What Is An Anti-Aging Program?
There are several ways to address the aging process, which is unique to everyone because of age, symptoms, medical history and personal preferences. Whatever program appeals to you, first seek advice from a qualified health-care professional knowledgeable about anti-aging practices. He or she will conduct a complete examination and may order hormone analyses and blood chemistry panels, and tests to identify nutrient and antioxidant status, cardiac risk factors and tumour markers. An ideal anti-aging program will address the individual’s specific needs as identified during testing.
What Comprises A Typical Anti-Aging Program?
Since each person unique, no one recipe for anti-aging is appropriate or adequate for all. It does appear, however, that proper nutrition, regular exercise, natural hormone therapies and emotional health all contribute to longevity.
1. Proper nutrition. The old adage, “You are what you eat” could be rewritten to say, “You age how you eat.” The number of calories you consume affects your level of free radical production. The types of food you eat determine the range and amounts of antioxidants available to neutralize free radicals. The types of fats you eat can change the balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory compounds. The timing of meals and the amount of carbohydrates affect insulin and hormone production.
There is no question that eating less lengthens life and reduces disease. The average male consumes about 3,300 calories daily from the typical western diet. It’s been strongly suggested that lifespan could be increased by 30 to 40 percent on a balanced, healthy diet providing 1,600 to 1,900 calories daily. Evidence obtained from the people of the Japanese islands of Okinawa supports this point. Okinawans eat an average 1,300 to 1,500 calories a day from high-quality vegetables, cereals and fish. They have the world’s longest life expectancy, with more centarians (people over 100) per capita than anywhere else on the planet.
Many studies show that antioxidants limit free radical damage. Whole, unprocessed grains and organic produce provide vitamins A, C, E and nutrients such as zinc, selenium, coenzyme Q10 and lipoic acid. Quality oils from fish, flax and olive are also important.
Water is often overlooked as an anti-aging compound. Dehydration is common, as water is often dismissed in favour of coffee, tea, sodas and alcohol–all pro-aging substances. Skin integrity, brain mass, joint and detoxification function are all water-dependent. Drinking eight to 10 glasses of clean, unadulterated water daily makes good sense.
2. Regular exercise. The expression “Use it or lose it” pretty much sums up the message that you can maintain memory, flexibility, strength and mental/cognitive function when you perform regular exercise.
- Take a walk after each meal to help digestion and burn calories.
- Take the stairs when possible. This raises your heart rate, improves cardiovascular fitness and provides a spurt of growth hormone.
- Get off the bus or taxi one or two stops/blocks before your destination. This gives you a little sunshine and stress reduction.
- Exercise 30 to 40 minutes minimally, three to four times a week using a combination of aerobic, strengthening and flexibility activities.
- Exercise your brain. Do puzzles, play chess, read, dance and participate in hobbies. The most important muscle in the body is the one between the ears.
3. Hormone therapies. Hormones are chemical messengers that tell our cells and organs what to do. Different glands and organs produce different hormones (e.g., the testes make testosterone and the ovaries secrete estrogen and progesterone). Most anti-aging practitioners measure these hormones and replace those that have decreased. By using plant-derived hormones, synthetic hormones can be reduced or eliminated.
4. Anti-aging medicine is a model of health care based on the early detection, prevention and reversal (if possible) of aging. It is truly multidisciplinary, represented by advances in the fields of biochemistry, physiology, genetics, nutrition, exercise therapeutics, mind/body medicine and emerging medical technologies.
5. Emotional health. The mind-body connection is a powerful force. Reducing stress, playing more, re-invigorating the child within, meditating, praying, deep breathing, taking a midday nap, engaging in regular sexual activity and thinking young are some means to being young.
6. Massage and relaxation techniques to provide inner-calm for the soul.
7. Other Lifestyle: With the reduction of stress, good clean living practices that we all understand such as not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, avoiding narcotics, eating fresh foods in a balanced diet, drinking clean pure water and avoiding radiation, heavy metals and pollution etc.
8. Immune System: Enhancement and support to ensure that infections do not become a major problem and the occasional use (as required) of natural anti-biotics to free yourself from more persistent bacteria and viruses etc. These are very important tasks to ensure that serious aging disorders and diseases do not appear.
