Wonder Products For The Skin

There will come a time when you will be tired of those creams, those astringents and those drugs that claim to “make you look younger”. In your attempt to scratch some years off your skin, the frantic search for the perfect drug become harder. Advertising is everywhere; new products emerge almost every day. Even word-of-mouth is difficult to handle. What you don’t know is that the secrets to young-looking skin can be found at the comfort of a very familiar place: your home.

HONEY

Honey consists two kinds of sugars: fructose and glucose. Moreover, it also contains minerals like magnesium, calcium, sodium chlorine, phosphate, iron and sulphur. The vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and C are also found in honey. Taking honey in like your everyday multi-vitamin is heavily encouraged.

Honey is the oldest sweetener known to man. It is a good substitute for sugar in your food and beverages. Honey has also a good reputation in the medical field for treating certain diseases. In the Middle East, it is used to treat burns in the skin. Since these areas are mostly war-torn and hot, water is heavily scarce, if not contaminated.

Honey is known for its anti-inflammatory effects on the skin. Also , it works as a good moisturizer both for the skin and the hair. This is because honey has the ability to attract water. It is cheap and safe for sensitive skin. Apply honey to your face after washing it with water then wash the honey off with a mild facial wash. If you want to use it for your hair, apply honey to your hair like the way you apply conditioner then wash it off with a mild shampoo.

It is important that you wash it off properly because first, it might smell and second, you might attract ants to your face/ hair. And that’s really weird. Honey can also be used as a good body scrub if you mix it with sugar. The moisturizing and exfoliating effects are divine.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, was reported having used vinegar and vinegar mixed with honey as an energizing tonic and a healing elixir. People suspected it was apple cider vinegar. How was apple cider vinegar created in the first place anyway?

Apple cider vinegar is a hundred-percent natural creation. It is a product of the two fermentation processes. First, the fermentation of apple juice to hard apple cider. After that, the second fermentation to apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar contains ALL THE GOODNESS from which the apple is known for. In fact, after the fermentation processes, it is packed with extra enzymes and acids.

Apple cider vinegar is known to smooth sunburns and to heal insect bites. Moreover, it can also be a hair treatment, as it can make the hair shine and treat dandruff. It also cures acne. When using this product to your skin, just apply apple cider vinegar to the area you want to treat evenly. Leave it for 15 minutes then wash it off with a mild facial wash/ shampoo. It also smells a bit, so wash it off the best way that you can.

Whether you take in these products or you apply them to your skin, they can really bring out the youngest skin that you can have. Beauty queens and celebrities all over the world swear by these kitchen wonders.

Quit all the search for the perfect cream because the potions you need are right in the comfort of your own home!

Where To Go To Delay The Aging Clock

We don’t actually have to mention, but for many, staying young is almost an obsession. But who really cares? Well, these are the avenues where your obsession can best benefit you. And you’d really love to care.

First Stop: Hair Salon

Alright, we all know that this establishment is a must-stop to look younger. But if it happens that you will go here, would you know what to instruct the stylist for you to look young?

Tell your favorite hair artist to give you a shorter do. A long hair for an experienced lady would more or less make her look like a witch. Trimming on the shoulder or shorter boosts up one’s vitality. This takes the attention away from a sagging face. You may also have some bangs and layers. Bangs brushed on the side softens the wrinkles on the forehead. Layers make hair more lively and youthful.

Or try telling your hairstylist to add some colors on your crown of glory. This increases the volume of the thinning hair brought about by hormonal changes. Not to mention, this also covers up gray hair preventing them from looking ashy.

Hairstylists also recommend soft, tender brushes after a shower of emollient shampoo to give bulk to the thinning hair.

Next stop: Derma’s space

Yes, you can look good by yourself, but going to the skin specialist once in a while spells a huge difference. Take the celebrities for an example.

Dermatologists give benefits that our bare hands alone can’t bring into fruition. Dermatologists may apply some cosmetics like alpha hydroxy acid. This is used to reduce the lines and folds on the face, as a chemical peel, and enhance skin’s overall look and feel. When used as a chemical peel, dermas explain that alpha hydroxy acids can change the pH level of the skin to spawn collagen that enhances tonicity of the skin. Collagen, as we age, diminishes in itself, developing wrinkles and pores.

