Anti-aging is big business. Americans spend $20 Billion every year just on cosmetics hoping to turn back the clock. Research shows that adopting a wellness lifestyle provides amazing youth enhancing effects. Here are 30 awesome anti-aging tips that you can include in your wellness lifestyle without spending an extra dime.
Of course, the search for youth is not new. Ponce De Leon thought that he had discovered the mythical Fountain of Youth in Saint Augustine, FL in 1513. I have been there and drank the waters. I can tell you that there is nothing youth enhancing about it!
As the baby boomers continue to age, there is more and more attention on anti-aging. Just today, Google announced the launch of their anti-aging company called Calico. This company will certainly blend anti-aging healthcare and technology. That means expensive remedies. However, restoring health and supporting youthfulness does not have to cost you your life savings. These 31 anti-aging tips will not deplete your wallet and may even leave more cash in it.
The Science of Aging
First let’s get a basic understanding of why we age. This short video will provide all the scientific explanation you will ever need in just 2 minutes.
The key is to protect your cells DNA, specifically the telomeres. However, it is not just about long living cells. It is about producing abundantly healthy, long living cells! Here’s how to do it.
30 Awesome Anti-Aging Tips
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High Intensity Exercise – This type of exercise not only reduces stress and maximizes fat burning – it actually reduces telomere shortening. This is the most important of the anti-aging tips because this type of exercise has so many amazing effects on your body and health in addition to youth enhancement.
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Cut Out Sugar and Carbs – This one tip has several effects as well. Refined carbohydrates are acidic and inflammatory which promotes aging and deteriorates your skin. Cutting them out will reduce the stress hormone cortisol which accelerates aging. Research has also shown that cutting carbs will also activate certain genes that produce youthfulness.
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Stress Management – Stress causes us to age. We have all felt the effects of stress on our bodies. However, we cannot eliminate stress. It is simply a part of life. Effectively managing stress is the key to youthfulness. Check out these 5 Stress Management Tips to get started.
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Chiropractic Care – Regular Chiropractic care optimizes the function of your nervous system. It is your central nervous system that controls all function and healing in your body. When it is impaired, you don’t heal as well. Additionally, a 2005 study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation (JVSR) found evidence that chiropractic care can reduce oxidative stress in the body. It is oxidative stress that damages your DNA. You can reverse that with Chiropractic care.
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Exercise Your Brain – Your brain needs to be challenged just as your physical body does in order to keep it strong and functioning well. This can be accomplished by simply reading new things every day, learning new skills or new languages. Bottom line – never stop learning.
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Make Good Friends – Being social has been shown to extend your youth. However, associating with people who regularly partake in risky behavior can increase your chances of your life ending early. So, be careful who you hang out with!
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Get Married – Research shows that married people live longer than single people. So, while this is not as simple as starting a new workout routine, it is an important consideration.
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Be Conscientious – Anti-aging researchers have found that conscientious people – those who tend to pay attention to detail and are persistent – do more things to protect their health and make choices that lead to stronger relationships and better careers.
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Go to Church – Once again, the Bible is right! A 12 year study showed that people who attended religious services more than one a week had better immune response and were less likely to die during the study period.
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Quit Smoking – We know that smoking leads to several deadly disease including heart disease and cancer. Research shows that the sooner you cut it out, the more years your will add back to your life. Smoking also reduces collagen production leading to loose, sagging skin that is characteristic of a long time smoker.
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Ditch Toxic Skin Care – This is where many people spend a fortune trying to restore their youth. However, most skin care products are actually working against you because of the chemicals they contain. Anything that you put on your skin is absorbed into your body. Buildup of toxins is a huge factor in aging and DNA damage. Your skin will only be as healthy on the outside as you are on the inside. So, focus on creating a clean, healthy internal environment with your anti-inflammatory diet and high intensity exercise.
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Get Sufficient Sleep – Research shows that if you sleep less than six hours a night, you are at far greater risk of having a heart attack or experiencing a stroke. Further, your brain deteriorates more quickly with less sleep. Less than optimal sleep makes you irritable and weakens your immunity, as well. However, research has also shown that sleeping too much can have the same effect. Ideally, most people will perform best and age more slowly with 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
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Take Regular Naps – In addition to getting sufficient sleep, take regular naps. Scientific evidence shows that regular napping actually helps you live longer. A study of 24,000 participants showed that regular nappers are 37% less likely to die from heart disease than occasional nappers. This effect may be due to naps helping your heart by keeping stress hormones down.
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Anti-inflammatory Diet – Inflammation is at the root cause of heart disease and contributes to practically all other diseases as well. An inflammatory diet increases cortisol, the stress hormone. This leads to advanced aging and DNA damage over prolonged periods of time. A whole-food, plant based diet with lots of leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and minimal fruit will help eliminate the effects of inflammation in your body.
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Eat Berries – Free radicals are a product of normal metabolism. However, if they are not neutralized, they will contribute to the onset of age-related diseases. Berries are loaded with antioxidants which protect your body from free radical damage.
