be an extremely effective way of impeding our quest for prolonged health and well being. Regardless of our conscious effort to have better health, squirreled away in our subconscious mind is “real truth” [at least according to our own mind] and that no matter what we do, aging and ill health will have their way and we will perish.

The clear answer here is we need to recode our subconscious mind. This, however is not so easily accomplished since our subconscious state can swiftly recognize the tiniest doubt that might slip by. This means then that whatever we do or action we undertake will only succeed if we apply the following:

• We have a true desire for the results;

• We have the capacity to succeed with the preferred result;

• We have no doubt that the preferred outcome will in fact be accomplished;

If we do not have these factors going for us from the outset, this is not going to occur. In fact in part, this could be the reason why optimistic thinking, confirmed thoughts, even taking medications for treatment do not seem to be achieving any real results for our rejuvenation and prolonged health.

The net result is that if we are going to better our health we need to assure our subconscious psyche that without a shadow of doubt we have absolute power over the condition of our health. We must know conviction that we have the capability to produce whatever pinnacle of health and wellbeing that we want.

The most effective way that we can achieve this level of control is via the action and reward model. This requires us to have absolutely no doubt about what we wish to accomplish and any procedures we utilize to make this happen actually work and not just things that we think may work or ponder over. Just as vital is that these procedures need to eventually have some reward attached that is very potent with the ability to back up and kindle the belief that in fact we do have power to manage our health.

So, in summing things up, the ideal scenario for a tactical solution is to place yourself straight in line to control your health by recoding your subconscious intellect by acting on something and eliminating all indecision by achieving powerful affirmative outcomes. Having stated that, there are not many, if any at all alternate methods that carry the same power as the ability to manage your own health. Think about the extraordinary and profound experience of actively participating in the inner exploration and survey of your physical and mental self.

The ultimate success of this tactical plan rests on the premise that the procedures utilized could generate results that are so worthwhile and so conspicuous that the recipient cannot possibly fail in being persuaded they do indeed have the power over their own health and body. When this experience is first achieved, there will no longer be any room for negative messages within their subconscious mind and only positive mental communication will be relayed.

Anti Aging, Anti Aging Theories, Health And Aging, Longevity

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That is correct, you are in control of your own destiny, if ever there was one, and this is it. In rudimentary terms, wellness is a place of “personal feel good”, or well being. It is that place that you feel your level best, when you zest for life is at a fever pitch and you feel connected, balanced with a sense of satisfied togetherness or completeness. To reach this state a person must have the second part of the puzzle in place, this means their health needs to be at its pinnacle.

Eating Your Way To Health And Wellness

We humans being what we are naturally will generally only focus on our health when it is letting us down. Perhaps we need to lose weight or are stuck with a lousy lifestyle and bad habits. As we get older these things tend to nag at our conscious and we feel guilty for our lack of will power and what effect it is having on our health. It is at a time like this when many of us hit the crossroad I life and make a decision to start getting our health back. We quit smoking, try dieting to lose a few pounds and maybe buy a gym membership all in the name of becoming fit and healthy in order to bring balance back to our physicality.

Diet it a big part of achieving that healthful balance and it begins by eating the correct foods in the right quantities. Making changes to your person is a good idea but these changes should occur gradually rather than all at once. Human nature again being what it is; we tend to lose interest quickly in new things, specifically when personal deprivation and hard work is involved. We are also creatures of habit so anything slowly introduced to our systems will eventually become a new habit. Your new manner of eating should also happen over time but with regularity. Commence by altering a few foods for another more healthy variety and introduce substitute foods.

For instance, if you get your mealtime vegetables from a can, go to the market and pick up some fresh veggies or even the frozen type and have these. You could even start going to pick your own vegetable markets or start buying organic vegetables. You can try this model with each food category as you begin to get comfortable with the new eating format.
One other thing you can try is modifying how you are preparing the food you eat. Rather than utilizing your frying pan, try broiling. Eat fewer baked goods and instead of using salt on everything, try some herbs or seasoning your food. Initially, you are not so much dieting or changing your diet as you are retraining your taste buds to get used to new tastes and flavors. Eventually you will find yourself developing or acquiring a taste for the new food you must eat in order to stay healthy and achieve the goal of longevity.

Exercise And Movement

Everyone knows they should get some exercise but when it comes down to health and wellness, it is vital. Assisting your being to reach equilibrium, that critical balance so important to longevity means your entire physiology must get in on the act. The easiest method to determine if you must lose some weight is to simply stand in front of a mirror. Does your stomach bulge out? What about that pear shape you have? It is this kind of critical observation that convinces us we need to do something different.

There are benefits galore to exercising, not all of which you will be able to see like how well your organs will al start functioning when they are being well supplied with oxygenated blood. When you exercise and increase your heart rate you are doing wonders for your cardiovascular system and the heart muscle itself. When you exercise it behooves you to do something that gets your pulse rate motoring, though you cannot overdo it. Start with something that raises your heart rate and not your life insurance premium!

Particularly if you are not used to much physical activity, start slowly. Start walking but just go a short distance to begin with. Take the stairs at work if it is just a few floors and park away from entrances and walk to where you need to go. Dancing is also a great way to get the heart beating faster. If you can carry on with your exercise regimen you will increase your longevity since this has been proven in studies and the data is clear.

When you add in the fact that you also changed your diet and approach to eating, you will soon begin to see the pounds melt away and you will begin to see improvement in your endurance. Your mind will be sharper and you will notice a difference in your complexion and seem to have a renewed vitality for life. Waking up in the morning will be a different experience since you will look forward to the new day with a more optimistic outlook, also significant for longevity.

Exercise is something humans were designed for and specifically I am talking about walking. I want to speak further about its benefits and why you should be doing more of it. Walking is the most natural of movements for humans and also why we begin to walk at such an early age in our development. Walking is undervalued as exercise for losing weight and this is too bad since it can help you immensely. When you get into a walking program your mood will pick up, your health will get better and you will start to lose weight. Walking is not very difficult to do for most people and because of this the advantages are disregarded by many as a means of improving general health.