Dermatologists may also recommend topical treatments and broad-spectrum sun block lotion that would prevent you from sun exposure. Too much revealing of skin to sunlight causes the largest percentage of sagging, dark spots, and fine lines. We do not notice this effect because it’s not an instantaneous one. Best topical prevention includes those that have antioxidants and retinol.

Third stop: Spa

From massage to facials to jacuzzi, a treatment spa is absolutely a perfect haven for those who’d like to stay young. Visiting it can be the most enjoyable trip ever.

A worthwhile massage provides comforting relaxation to treatment to more specific physical problems. It can also relieve stress and improve the blood supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. It can also aid in the recovery of some muscular problems. And at least in part, an hour of it can compensate for lack of workout and muscular contraction.

A facial in the spa provides cosmetic therapy of the face. It involves a multiplicity of skin treatments like exfoliation, peels, steam, extraction, and masks. Not only is it soothing but an age-defying remedy as well.

The warming and freshening comfort of jacuzzi can transfer your soul to another dimension. A jacuzzi uses colors to further healing not only in the body but also in the mind. Each of these colors has a particular wavelength that affects the release of hormones and other organic materials within the body.

This positively changes one’s mood, feelings, or emotions.

The Right Water To Stay Young

A dry skin is one of the signs of an aging body. As we get old, skin lose sebum, and in turn, lose moisture. Drinking plenty of water is imperative for someone who wants to slow down the signs of aging such as dry skin. Any doctor would say we have to drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. But most of them did not mention what kind of water we should drink. And I guess we ought to know.

What does water do?

Water cleanses our body. It promotes the efficiency of blood circulation to help expel the toxins out of the body. Water aids the body in swilling out waste from particular cells, keeping them in good state. While it carries away toxins from the skin, water also transports necessary vitamins and minerals into individual cells.

The need to rehydrate skin

Water comprises 70% of our body. Skin, being the largest organ, has a lot of water in it. But the body consumes and expels lots of water in a day. Because of this, our skin needs regular rehydration. The most powerful moisturizers are not enough to take the place of the element that comprises our body most. Not enough rehydration causes the skin to look dry, tough, and old.

Getting old

We get older since we are not flushing out of all the generated wastes within our body allowing these toxins and impurities to mount up within our body. For our body to operate and to maintain its temperature, we consume nutrients inside our cells. The chief ingredients of all foods, real or junk, plant or animal, alkaline or acid, costly or not, are proteins, fats or carbohydrates. And these are nothing but the amalgamations of these elements: oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen.

After undergoing the digestive and circulatory processes, these nutrients will be oxidized in the cellular level. After this, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen will all turn into organic acids: fatty acids, ammonia, uric acids, etc.

These acidic rubbishes are expelled in the form of urine or sweat after having undergone some processes in the blood. Regrettably, as a result of our lifestyles (i.e., too much stress, not getting enough sleep, not enough workout, too much ingestion, smoking, etc.), the body can’t rinse out all those acidic wastes produced in our body. These waste products build up in an area in our body. What’s worse is that we don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables which are alkaline foods. We get old by this process.

The Right Water

To reverse aging caused by acidic waste products, we should drink alkaline water. Acid free alkaline water or microwater is created by cleaning a tap water (typically with a pH of 7), and letting it go through an electroanalysis chamber. Alkaline and acid minerals found in a tap water is split b a device called water ionizer. The system would release water with a pH of 9 (alkaline) and another set with a pH of 5 (acidic).

Drinking alkaline water is one of the most helpful and trouble-free ways to flush toxins and delay the process of aging. Its effectively lies in the fact that it penetrates deeper than ordinary water. There, it dissolves and transports wastes out of the body.

Alkaline water is more than twice as effective as ordinary tap water. In fact, the effectivity of three glasses of alkaline water is greater than six glasses of a regular one. With this alkaline water, 4 glasses is enough to suffice your daily water need, and delay aging, in turn.

