Aging Well--Tips & Thoughts
Exercise, diet, and attitude can be as important as genetics when it comes to growing old gracefully. "Old age," as Bette Davis once said, "is no place for sissies." Following the basic tips we are sharing with you below along with dressing the part with fun clothes, jewelry and accessories will help keep you looking & feeling younger!
Tip #1 Maintain a Positive Attitude: It is so interesting but research has found that YOU are what you think you are when it comes to aging. People who think of age as a means to wisdom and overall satisfaction are more than 4o percent more likely to recover from a disability than those who see aging as synonymous with uselessness, according to The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Tip # 2 What You Eat Matters: Nutrition plays a major role in how your body ages. “The latest research shows that a low-glycemic diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein is healthiest,” says Dr. Jeffrey Benabio, Physician Director of Healthcare Transformation at Kaiser Permanente Primary Care. The Mediterranean diet in Turkey is rich in plant-based foods, whole grains, and nuts! It also involves eating fish twice each week and cutting down on salt. An added bonus: Benabio says “that foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as walnuts, salmon, and flaxseed, help your skin manufacture the essential oils it needs to help skin look younger.”
Tip # 3 How Much You Eat Matters: To age well and live longer, it’s best to stick to a balanced diet that consists of about 2.5 cups of vegetables, 1.5 to two cups of fruit, six ounces of grains, three cups of dairy, and five ounces of protein each day. Overeating can lead to a shorter life span, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 Diabetes, according to the National Institute of Health.
Tip #4 Exercise Regularly: Staying active is a very important part of aging well. “The average woman can lose 23 percent of her muscle mass between ages of 30 and 70,” says Fabio Comana, a faculty instructor at the National Academy of Sports Medicine.. Staying fit may also reduce age-related memory loss, according to a recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
Tip # 5 Stay Social, it Makes a Difference: Friends and relatives can help you live longer. Those who have strong social ties were shown to have a 50 percent higher chance of living longer than those with poor or insufficient relationships, according to another study published in the journal PLoS Medicine.
Tip #6 Keep your skin protected from the sun: Too much time in the sun can cause wrinkles, not to mention skin cancer. Wearing sunscreen can help prevent your skin’s aging. And while the sun’s UV rays do trigger vitamin D production, which is essential for bone health, that’s still not a good reason to be in the sun too long!! You can supplement vitamin D in different ways. Most people get plenty of Vitamin D, but if you think you’re not, try eating more salmon and eggs (don’t skip the yolk).
Tip #7 Get Plenty of Sleep: You probably already know that you should sleep for seven to nine hours each night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. But did you know that not sleeping enough may have an adverse affect on your body and lead to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes? And it turns out that “beauty sleep” isn’t a myth. “During sleep, your body releases a growth hormone that helps restore collagen and elastin, the essential building blocks of young, healthy skin,” says Benabio. Adapted from: http://www.realsimple.com/health/preventative-health/habits-of-people-who-age-well
Dressing in a way that reflects good health and well-being is another key to aging well. Wearing a gemstone ring, necklace or earrings not only looks good but different gemstones have health related benefits that keep us feeling younger. Adding color to an outfit with jewelry or scarves creates a more youthful and dynamic look for women! The excitement of wearing a new fashionable look will put the spring in your step that lands you at the top of your game!