Walking first of all is free exercise that does not require any specialized apparatus. All you need is comfortable clothes and a pair of shoes that support your feet well and are also comfy. Now you are good to go! Some people could have a problem or condition with their feet and in such cases should consult their physician prior to beginning a regimen of walking. Same thing if you are grossly overweight. These though can often be overcome with a suitable shoe to avoid any skeletal damage. Shoes are fairly inexpensive and a good pair can be purchased for less than fifty dollars. Remember, you are only walking, not running.

Okay. Now you should be good to go so find a place you like to walk or just head out around your neighborhood but get walking. Parks are a good place to do your walking and nature trails offer a bit more of a challenge.

You can increase your distance and speed as you get used to it and it gets easier. Physicians will tell you that simply walking for one half hour a day will significantly reduce your chances of contracting any of the major age related illnesses like heart disease, diabetes type two and it can keep your arthritis at bay.

When you walk for fitness you can play some music or listen to motivation or self improvement audios and the routine and motion takes on a meditative quality as you walk away the stress from your day. If you want to notice great results you should try for that walk a day for half an hour but a minimum of five times a week is recommended. You can reduce the number of walks down to three a week but your time for each walk should be raised in this case to an hour each.

Absolute Equilibrium

To finally acquire satisfying longevity and health, you need to understand there are other varieties of wellness that need tending to and they are as follows:

• Societal wellness
• Work related Wellness
• Spirituality Well Being
• Physical Well Being
• Cerebral Thought Wellness
• Emotional Well Being
• Environmental Well Being
• Monetary Wellness
• Psychological Wellness
• Therapeutic Health And Wellness

These types of wellness also need to be addressed in order to undergo a whole and complete longevity experience. You will achieve your own longevity if you focus on health and wellness starting by eating properly and getting more exercise. You should supplement your diet with some good vitamins and minerals as they too will aid in achieving the balance you are looking for. Remember to make the adjustment in your way of life steady and gradual so you will stick with it long term. As your sense of well being and health improve, you will find the previous list of wellness related attributes much easier to improve.

Anti Aging, Anti Aging Theories, Health And Aging, Longevity

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Humans have long considered the prospects of longevity. There was a time only several hundred years ago when people prayed and hoped they would live long enough to see their children grow up. These days so many people are witnessing the fourth generation of their immediate clan being born. There have been stories and fairytales that centered on extreme longevity for centuries and there are more recent actual accounts of people living for extreme periods of time.

In the Bible – under Genesis – they talk about Adam and Eve living in Eden and when Eve ate that apple all bets were off for any chance at immortality; both of them being banished to an earthly existence. There is Ponce de Leon and his maddening quest for the Fountain of Youth, actually a small spring in Florida by all accounts – sorry Ponce! How about the Holy Grail, it is said that this chalice that Jesus and his apostles sipped from during the last supper would give anyone who imbibed from it an incredibly extended life.

Finally there was Gilgamesh, a ruler of Babylon who also headed out in search of immortality. His plan to remain awake for seven days and nights did not work out and his immortality was seized from him. Greek mythology is chock full of stories about immortal gods and their many escapades. Yes, there are fairy tales, fables and even scripture but in recent times we have some living legends of our own.

 The region of Abkhazia located in the south of Russia in the Caucasus Mountains, it is claimed that people here have lived for up to one hundred fifty years of age. Hey, it could happen! There have been marriages reported at the age of one hundred ten years and it has been said that fatherhood was achieved at the age of one hundred thirty six years…those crazy Russians, right? I mean the Soviets have actually said that one of the citizens of this area by the name of Shirali Muslimov lived to ripe old age of one hundred sixty eight years young! They must be kidding, right?

More recently there have been observers actually living with a population of tribe’s people known as the Hunza’s, in the Hunza Valley of rural Pakistan. These folks claimed to see people living quite healthy lives well past the century mark. It is not uncommon to see elders aged ninety years to one hundred twenty years of age actively participating in village life. Their diet is one of fruits, grains and vegetables, all of which they grow on their own and harvest for everyone’s benefit.

There is an increase in awareness concerning longevity. More physicians than ever are promoting therapies, drugs and services that claim to assist in life extension and healthy longevity. Some medical personnel have gone out on a limb to spread the word about the amazing properties of red wine, green tea and other herbs in pill form – all claiming to increase longevity and health in general. When all the promotion ceases and media reports die down for the latest anti aging breakthroughs, all things revert back to the things we ALL have known for some time. If we want to live a longer healthier life we need to practice the basics, alter our lifestyle if necessary, get more physical activity, decrease our stress and eat a better diet.

 Of all of these, the most important thing you can do to increase your longevity is to get more adequate exercise. If until now you have lived a sedentary lifestyle, change that up and start to gradually get more active. By starting to slowly build your level of activity you are more likely to continue it long term rather than jumping right into a heavy workout regimen. While you are at it, start taking some mature student courses at a local college. Better yet, commit to completing the higher education you never finished. There is evidence that shows better educated people tend to outlive those without a high school education.

Going back to school will also help you meet more people and get you active in a social setting. This has also been proven to aid in longevity when people are socially active and spend time networking with others. So get smarter and meet new people while you are at it. Having close relationships with a few people is really beneficial according to experts. Strong familial ties as you age are vital and failing that, cultivate a few really close friendships of people you can trust and confide in. This is a way of thwarting any potential depression.

Try and stabilize your sleep patterns. Getting adequate sleep each night is critical to good health and longevity but aim for the same pattern and quantity each night as well. Your body at any age requires time to restore itself and to heal. Water, water, water! You need to drink plenty of fresh, filtered water to detoxify contaminates from your system. Our bodies are over seventy percent water so it makes perfect sense to drink lots of water and not beer! If you smoke, quit now. This is a no brainer and not easy to do, but find something to motivate yourself and give up the habit.