Sweeten Your Home And Feel Good

Tough routine brings about stress. Stress brings about (say it!) aging. While the rest of the world is turning out of your hand, you are most likely at home, savoring what’s left of your weekend after a looooong week of work. You feel tired, almost suicidal, and then, when you look at the mirror, you stare in horror. You just got hold of the worst news since Hurricane Katrina; you got wrinkles.

Be more than a boarder on your home! Beautify it! In this way, you won’t be dreading every waking moment in it. Add some spice in your routine. Trust me, it will bring out the young punk in you and you will forget you’re not getting any younger (well, physiologically).

FILL YOUR HOME WITH GOOD MEMORIES

Remember your pre-school picture where you are smothered in dirt and you still managed to flash a toothy grin? Remember your prom picture where you wore make-up even if it’s against your will? They actually represent very good memories that can make you feel both nostalgic and cheerful at the same time. Seeing these memories triggers a part of the brain that recalls that memory and connects it with good moods.

Everybody knows that good moods bring out the best in us. It helps us become more optimistic through life and become more productive. Come on, you know there’s a lot more to think about than having a Botox injection or not.

You might have heard a lot of times that to stay young, you must smile all the time. With a lot of good memories haunting your home, what’s not to smile about?

HAVE AN ARTSY HOME

Old = boring. That’s how 90% of the world sees it and you can’t help but agree. Look around your home. If the dominant color is anything neutral (gray, brown, black or white) then it’s about time that you redirect your creativity. Neutral is boring. Pastels, neon linings and bold designs spell F-U-N!

If you can’t remember the last time that you’ve been fun then you’ve really aged. Recollect the atmosphere of fun. However, do not mix a lot of colors at the same time. Consult with someone who is good in interior design or read interior design books to have a guide. This is important because you don’t want your home looking like a day care center gone wrong.

Next, you can also consider filling your home with really good art. Put up bold paintings of local artists (local is cheaper but not necessarily of less quality). Frame good poetry on a fine quality paper with professional calligraphy. Even 10,000-piece puzzles and sophisticated cross-stitch pieces make good aesthetic treats. Choose carefully the quality of art that you put in your home. If you must, consult someone who finished a fine arts degree or even a college student of fine arts. Lastly, choose the art that you fall in love with. It should be something you can stand (and be happy) to see every single day.

HAVE A STOCK OF FEEL-GOOD FOOD

There are certain foods that don’t feel right when eaten every day. There are also certain foods which have the marvelous capability to make you feel better after eating it. Examples of feel-good food are those which are usually eaten after a break-up, a termination and after failing a subject.

Foods such as chocolate, ice cream, cakes are also connected with feel-good memories. Consider stocking up on these foods so whenever you feel like pigging out, do so in your own home and more importantly, do not apologize for it. That’s one of the best features of youth. Hmm. Alcohol is optional too.

You may not be getting younger, but hey, you can “retire” in your own home every day. Stay young, stay fun and stay passionate about life.

Staying Young – the Japanese Way

The Land of the Rising Sun outweighs all other countries with regards to the proportion of the elderly. About 22% of the population in Japan is 65 or older. It has been estimated that by 2020, the ratio of the elderly to the children will be approximately 3 to 1. The Japanese are, in fact, the most long-lived people on this planet. With that said, Nihon jins must have placed a fountain of youth in their backyard. Well, at the dining table perhaps.

Healthy food

Despite the competitive lifestyle that they have, they still are among the healthiest people in the world- ‘coz after a hard work is a healthy meal. It is well-known that a Japanese meal is one of the healthiest among regional diets. Meals include the kind of foods that Japanese eat everyday to stay slim, healthy, and youthful while epitomizing a successful, on-the-go lifestyle.

The Japanese have the pleasure of eating nutritious and satisfying foods without guilt, getting, fat, and looking old. Every day they eat at least seven servings of vegetables, including sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens, seaweed, onions, and bean sprouts; at least two servings of anti-oxidant rich fruits; and two or more servings of soy foods. The Japanese also sip several cups of tea every day. They eat a serving of fish, consumed at more than 150 pounds in a year. Who would look old with that kind of meal?