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Fermented Foods/Probiotics – Aging is accelerated when the healthy bacteria in your gut are reduced. Processed foods, sugar, antibiotics and artificial sweeteners all contribute the loss of healthy flora in the gut. These can be restore by incorporating raw fermented foods in your diet or with a probiotic supplement.
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Lose Weight – Carrying extra weight is a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease and other deadly health conditions. Research has shown that belly fat is the worst for these conditions. A weight loss plan including an anti-inflammatory diet, coconut oil and high intensity exercise will target that belly fat.
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Coconut Oil – Coconut oil has amazing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that give you fantastic youth enhancing effects. Further, a study showed that 2 tablespoons of coconut oil per day for 2 to 3 months resulted in significant reductions in belly fat, resulting in not only weight loss but also loss of inches around the belly.
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Vitamin D – One study of more than 2,000 women showed that those with higher vitamin D levels had fewer aging-related changes in their DNA, as well as lowered inflammatory responses. Those in the study with higher levels of vitamin D were more likely to have longer telomeres, as well. This means that people with higher levels of vitamin D may actually age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D. You only get Vitamin D from the sunshine or from a supplement. So go get some sunshine!
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Vitamin K2 – Most people do not get sufficient amounts of this powerful vitamin from their diet. K2 is present in fermented foods, particularly cheese and the Japanese food natto. In 2004, the Rotterdam Study, which was the first study demonstrating the beneficial effect of vitamin K2, showed that people who consume 45 mcg of K2 daily live seven years longer than people getting 12 mcg per day.
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Astaxanthin – This carotenoid is a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and DNA-protective capabilities. It is often included in high quality antioxidant supplements. It is found naturally in Pacific Krill, Arctic Shrimp, and MicroAlgae – which is why I prefer it in a supplement form!
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Omega-3 fats – These essential fats are necessary for building healthy cells. With a lack of omega-3 fats and an overabundance of omega-6 fats, your body becomes inflammatory and aging is accelerated. Omega-3 fat rich foods include walnuts, flax seeds, and chia seeds. However, if your body is really struggling with inflammation, you will need a more potent source as well like fish oil or krill oil.
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Magnesium – Magnesium has been shown to play a role in DNA replication, repair, and RNA synthesis, and it has been shown to positively correlate with increased telomere length in women. Deficiency of magnesium has been shown to reduce telomere length in rats. Magnesium rich foods include dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils, avocados and bananas.
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Polyphenols – Polyphenols are powerful, plant based antioxidants that have been shown to have anti-aging benefits. Common sources of these antioxidants are grapes (especially Muscadine grapes), green tea, and cacao.
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Folate – Folate is an essential B vitamin. It plays an important role in the maintenance of DNA and telomere length. Food sources include dark leafy greens, nutritional yeast, sunflower seeds, beans, bean sprouts and asparagus.
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Vitamin B12 – Your body uses vitamin B12 for energy production, blood formation, DNA synthesis, and myelin formation. (Myelin is insulation that protects your nerve endings and allows them to communicate with one another.) At least half of the population – whether or not you consume animal products – has suboptimal levels of vitamin B12. Therefore, this is vitamin that everyone should supplement.
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Niacin – This B vitamin helps keep your skin moist, making it stronger and more resistant to viruses and bacteria. Niacin also raises your “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins, or HDL) and lowers triglycerides. In doing so, niacin lowers your risk and rate of atherosclerosis, the hardening of your artery walls that leads to heart attack and stroke. Niacin is found in nutritional yeast, wheat bran, paprika, peanuts, fish, liver and chicken.
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Vitamin A – Vitamin A is one of your body’s primary antioxidants protecting you from free radical damage. Research has also shown an association between sufficient vitamin A and telomere length as well. Vitamin A rich foods include carrots, sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens, butternut squash, paprika, red pepper, cayenne, and chili pepper.
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Vitamin C – Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps prevent free radical damage. It also helps to regenerate other antioxidants in the body, including vitamin E. Vitamin C improves the firmness and production of collagen, giving your skin a more firm and youthful appearance. This connective tissue is also important for healing wounds. Vitamin C rich foods include red and green chili peppers, guavas, bell peppers, fresh herbs, dark leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, citrus fruits and berries.
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Vitamin E – Vitamin E is an antioxidant that also protects your body from the harmful effects of free radicals, which is important for protecting your DNA and telomeres. Vitamin E rich foods include nuts, seeds, paprika, red chili powder, dried herbs, dried apricots and spinach.
As you can see, simply modifying your lifestyle – from the foods you choose to eat and the type of exercise you do – will provide amazing anti-aging benefits that will not cost you a fortune. The greatest benefit of a wellness lifestyle promoted by Wellness Achiever is that it literally prevents and reverses disease. It is not about chasing down symptoms with the latest drugs or natural remedies. It is about living a life that naturally produces abundant health and radiant energy and youth!
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Additionally, I am a husband and father of a Deaf son. I am passionate about the Word of God, building strong families, Chiropractic Health Care, Optimal Nutrition and Exercise, Deaf Culture and American Sign Language.