Everyone should have a yearly physical exam. This is good preventative maintenance for your body. Sadly, people take better care of their cars than they do themselves in this regard. Men in particular are sensitive to getting checked out regularly by a physician – the rubber glove syndrome! Many women have been trained early in the need to have a yearly check up and men must learn from their example. Leaving the doctor’s office with a clean bill of health is worth the anxiety.

As you get older it is said you begin to get wiser – if only this were true! You need to start being more careful in life. That means taking the time to think before you act. If you want to truly appreciate healthy longevity, use your head. It amazes me how every year I read and hear the same news reports of snowmobilers crashing through thin ice and perishing. Do these people not read or hear the same reports every year that I do? Having fun is important certainly, being dumb about it is another thing altogether. Longevity is a gift and we all too often kick that horse in the mouth.

I remember talking to a little old neighbor lady who was in her late nineties and she said she never over did it with anything, always in moderation. She said she did it all – not just all at once! What great advice. So many things are hazardous to your health and body. The same things that will heal you can also kill you when you over do it. Same thing goes for food so practice moderation with your diet and it will sustain you for many years, over eating the good tasting stuff and it can kill you. Frequently discuss your medications with your physician and discuss whether you can safely cut back. Drink lots of tea and limit the alcohol. No more than one glass of wine a day and make it red. Eat some chocolate if you like; just make sure it is the dark variety.

No matter how well you control your diet and try and eat healthy, you will still be lacking in certain nutrients. This is why you should supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals. A good dietary supplement will help you get all the essential vitamins you need. [“Essential” means the nutrients your body cannot manufacture on its own]. Minerals specifically are tough to retain. You can barely absorb ten percent of the minerals your body consumes naturally. They need to be constantly replenished. By keeping your vitamin and mineral count current you are aiding your body in its battle against toxicity. Try and purchase a superior liquid vitamin supplement since it will be absorbed more easily, providing you with a little added health assurance.

You can do more to ensure your longevity by doing things like splashing on the sun block, even if you are the type that does not burn. If you are in the direct sunlight for any more than fifteen minutes each day you are at risk of serious damage by UVA and UVB rays. Individuals who keep their minds as active as their bodies are also ahead of the longevity game. People who read more live longer and are more apt to avoid dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Optimism is particularly vital as you age, so work at keeping a positive mental attitude as you get older.

Finally, keep working at what you love, be it your present career or perhaps volunteering your time to teach what you are good at. Your objective should be to acquire longevity with a soul that has achieved satisfaction from a life well lived. Do not be afraid to try new things; just make sure you avoid snowmobiles in the springtime!

Anti Aging Supplements, Anti Aging Theories, Health And Aging, Longevity

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In today’s western world we are more closely aligned to the Eskimo than the Igabo. The difference is our ice flows are called “Shady Meadows” and “Pinedale Lodge” or something close to that. Younger relatives do not give position to the elder folks and they abandon many as the Eskimo culture as a normal part of life, the final part.

The inclination these days is to do away with independent living for the aged, placing these folks in some form of supportive care facility. The government will often step in at some point and provide assisted or long term care once their assisted home care services are deemed to be insufficient. For the most part these decisions are made out of a financial need rather than some form of humane gesture on the part of the bureaucrats.

Throughout parts of North America, older individuals are being pressed into service as foster grandparents by child care services and this seems to benefit all who take part.

Several Definitions Concerning Aging

Just What Is Aging?

Aging: Aging takes place as an innately occurring experience and has to do with alterations that happen during the course of a person’s life time. The net result is dissimilarities in physicality and functionality during the process of time between younger and older age groups.

Gerontology: This is the acquisition of knowledge having to do with all things linked to aging from the perspective of science, psychology and sociology.

Geriatrics: This has been a previously neglected specialty of medicine that deals with health issues of the elderly.

Social Aging: This is the study of social customs and the role that individuals have regarding their culture and societal situations. It has been revealed that when social aging occurs the person often will undergo a modification of their social circles and interaction often suffers.

Biological aging: This has to do with how the body and its systems become altered in the declining years of a person’s life span. This can easily begin occurring prior to the sequential age of sixty five years.

Cognitive aging: Is when a person’s capacity to absorb the latest information is decreased. They also have difficulty retaining any novel skills or behaviors.

Normal Difficulties With Aging

Noted psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist, Erik Erikson, came up with the theory of human development involving eight phases post birth. Each of these life stages concerned differing divisions constituting best and worst case effects. What follows are the contradictory phases of life and their significance.

• Infancy. From birth to two years old – involves trust, basic trust as opposed to suspicion.

• Early childhood. From three to five years old. Independence as opposed to a lack of confidence/ shame. Wilfulness.
 
• Age of Play. Five to eight years old – enterprising as opposed to feelings of guilt. Purpose.
 
• Age of formal education. Nine to twelve years old. Industrious as opposed to feeling inferior.

• Adolescence. Thirteen to nineteen years old. Individuality as opposed to character uncertainty Faithful.

• Becoming a young adult. Familiarity as opposed to segregation. Love.

• Adulthood. Procreation as opposed to self desire. Care.

• Age of Maturity. Character and truthfulness as opposed to hopelessness. Wisdom.

The final phase, stage eight, the age of maturity and mature adulthood starts at around the time of mandatory retirement and continues for the duration of life. Arriving at a place of truthfulness of character or ego integrity is an indication of having arrived at maturity and not realizing this phase is a signal of poor adherence and growth during the previous phases of the life path above.