Less Disease

A research of double Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling pointed out that almost all diseases and the body’s ability to fight them can be directly or indirectly linked to what humans eat or not. Statistics about the Japanese and other nationalities can prove this right.

Only six in 100, 000 Japanese women acquire breast cancer. That’s about 20 times less than the British women.

96% fewer Japanese men have coronary heart disease than the British male populace. (Breast cancer and heart diseases can be attributed to eating lots of fatty foods.)

Statistics show that Japanese have less Western diseases like diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart diseases, atherosclerosis, etc.

These are thruths about the relationship between diet and disease in Japan.

Foods to Stay Young

A Japanese diet is the amazing secret of the locals to stay young and become vigorous. Many nationalities even notice that Japanese women in their forties still look like they are in their twenties. Well, you may not need your anti-aging creams, just a discovery of the Japanese fountain of youth.

The Meal

The sticky, short-grained rice is the main carbohydrate food in Japan. But Japanese eat as much fish that are rich in fatty acids which provide a greater amount of calories for most. Another main source of carbohydrates for the Japanese is the noodles, a quick, easy, and healthy snack.

Consumption of brain foods like eggs and seaweeds is also great. Egg consumption in Japan, in the form of omelets, custards, and soups, is higher than in America (40lbs to 34 lbs). Seaweed used in soups and sushi provides a good amount of iodine that is very important for normal functioning of the thyroid gland, which is, in turn, vital for optimal brain function.

The Japanese are also fond of eating magic potatoes which have natural anti-aging, life-enhancing components.

Tofu is also a distinguishing feature in the Japanese diet. Tofu is one of the best sources of protein with anti-cancer and health-boosting benefits.

Contrary to the usual belief, the Japanese have great consumption of milk. They even consume an average of 180 pounds per year.

Fruits are the popular dessert in Japan. In general, Japanese people don’t like sweet desserts.

In addition, most Japanese shun fast, processed, and junk foods.

Madonna’s Secret

Aside from her active lifestyle, Madonna, who still looks young and hip in her 50’s, shared that she eats Japanese food most of the time. In fact, everywhere she goes, a Japanese chef is sure to cook healthy cuisine for her.

Staying Young And Healthy With Nuts

Believe it or not, the first created human beings who inhabited this planet, Adam and Eve, already had nuts in their diet. In the Genesis, God provided them fruits that bear seeds that we now know as nuts. After thousands of years, we now understand why God never failed to create this fruit and seed in one. And a handful of it a day would never let you go wrong.

A HEARTy Snack

Almonds, macadamia, pistachio nuts, walnuts, and hazelnuts are not just for the appetite, they also are great sources of a number of health benefits. The studies of the Seventh Day Adventists during the 1990s first elevated the status of nuts to its consumers. The study of this religious group in Loma Linda, California indicated that those who eat nuts live two and a half years more than those who do not.

(The Seventh Day Adventist is a religious group that advocates healthy living by not smoking and dinking, and having a vegetarian diet. Members of this religious domination who live in Loma Linda live 5-10 years longer)

Nuts are said to contain Omega 3 fatty acids. These are unsaturated fatty acids that may decrease the risk of acquiring coronary heart disease. People who eat five times or more of it every week had roughly a 50 percent decrease in risk of dying from heart disease as compared to those who eat only nuts once a week. Those who eat one to four times in a week reduced their risk of acquiring the heart disease by 25%.

Recent researches also found out that walnuts and almonds can lower the blood levels of bad cholesterol which can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Besides its protective effect to the heart, this fruit have very low glycemic index. In fact, nuts are now being recommended by many dietitians to patients with diabetes mellitus 2.

KEEPING YOU AND YOUR BRAIN YOUNG

Usually, what’s beneficial to the heart is also favorable to the brain. Nuts are not just a hearty snack but also a brainy food. It helps keep your arteries clear so it lessens the risk of clogging arteries which can lead to stroke. Nuts also promote the production of precursors of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, which improves the mood, and reduces depression.

One ounce of nuts is the recommended amount to eat. That is equivalent to 24 almonds or 12 walnuts. Nuts is full of calories so be careful in eating too much of eat. Eating more than one ounce is fine unless you replace unhealthy high-caloric foods in exchange of nuts.

Here’s the deal: those who eat one ounce of nuts five times a week become 3.3 years younger for the males, and 4.4 years for the females.

In addition, you would also live two to three years longer compared to those who don’t.

WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT?

Well, raw, unroasted, unsalted nuts are best for your body.

Almonds are nut just tasty but are also beneficial because they are alkaline-formers even though they are high in protein. Having alkaline is good for the body because we need to keep up with the high acidic content of the body (which is the result of the oxygenation of all that we eat).

Walnuts are the nuts that have the most abundance of Omega-3 fatty acids. Walnuts are the kind that is beneficial to the diabetics.

Staying At Home Is Not Always Equal To Staying Young

Exposing At-Home Dangers to Your Skin and Well-Being

It’s hard to imagine aging when you’re always in your home. No sun, no wrinkles. No free radicals, no need for antioxidants. However, if you’re still feeling grumpy; grumpy like you’re aging and you can’t do anything about it, you can use some at-home tips to do wonders.

DE-STRESS YOUR HOME

Look around you. If there’s so much clutter, dust, dirty laundry, these can really ignite your temper. Clean your home and fill it with soothing scents. Ever wonder why a sunset on a really clean bay with the sun glistening on the clear water looks so relaxing? That’s it, cleanliness = good mood.

Save yourself from some self-nagging. Start picking the broom up and clean your surroundings. Classify the things that you need and not need in your desk. Your working area should also be clean so you can focus on your work faster and focus on your rest longer.

Speaking of rest, try putting lavender or chamomile powder on your sheets just before you sleep. These scents induce sleep-sanctifying hormones to help you get the sleep you deserve. You can also add candles, apply scented oil on your wrists and have feel-good books by the bedside table. Stay away from stressing self-help books. Experts advise love/happiness poetry, fast food fictions or even a diary. Keeping a diary is like befriending yourself. You can use an extra friend, right?

CHECK YOUR VENTILATION

Your pores fluctuate depending on the humidity of the area. If it’s cold, your pores will close. If it’s warm, your pores will open. The ventilation in your home should be just right so your pores will not be very overworked. Notice that when it’s too cold, your skin will also lack the moisture it needs. If your skin lacks moisture, when you get out of that cold area, your skin will overcompensate by producing more oil than usual. Yes, cold weather can breed unhealthy skin too.

If it’s also hot, your natural oils (moisture) will mix with your sweat. And that’s dangerous. Sweat is dirt. Oil WILL become dirt. The equation to acne is actually dead cells/dirt + oil. There are different ways to look young, but to fake teenage acne is surely not the way to go.

USE THE “MOST ORGANIC” TOILETRIES

Your skin is like a sponge. It absorbs all the things that is placed and applied into it.

It is important that you take note of the chemicals that you put on your skin. Read and analyze very carefully. Let’s say you use a facial wash, a toner, a moisturizer and a face powder every day. Let’s also assume that each of these things contain 20 chemicals. (Actually, that’s a conservative approximate.

Take a peek at the pack of your facial wash and toners; they contain compounds which you almost cannot read.) So every day, excluding the chemicals that may get to your skin when you go out, you take in at least 80 kinds of chemicals on your skin. It sounds glaring, right? However, the effects are not seen abruptly.

The best that you can do is to choose your toiletries right. Choose the most “organic” cosmetics, soaps, lotions, etc. There are a lot of cosmetic / toiletry product lines in the market which swear to be hypo-allergenic, non-comedogenic (won’t clog your pores) and were not tested on animals. They may be a tad more expensive but trust me, they’re worth it.

Staying young involves more than just taking care of your skin and your body. Remember to also keep a happy and optimistic state-of-mind to compliment the glow you have on your face!