The definition of ego integrity or truth of character signifies that an individual has come to terms with their entire life and can look back on it in a positive fashion, according to Erikson – it is achievement. Integrity is when one fully accepts one’s self and is able to accept the fact they will die. Being able to be held accountable for the life one has led and be able to recount the previous years with a sense of satisfaction is of considerable importance. When a person cannot achieve this they suffer from despair and that person will start to fear their approaching death. Wisdom is achieved if a good balance is found somehow during this phase.

Emotional And Character Traits

There are emotional repercussions to aging. Apart from actually passing away, our realization that we are growing old might just be among the most severe jolts we experience. When we cross through that transparent gate of age sixty five each year becomes a point of reference for the remaining time we have. There is no confusion anymore about how old we are or if we are in the middle mature age phase – we are simply known as old, or as a senior citizen. Our ability to handle these changes and the stress of modified position now has much to do with our character and personality. What follows are a trio of general personality variations that have been recognized. It might appear to be oversimplified but the message is clear regarding personality:

• The Autonomous – these are folks who appear to be able to renew themselves. Perhaps they are determined to achieve some objective or idea and are devoted to maintaining a productive life. This may safeguard them from certain aspects of physiological aging.

• The adjusted – these are individuals who live via rigidity and do without the capability to adapt, though this aids in supporting their strength, prestige or well organized regimen. However, if their circumstances are altered in any significant manner they suffer psychologically.

• The anomic – These people are lacking in any clear or certain inner values and have no defensive vision for life. They have been defined as being too early to accept their fate and thus might decline quite quickly.
Understanding The Stress Associated With Growing Old

• Lowering of income levels and halting work. Many of us derive our sense of personal value from our work. It is our basic identity and a social net where we interact with others. Compulsory retirement can be disheartening.
 
• The nervousness of damage and death. There is an elevated chance of becoming seriously ill and the chance of recovering is a nonstop source of worry. If that individual has a stroke or cardiac event, this level of stress is even harder to manage.

Some people stare down death with a sense of aplomb, often due to a spiritual connectedness or philosophical provision they adhere to. Some might well invite death and accept it as a means of ending suffering or a way to put an end to unsolvable problems, having no concern for the value of life or their own existence. While some others will stare death down while experiencing severe stress and no coping mechanism due to a lack of ego defences.

• Segregation and seclusion. Older people are faced with inevitable loss of those precious to them, friends and loved ones, even enemies who were a reason to get worked up. When a spouse is lost, a person one has depended upon for companionship and support it can be very upsetting. The offspring of that union grow older themselves, move away and marry or just become distant. As one’s memory, vision and hearing start to fail, remaining sociable becomes tough to do.

Should these developments mean that person becomes bitter and their attitude becomes less flexible, their chances for socializing are lessened and this person probably will not take advantage of any social time that is available to them anyway.

• Sexual prowess and physical attractiveness are decreased. Experts in sexual functionality in men have determined that there is a gradual decline in sexual activity as age progresses and that a plausible pattern of satisfaction can certainly carry on into exceptionally old age. The older person must also learn to get used to losing some sexual attractiveness while surviving in a society that places extreme importance on sexual appeal. This modification in self image and how we see ourselves can be a tough transition to make.

• Influences contributing to self depreciation. Too often the knowledge of the more experienced generation is perceived to have little or no use to the issues facing the younger age brackets. Hence, the elderly age group is left out of many of the decisive moments in families and occupational environments.  Parents can be perceived as being redundant burdens and their children must secretly want them dead so they can be liberated from the chore and attain some financial reward or benefit. The seniors might well begin to feel they really are a burden and this is contributory to their personal self depreciation.

Major Sources Of Concern Or Need

Health – Housing – Income Sustainability – Interpersonal Relationships
 
Physical Transformation:

Physiological alterations: Catabolism or [the collapse of protoplasm] surpasses anabolism or [the accumulation of protoplasm]. All body functionality and mechanisms are affected and the ability to restore itself is influenced. The process of aging has a unique rate of occurrence for every individual.

How We Look From A Physical Perspective And More Alterations:

As we lose subcutaneous fat and our epidermis becomes less supple we begin to form wrinkles and fight sagging skin. Our bodies lose their contoured shape and innately smooth lines. Joints are becoming stiff tightened and painful to move and our range of motion is more limited.

Breathing Changes:

There is an accumulation of fibrous tissue in our lungs and chest cavity and this will mean a restricted amount of respiratory movement with less oxygen consumption. The elderly are known to suffer from more respiratory infections and the younger folks suffer upper respiratory infections.

Nutrition Modifications:

Tooth deterioration and loss can reduce the joy of eating. Atrophying taste buds leads to food becoming tasteless and caregivers need to be aware of this. Changes in their digestive function occur due to a lack of exercise [intestinal stimulation] and a diminishing of digestive liquid production. Constipation and indigestion become common complaints because of this.

If financially strapped the elderly take to eating less expensive carb loaded diets rather than eating protein based diets with vegetables and this only furthers the problem. The result is a loss of vitamin ingestion and issues like anemia and a greater likelihood of contracting infections are a problem.

Adjustment To Stress:

Stress is a problem we face at any age. Adjusting to cope with stress takes energy and as we age we can ill afford to lose any energy. There are three main stage of stress:

1. Early alarm reaction.  2. Resistance.  3. Exhaustion.

If stress is allowed to carry on than tissue damage will begin to happen and aging starts to occur. The elderly have spent their entire lives dealing with emotional stressors. Their reserve of energy becomes diminished and that older person then surrenders to stress much earlier than a younger person might. Stress builds up over a lifetime. Studies reveal, including those performed on animals that each stress will keep us more susceptible to the following one and even if we feel we have bounced back entirely, the fact remains that each stress we suffer leaves scarring behind.

Additionally, stress is experienced in the mind and body so this means it does not matter which kind of stress we are dealing with. Physical stress might mean we are more prone to emotional stress and the reverse. Rest alone will not entirely rejuvenate a person subsequent to a stressful period. Caregivers need to be attentive to this and recognize the types of things that could potentially cause stress in the elderly.