Say Hello To A Forever Young You

As you grow older, your priorities become redirected. Before, the greatest problem you could possibly have is what to wear on your school/ office wash day. Fast forward, the hurdle you’re facing is a 2-year old child. Fast forward again, you look in the mirror and realize that all those worrying and “problematizing” finally took their toll on your skin.

It’s about time that you know yourself more and pay less attention to your outside appearance. After all, what really matters is how you feel inside. A rich man can feel that he still needs to get richer; so in principle, he is not rich at all. However, a poor man can be more contented than a millionaire and at the end of the day, the poor man becomes happier. Let’s cruise through what keeps one young by not applying a wonder cream or doing a wonder work-out.

MEDITATE

The day-in, day-out stress will make you feel like “slipping away” from the things which used to make you happy and things which used to make you feel like a child again. Rekindle these good memories by meditating at least ten minutes a day. Take some time to detach yourself from the world and think. You don’t need to philosophize deeply or to draft your next blog entry. Just enjoy some silence and a piece of world peace.

Choose a ten- to fifteen-minute break in your day. Just a short while. You have twenty four hours a day. Surely you can find or MAKE time for some productive self-healing.

KEEP A DIARY

A diary is a very important tool for a writer. However, even if you’re not a writer or even if you are not a grammar expert, it is also advisable to keep a diary. A diary is an outlet. It is a friend which will listen, will not judge and handy also. A diary is a tool of letting-go of the bad things that have happened to you which pull you back from moving forward.

You need to pass on some of your worries somewhere so you can focus to more important things like the relationships around you and the smallest get-happy detail of your everyday life. Keeping a diary also is like keeping a record of your psychological states. There are people who freak out when they realize that they’re starting to age and surely you don’t want to be one of them.

Don’t look at it as a task. Just write whenever you want to. Even in the middle of the night. Isn’t it just neat that someone will listen to every detail of your nightmare and not brand you a lunatic?

HAVE A DATE WITH YOURSELF

The most important person in your life should still be yourself EVEN IF you have aged. Remember when you were younger, when all you wanted was the latest gadget and the in pair of jeans? That’s exactly how you should still feel, albeit being more mature. Try not going into the selfish path; that’s too much.

Watch a movie alone; save yourself from the pains of having to explain to someone how the plot should have gone. Devour your favorite cake alone, go shoe-shopping alone, brim in front of the mirror and say “I’m the king/queen of the world”! Err, please remember to do the last thing alone too. Please. It’s for your own good.

When you were young, it was all about you. Now that you’re older, let it still be all about you. The secret to staying young is all in the mind. You don’t even need to get out of your home right? There’s no use studying what certain chemicals can do to save your skin while not learning to know, love and embrace your self. Your beautiful, ethereal self.

Resist The Force Of Aging

If you’re the type of person who would rather watch TV and eat all day long than giving you’re muscles a little more stretch, better think twice. Here’s the deal: this lifestyle speeds up aging. How? Well, inactivity accelerates aging in two ways: it decreases our muscle strength and gives us extra pounds.

Muscle meltdown

As we age, the quantity and strength of our muscle fibers diminish. Truth to the matter is, we lose two to four pounds of muscles every ten years. Decreased number and strength of muscles causes our muscles to lose flexibility, losing our usual range of motion and optimal strength.

Lack of exercise is to blame. It was found out that not exercising for even just a week weakens our muscles significantly. In fact, if you don’t exercise for a month, you will lose almost 50% of your original muscle strength. Some people may not even notice their atrophied muscles because of the fatty buildup in their body. Blame that too to lack of exercise.

Gaining extra pounds

The simple logic here is that if you are inactive, you gain extra pounds, and extra pounds can age you. But hey, there’s a missing link. How does an increase in weight speed up aging?

Researchers have recently found out that as people become heavier and became more insulin resistant (a common side effect of being fat and heavy), their telomeres (strands of DNA at the end of a chromosome that protect the tip from destruction and classically shorten with age) shrank more than those of people who didn’t increase their weight and developed more insulin resistance, an apparent sign that the aging process was speeding up among overweight. Researchers suppose that the stress caused by increased weight and insulin resistance spawn inflammation and free radicals that damage cells. Simply put, a heavier body ages its own DNA.

The Solution

But the good news is, you can recover what you have lost and slice off what you have gained. Research clearly shows that a healthy lifestyle and exercise can help keep your DNA younger.

In studies, regular exercise has been proven to keep you from diabetes, muscle atrophy, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and heart diseases. Regular workout helps prevent hypertension, reduces body fat, raises High Density Lipoprotein (good cholesterol), lowers Low-Density Lipoprotein (bad cholesterol), improves circulation, keeps the bowel healthy, and regulates key hormones.

An anti-aging workout is best for you! This includes consistent cardio, yoga, and weight training.

You can do jogging, cycling, walking, and swimming for thirty minutes a day for about five times a week. Doing these of higher intensity everyday can be helpful in bringing more blood and oxygen to our brain. These activities also guard your heart by lowering blood pressure, reducing LDL, and keeping arteries flexible to improve circulation.

Lifting weights should also be part of your roster of activities. Weightlifting for 20 minutes a day, twice a week can be of great help in having strong bones, and muscles, which of course includes the heart. For beginners, 3-5 pound dumbbells will do.

Doing yoga is one of the best activities to fight stress. It relaxes the body, thereby, keeping stress from burning you out. It also protects the body against free radicals that break down the elasticity of the skin.

More Benefits

Exercise does not only keep you young, it also helps you sleep, firms you up, improves your mood, keeps you slim, and take note of this, charges up your sex life :D

Places Where People Live Young In Their Old Age

A long life is one of man’s greatest dreams. But this dream can never be pulled off by chance. A long and healthy one starts with having good genes, but definitely, it is not your genes alone that can determine if you’ll live past the 100 mark. What you take and what you do is a huge factor. But many age-conscious people in the world find very notable places where many inhabitants live long and healthy lives. What then can we learn from these distinct communities?

Okinawa, Japan

With over a million inhabitants in this southern Japanese island, more than 900 of them have already lived more than a century. There are five more Okinawans who live to be 100 years old or so compared to other places in Japan. And the number of their centenarians is four times as many in America and in Britain.

One distinct characteristic of the Okinawans is the ability to be healthy even until their end. Researchers observed that these people tend to age slower than others. They even work as long as they can which grants these people ikigai, a sense of purpose.

Okinawans eat low-salt, low-fat, anti-oxidant rich foods such as fish, tofu, soya products, and seaweeds. A wide range of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are also included in their rainbow diet. Not to mention, the age-defying tea is a mainstay in any meal.

But what they don’t eat may also be their secret to long life. Hara hachibu is a distinct cultural practice in this place wherein they eat until they are 80% full, consuming around 1, 200 calories in a day. Why this practice makes them young is still not understood that much.

Loma Linda, California

In this Californian city populated by the Seventh-day Adventists, citizens observe the healthy lifestyle the church promotes –having a vegetarian diet, and abstinence from smoking or drinking. That is why a lot from this city are living five or ten years longer than their neighboring areas.

That practice can well-explain that. However, scientist discovered that this practice is not done by everyone in this area, yet, they still live longer than the average.

As many claim, this community’s secret is their faith. It really does raise a question if there is something about being spiritual that makes their life longer.

Researchers don’t fully understand but there’s this remarkable fact that makes everyone curious. It’s been known for a couple of decades already that people who regularly go to the church, whatever their religion is, live more than those who don’t. Some say that those who go to church on a regular basis have considerably lower levels of stress, and perhaps, because of this, these people are able to deal with stress better.

Ovvoda, Sardinia

This small town in Italy boasts many centenarians among its 1, 700 residents. Even more notably, there are as many men who live longer as women, kicking the trend in the world. Their secret is not only the Mediterranean diet, but also their genes.

For centuries, the families in this place lived in isolation, and married only their fellow Sardinian. So, from a genetic point of view, marriage among relatives provides positive results like centenarians.

With that said, interbreeding in this place seems to have caused their people to live a longer life. This phenomenon even made some scientist discover specific genes that are associated with long life.