Anti Aging, Anti Aging Theories, Gerontology, Longevity

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Nearly every bite of food we ingest these days is forming acid in our systems, additionally the hydration which is almost never sufficient, is also acidic, then think about the acid rain and pollution that surrounds us and our sadly lacking breathing habits – our pH balance is under threat continuously. Acidosis is among the leading causes of age progression as well as the basis of many diseases and ailments.

We create acid which is expelled from our body as waste via our lungs, bowel, and kidneys as well as through our skin. Any waste that does not escape is accumulated in organs like the liver, colon, into joints linkage tissues and muscles that includes your heart. This process deprives the cells of oxygen and nutrients thus, making them incapable of replication.
This will mean many health troubles and this is one specific cause of individuals undergoing accelerated aging. Furthermore, as the blood vessels get plugged up, organ function – all organ function – in the body starts to build up acidic waste which begins to breakdown causing severe illness over time.

If the reason we age is indeed because of acidosis, then successfully achieving longevity has to mean eradicating these acidic wastes. The oldest living individual at the time, 1979, was interviewed by a British newsman, his name was Mr. Izumi. It was believed that he was approximately one hundred fifteen years old. He seemed to be alert and aware, fairly active and in reasonably fine health for his age. He had lived on an island off the Japanese coast pretty much his entire life. Many other inhabitants of this same island were also in great shape as very few ever died before their ninety fifth birthdays!

This kind of unequalled longevity is credited to the water quality by those who drank it; it had less alkaline in it and this quite apparently played a role in the acidic counterbalancing of acid laced meals. Numerous physicians will suggest a vegetarian or reduced meat diet since alkaline minerals and veggies assist in acid waste neutralization. The thing is that today most vegetables are lower in mineral content and alkaline since they are cultivated in high performance, low nutrient soil. These veggies by themselves are unable to neutralize the acidic waste the system builds up due to eating junk food and soda pop.

If a person’s longevity is distinctive through a balanced acid rate, then what starts the process of death [that time when you are diagnosed as chronic and prescribed drugs permanently] is quite logically acidosis. There is evidence proving that acidic, anaerobic physical environments support the creation of fungi, mold, bacteria, spores and viruses. It is also understood that the organisms are capable of surviving heat as high as 2830 degrees Fahrenheit, proven in volcanic lava flow, nuclear radiation post explosion also sterilization and formaldehyde drowning.

These life forms will take up permanent residence within our bodies and they just require the most convenient environment to make their presence known and begin to flourish. You can compare this to a change in our own biological position from one of a healthy oxygenated, alkaline environment to an acidic and toxic unhealthy setting.

The pH – or potential for hydrogen – is a means of measuring the acid or alkaline in a liquid. It is calculated on a range of 0 to 14, with the lower your pH the more acid in the liquid the more elevated the number the more alkaline – or base – the liquid is. When a solution is free of both acid and alkaline it will have a pH number of seven, that being neutral. Your body contains sixty five to seventy percent water; it is the most plentiful element of your physiology.

The body has an acid base or alkaline acid rate – pH level – that is the balance of positively charged ions [acid forming] and negatively charged ions [forming alkaline]. The system is continuously working to achieve a balanced pH. When there is no equilibrium, things begin to go awry and health becomes compromised.

It is significant and needs to be understood that this has nothing to do with stomach acid or he pH balance of the stomach. This is how balanced the pH levels is of the cells in the body, the tissue and fluids, a whole different kettle of fish. It is not that difficult to keep track of your pH balance and it is something that we should be doing to sustain our good health.

Checking Your Ph Balance Is As Simple As Brushing Your Teeth

Has your physician ever suggested to you that by purchasing a roll of pH paper, you might be able to add quality years on to your life span and get there in fairly good health while you are at it? I would bet a week’s pay he has not come close to recommending this to you. The reason your primary health care provider does not tell you this is because they are taught to care for the symptoms of an illness. Therefore, when you begin to show signs of chronic acidosis, they will of course treat you with pharmaceuticals until the condition subsides. First, the symptoms may have been alleviated but the root of the problem exists.

Test Yourself!

You are going to be on your own for this unfortunately as physicians simply do not suggest self testing, ever. If you do this you are doing yourself an immense favor by testing your own pH levels so you can figure out if your pH balance is not so balanced after all! You can purchase pH paper at the pharmacy [it will last about a year], do not use test strips are digital meters. You can also locate this online or in health food establishments offline. This pH paper will allow you to test yourself quickly and easily so you can determine your pH balance right in your own home, much handier than heading out to a lab.

This is not only as easy as brushing your teeth, but there is another persuasive motive to do this check often, management is reliant on what it is you are consuming and how nutritious it is for you and only you are able to control what you are drinking and eating.

What Comes In Is What Goes Out

The results you get from urine testing is an indication of how well your body is digesting minerals fed to it, in particular calcium, magnesium, phosphate, sodium and potassium. They are what are known as acid buffers due to how the body utilizes them to maintain acid levels. If the level is elevated [lower pH], one’s body will be unable to expel the acid. It either accumulates within the tissue, or it buffers it – borrowing minerals from organs, teeth and bone so it can neutralize the acid.
 
The process of testing is really quite elementary, merely run a small strip of pH paper through your initial morning urine and the paper will at once change color within a range from bright yellow to dark blue.

The perfect pH rate occurs in the green range from about 6.4 to 7.0. You could well see acidity at 5.0 or maybe lower, but do not be fooled into believing that 6.0 is plenty close since just being 1/10 off in pH terms can modify the tissue oxygen by ten times. So this means a pH of 6.0 is forty times less oxygenation for your cells. That difference could well have an effect on your mood!

It is strongly suggested that you test your morning urine on a daily basis to get a pH level, doing so until you reach a range of 6.4 to 7.0. Any rate under 6.4 must be managed up through nutritional methods and this includes hydrating. If nutrition does not do the trick, it could be that you have an infection rampant within you. When you have an infection that is hidden or you are not alerted to, it is usually something related to your dental health. There is only one acidic rate level that is acceptable and that is post anaerobic physical training and this usually rights itself in a day or so.

The incalculable advantage of doing urine pH testing is it is a means of acquiring the knowledge of those foods that are good for you, and how it permits you to make lifestyle adjustments if required. Specifically, you will quickly understand that your favorite drinks are acidifying – even bottled water. Furthermore, if you are taking any medication, it could result in your pH level being quite low. If you are continuously appearing in the blue range, this means you are alkaline and likely reasons are due to particular medications like aspirin and diuretics hypertension drugs that hinder the calcium in the system.

Maintaining Ph Balance, The Basis Of Superior Health

As I mentioned earlier, an individual’s body can only digest minerals and nutrients when the pH level is properly equalized. This means it is entirely possible that you are getting all the right nutrition and healthy nourishment you need, you just cannot absorb it or benefit from them. If you take health supplements while your pH balance is out of whack, you will not be able to digest them either. If you are involved with any type of traditional therapy or herbal nutritional plan and the results just are not showing, you should evaluate your alkaline for an inequity. You could spend a small fortune on the highest quality supplements available and if you are experiencing acidosis, you are wasting your money. Your body must initially have a proper pH balance.

Acidosis is basically lack of oxygen and calcium deficiency that your body needs to sustain an alkaline balance. Your body is made up of 1.6 percent of your total body weight. Calcium is quite accurately described as the glue that connects the body’s parts to each other. A single calcium ion is able to hold securely to seven other molecules as it grasps one molecule of water. There is not another ion that can replicate this feat, as an added bonus it is also the correct dimension to make its way back and forth from within the cell as it shuttles to get more nutrients.

So, at this instant you might be enticed to hustle out to the closest health food establishment and purchase some calcium pills but this has the potential to worsen things. Firstly, calcium supplements are notoriously problematic to absorb when they are not ionized, and if calcium is not absorbed it may well end up accumulating in an unwanted area like blood vessels in the form of plaque. Next, minerals within your system need to be equalized or they can begin to battle one another. So this means when you take additional calcium you must also ingest other minerals with it in the proper doses based on requirements, it also needs D vitamin as well from a source like sun exposure for short periods.
 
Lastly, reduced calcium can be a digestive issue due to a deficiency of activated enzymes or a deficiency in HCL [or stomach acid], as this could affect the malabsorption of further minerals also. When you supply your calcium needs with raw foods you do not experience these issues since the nutrients are balanced as one with all the other cooperating elements.
The best and clear choice here is alkaline water which is an ideal hydrating source. It rarely occurs anywhere naturally anymore but you can purchase reasonably priced water alkalizers for home use that will provide you with a prolific quantity of excellent tasting water! It is worth the investment in your health if it means you can balance you pH and increase your health and longevity.

Anti Aging, Anti Aging Theories, Health And Aging, Longevity

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There is no reason why we cannot grow older and actually do it gracefully and in good health. We can begin now living a happy and productive lifestyle and enjoy each year more than the last one, greeting every new year in a vigorous manner. How well you cope with aging has more to do with your mental outlook and a positive track record than it does with genetics. By doing right by yourself and others and leading a healthy lifestyle as your get older, you will be on track for a meaningful experience in your golden era.

Enhance Your Aging Experience

In order to attain not only an extended life span but also a taste of that youthful vigor that is so sought after, now famous National Geographic voyager and writer, Dan Buettner recommended some fundamental, and really no brainer lifer habits that apparently work quite well for some people. I say no brainer because they are truly common sense ideas yet so many of us neglect to maintain any kind of discipline with any of them.

Buettner researched those people around the world who were known to be living the longest and he found that each of us has the capability to better our experience with advancing age. Who you are is not important but rather how you are living the life you have been blessed with that makes the difference. What are you eating? Are you getting enough physical activity? Do you handle the stress in your life with cool composure or pull your hair out?

Buettner traveled extensively to every remote corner of the planet in order to seek out where the world’s healthiest, hardiest and happiest elderly individuals resided. What Buettner discovered should be enough to send warning flags flying in many western developed cultures. There is a good reason why America and other “Comfy” societies around the world are falling behind in terms of health, the lifestyle that many lead is a recipe for disaster. All the trendy diets and mad workouts, or worse, poor diets and no workouts, are not really necessary or should be looked at differently in an aging society. Keeping things simple and avoiding any upheaval is definitely the way to proceed.

Buettner says there are really only nine basic secrets to living a good long life filled with wellness and vitality. Following these nine suggestions should spice up your aging progress when you incorporate them into your current way of life. Often as we grow older we become set in our ways and change can be difficult. When it comes to making serious changes in our senior years, these come about only after a crisis of some sort. There is no reason why you could not build these changes into your lifestyle now so you can avoid future difficulty and improve your well being as you grow older. It is time to have a closer look at each of these nine lifestyle improvements.

• Maintain An Active Lifestyle But In Moderation

Keeping up an active lifestyle will pay dividends; however, it is better to take pleasure in those physical activities you are spending time on. When you are getting active, it is better if you do so naturally and not give much thought to it. Doing something you really enjoy but that will have some physicality to it is good, challenging yourself is always preferable as a part of your day to day activity. For instance, if you enjoy gardening, make it feel like exercise but do not overdo it. You could also do more walking or cycling instead of driving wherever you need to go.

Making this kind of thing second nature means it will become integrated into your way of life. If you feel an exercise regimen is required in your life, disciplined routines can lose their appeal and you could get bored fast. Many folks quit exercising from boredom and the repetitiveness of the exercises they must perform.

• Learn The Okinawan – 80 Percent Full Secret

People who inhabit the island of Okinawa, Japan are renowned for their longevity and youthful vitality. It is also fascinating that they follow a manner of eating they refer to as “Hara hachi bi”. This is their way of knowing when enough is enough and they quit eating when their stomach is eighty percent full.

People do not always need to be too hard on themselves when trying to manage their weight. It could be as simple as watching how much food you are ingesting. Buettner thinks that selecting a smaller dinner plate, bowl and drinking glass would be helpful. Additionally, you should always eat with your legs under a table. Only fill your plate with what you feel you will eat comfortably, then put the remaining food away prior to beginning to eat your meal. Do not eat standing up and never consume your food near the fridge. Avoid eating while you watch television and do not rush your eating; take your time to savor what you eat.

• Increase The Amount Of Fruits And Vegetables You Eat

Ever since we were children it has been driven into us that we need to eat our veggies and fruits if we want to grow into healthy adults. This mantra has not changed. You should also be sure to eat some nuts as part of your daily diet. They are very good for you and curb your hunger for junk food.

• Start Drinking “Virgin” Red Wine Each Day

Red wine contains the exceptional ingredient known as resveratrol that will give you a healthy heart and keep your body lean and vital. Red wine has abundant quantities of antioxidants that elevate your healthy cholesterol as it reduces the unhealthy cholesterol from your system. When you consume non alcoholic red wine at dinner time each day you will be assisting your body in attaining maximum health and with no adverse effects from the alcohol found in regular wine.
 
• Be Sure To Find A Purpose For Your Life

Find something meaningful to do with your time, have a good reason for getting up each day. Take on a new challenge, experience something unique and embrace all changes in your life. At the end of your days it would be nice to know that your life had a bigger purpose than perhaps you ever imagined and this can happen by doing good for others. Buettner thinks it is a good idea to set objectives for yourself and make it your task in life to attain these goals.

• Try To Relax More, Learn To Be Cool About Things

Stress will kill you if you allow it to so managing the stress in your life is paramount if your desire is to live as long as possible. This does not mean you must pay for a spa treatment every other day or take a vacation each month. Simply be aware of stressful situations and focus on relaxing. In fact, make relaxation techniques a part of your daily regimen.

Try not to set yourself up for stress by giving yourself more time for attending meetings and being prepared in advance. Take some time for just you each day. Turn of the television, radio or computer or anything else that will disturb you. Sit alone and quietly sip some tea or practice deep breathing.

• Become More Spiritual, Find Your Higher Power

Join a religious group that you feel comfortable with. Dedicate yourself spiritually to some significant higher power and strengthen your faith. Keep your “tank” full of the faith you will require for some future day when you are emotionally and or physically tested.

• The Family Circle

As you get older your family takes on a new significance in your life, its importance becomes far more evident than ever before. Value the time you have with family and strengthen the bonds between all members of your familial unit. Buettner agrees that forming family traditions that create enduring bonds with those closest to you makes for a happy, healthy life and personal well being.

• Your Circle Of Friends

Pick and choose those you spend time with carefully since their influence on your life will be considerable. Your friends have much to do with your healthy routine and the type of lifestyle you will lead. Choose to be around people who compliment your circumstances and do not bleed you of your emotional resources. Likeminded acquaintances and understanding friends will support you when you need them most.

• Start Taking Supplements

There is quite a bit of media promotion leveled at us to supplement our diets, particularly as we grow older. This hype targets the boomer generation who are advancing in age. There is nothing wrong with this idea; in fact it is going to assist you greatly provided you choose the right the right supplements that coordinate with your way of life and current health situation.

Find supplements that are good for you, not necessarily the one that spends the most on advertising. Do your homework and ask questions of the health care professionals. A great place to begin would be taking resveratrol, krill oil pills for omega 3 fatty acids and a measured quantity of human growth hormone based on what your physician recommends for you. Discuss this with your primary health care provider for their advice.

People are living longer in many places on earth but they are doing so in easy going societies based on old world principles and values. What is meaningful to these elders may not seem at odds with western values but the result in their longevity speaks volumes. As we age, our core values also change but far too often this change occurs too late in life to do us any good or the change is a negative one.

The time to commit to a new positive outlook and healthy lifestyle is right now, regardless of how old we are. We cannot turn back the clock but we can choose how we will live with the remaining time we have. Making that decision could be all that is required to add a few more enjoyable years to our existence, Buettner has seen the evidence.

Anti Aging Theories, Gerontology, Health And Aging, Longevity

© Henry Andrew for Anti Aging and Human Immortality News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment

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Upon entering the nineteenth century, there was a serious mortality rate for babies and children; so many not achieving adulthood. Gown ups were in just as tough against mortality with epidemics and disease killing them off in the tens of millions, not to mention drought induced famines which took many lives. Occasionally mother earth would hiccup and a nightmarish disaster would ensue from earth quakes to floods killing human’s in masses. Often unheard of illnesses would scour the planet wiping out many people of all ages but it seems the young were always vulnerable. The result of this was a stabilizing effect on the population. The earth was never at risk of running out of her valuable resources in the least.

The United States Census Bureau has estimated that in the year 1 AD, the total global population was approximately one hundred seventy million as compared to the year 1804 when it had been raised to approximately the one billion mark. By 1927, the population had increased twofold to two billion people with the third billion being added just 32 years later in 1959.

From this point in time the population increased by a billion people in each of 1974, 1987 and 1999 to hit the six billion marker. In 2009 we were at a population level of 6.8 billion souls and the projection is that by the year 2050 the world will have reached 9.4 billion people. Compared to an average yearly population growth of about five hundred thousand people per year in 1804, today that figure rises to an astounding eighty million inhabitants each year!

Judging from the previous calculations anyone can see that old mother earth was managing to regulate her population quite well on her own and then we humans started making our presence felt beginning in the 1900’s. We began building flood controls like dams, advances in the medical sciences and pharmaceuticals to fight early childhood mortality and to ward off disease were discovered. More children and infants were surviving into maturity and adults began living longer due to life saving medical procedures and drugs like penicillin and other antibiotics enabling the sick to live on. Human life spans were lengthened quickly with most developed nation’s life expectancy now more than seventy five years and several upwards of eighty two years of age. Imagine, an individual born eighty two years ago surviving today and playing with their grand kids!

At the rate the population is increasing, it will double from today’s level to about 14 billion people by the turn of the twenty second century. It will be nearly impossible to sustain that size of human population based on today’s standards of resource management. The planet cannot sustain all of its people as it is now, so massive changes in efficiency levels of finite resources need to occur for there to be any chance of coping with the massive numbers of people predicted.

Taking a look at this from a different perspective may help. The accepted belief is that if a couple is limited to just two kids, the population will not increase. This simply is not factual since prior to the death of the parents, their offspring will now be having their own two kids and therefore there are now four! Add the elevated life expectancy and many couples will be alive to see their own great grand children – one couple has now created six offspring altogether. That initial populace of two has now reached eight! The simple fact is that since life spans are increasing, so too are the number of generations that continue to live on and in doing so increases the population sharply.

There are some researchers who think that the number of inhabitants will stop rising as the level of literacy and prosperity also rises and the population will stabilize at around the ten billion marker. This kind of thinking is very naïve coming from men of science. The population level will only even out when the amount of births balances with the amount of deaths in that same year. There has been a decrease in the rate of births between the year 2001 and 2009, dropping from twenty two to twenty per thousand people. While conversely, the rate of deaths has dropped from 9 down to 8.2 per thousand during that same time span.

The rate of deaths also takes into account child and infant deaths that will be swiftly reduced because of governments focusing to make it a reality. The amount of deaths are dropping and the birth rate might not match that same decrease. The quantities of reduction births are restricted since yearly about forty million marriages occur with approximately two hundred million unions in that population who are potential parents to be. Last year [2009], the total number of infants born was expected to be more than the one hundred forty million mark.

In the past century there has been amazing progress made in the clinical world resulting in an increase in life expectancy from approximately thirty years to eighty years of age. That trend now appears to be stabilizing somewhat. Nevertheless, humans have begun a new stage in trying to extend life beyond today’s averages. Advances in technology and scientific research means that we are honing in rapidly on organ and body part replacement from stem cell discoveries and biotechnology research and investigation. These breakthroughs are expected to be the next big phase in human development causing a giant leap forward for extended life in human beings. Some believe that the first people to live for two hundred years are already alive now on earth.

That said, though a women could live for two hundred years, this does not mean she will be able to bear children for any longer than she can now. She will still likely be having her first infant at around age thirty. His means that when life expectancy hits the two hundred year range, in all likelihood there could well be seven generations of family alive at the same time. Think of the huge numbers of people this will mean who would be trying to subsist on the planet. We may as well give in to the fact that finding some stability in the rate of deaths corresponding to the number of births will not occur any time soon – not in this century anyway. Our population will only continue to rise until a stable situation is realized.

We need to recognize now and not later that a population crisis is building and we must deal with it in the present rather than in the future when it will be too late. World governments cannot make an y legal sweeping changes in order to manage or regulate the growth of our population; it just would not fly from a political perspective. Point of fact is that many nations lack the population base as it stands to develop economically and socially from an increase in tax base. From the perspective of the average Joe and Jane, much can be done and is in fact underway in the form of social consciousness for a green planet and tree planting, conserving resources and reducing consumption of finite assets.

Who knows how population control will be dealt with on a global scale? Heck, there could be a mass population revolt to promote liberalizing abortion laws, urging one child families, same sex marriage acceptance and even more childless y choice promotion. However it happens, family planning should be an issue that is at the forefront of every nations agenda to create awareness of the looming problems of overpopulation so planning can commence to avert any impending crisis.

Some seem to think that an increase in population will be a windfall for humankind, an advantage rather than a predicament. As mentioned earlier, economies suffer when birth rate decreases and economists warn of financial disaster as demand wanes and profits vanish from industries. Baby making must be reasonably equalized so our economies do not suffer, this is true. A growing population is vital for any nation’s financial feasibility. However, food manufacturing and production might not be adequate to sustain an increased populace and many could starve, culling the herd so to speak. This question remains to be answered, but answer it we must.

One answer might be to submit to and accept that our population will grow unchecked for the next hundred years or so and accept this as fact and embrace it as an advantage. By seeing it as a positive development we can fire up our human resources to manage our earthly resources, food and water in particular, so our ever increasing population will be sustained. We must at once both supervise and alleviate the effect of an ever increasing populace on our worn out mother earth, and quickly.

We absolutely need to curb our current level of abuse so as not to upset the fragile equilibrium of our planet and risk setting off radical alterations in the amount of rain we receive and the climactic differences that could result in chaos on earth. Government must act as if they were mobilizing a war effort to provide support, subsidies and endorsement for alternative energy solutions, water supplies need to be enhanced and protected through harvesting our rainwater and the desalinization of ocean waters. Funding must be provided for research into novel ways of elevating our food production NOW. A lot of these infrastructure ideas will take a few years and some a few decades to culminate in productive earth assets. The sooner our politicians begin to concentrate their attention on the programs the better since time is not our ally in this endeavor. We must act now to avoid any future lack of products and services and to thwart prices from going through the roof and fee gouging to take place.

Our very existence is at stake and dependent on government foresight that will enable an oversized population to avoid famine and starvation. And as individuals we can collectively or singularly make all attempts to heal the damage we have inflicted on old lady earth due to global warming and assist her in dealing with an infestation from so many humans.

Anti Aging, Anti Aging Theories, Health And Aging, Longevity

© Carl Joseph for Anti Aging and Human Immortality News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment

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