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.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
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
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.
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.
On Being YOUNG
One can never stop the passing of time. Hence, aging is inevitable. But being and looking old now seems to be just an option. One can still have the better option, and that is to feel and look young. But what does this ideal really mean? Is it limited to a radiant skin and wrinkle-free skin? Is it just the absence of the torment of arthritis?
Definitely not. Staying young encompasses a wide range of ideas and includes more good conditions than the aforementioned. Being young comes from the mind, body, and the heart.
Being sharp
As people age, they tend to be less smart, alert, and intelligent. Compared to a young grade-schooler, an old person can hardly recite the multiplication table with ease, speed, and accuracy. This is because as they age, neurons weaken and lessens its ability to recall facts and details. To avoid this and be young in the mental capacity, people should do few good things.
Meditating, resting well, and getting enough sleep help brain to be at ease. Playing board games like chess, scrabbles, and word factory can help boost your brain. Eating a healthy diet with less cholesterol is helpful.
Doing moderate aerobic exercises can produce Brain-Derived Neurotrohic Factor (BDNF) that maintains a healthy neuron. BDNF is a protein that acts on certain neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that aids in the survival of existing neurons. Adding to that, BDNF encourages the growth and differentiation of new neurons and synapses.
Being healthy
Being young is almost synonymous to being healthy. If one is at his optimum health, he is sure to look and feel good, which is by the way, how many define being young. As we all know, to be healthy is to guard your own body. Eat more nutrient-packed greens, more Omega-3 containing fish, and other healthy stuff like whole-grains, tomatoes, milk, fruits, and water.
And of course, less foods containing tons of cholesterol (burger patties, barbecues, fries) and sodium (chips, MSG, salt). Exercising for at least ten minutes a day, avoiding stress, and a regular visit to a doctor are of great help to staying healthy.
Being young wouldn’t be complete without a healthy skin. As the body’s largest organ, it can tell how well your health is and how well you are aging. Eating at least 5 serving of anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables, sipping anti-oxidant rich green tea, and drinking at least 8 glasses of pure water a day are of prime necessity.
Not to mention, a smile can really deceive others of your age.
Being optimistic and vigorous
Having an encouraging, dynamic, and balanced approach or outlook towards your individual and collective possibilities is a healthy advantage. Not only does it provide you with better results in what you seek, it also gives your youthful energy a boost.
Optimism and vigor shape a huge part in the expansion of your emotional life. If you wish to live well and young, you will have to remove the self-defeating pessimism from your mind, and replace with a constructive attitude.
Being young is also being optimistic and vigorous, and that requires more of us than exhibiting a compelled smile and telling yourself, “you can do it.” Being young is living your life at full capacity, and we can only go beyond what we think we can if we expand ourselves rather than holding yourself back, and rather than putting you forward. After all, who got blinded by looking at the brighter side of life?
Indeed, being young is also skin-deep. And because it is, you should examine a little more within you to know whether you too can feel and look young. And if you will, the inside will radiate a more beautiful being.
Definitely not. Staying young encompasses a wide range of ideas and includes more good conditions than the aforementioned. Being young comes from the mind, body, and the heart.
Being sharp
As people age, they tend to be less smart, alert, and intelligent. Compared to a young grade-schooler, an old person can hardly recite the multiplication table with ease, speed, and accuracy. This is because as they age, neurons weaken and lessens its ability to recall facts and details. To avoid this and be young in the mental capacity, people should do few good things.
Meditating, resting well, and getting enough sleep help brain to be at ease. Playing board games like chess, scrabbles, and word factory can help boost your brain. Eating a healthy diet with less cholesterol is helpful.
Doing moderate aerobic exercises can produce Brain-Derived Neurotrohic Factor (BDNF) that maintains a healthy neuron. BDNF is a protein that acts on certain neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that aids in the survival of existing neurons. Adding to that, BDNF encourages the growth and differentiation of new neurons and synapses.
Being healthy
Being young is almost synonymous to being healthy. If one is at his optimum health, he is sure to look and feel good, which is by the way, how many define being young. As we all know, to be healthy is to guard your own body. Eat more nutrient-packed greens, more Omega-3 containing fish, and other healthy stuff like whole-grains, tomatoes, milk, fruits, and water.
And of course, less foods containing tons of cholesterol (burger patties, barbecues, fries) and sodium (chips, MSG, salt). Exercising for at least ten minutes a day, avoiding stress, and a regular visit to a doctor are of great help to staying healthy.
Being young wouldn’t be complete without a healthy skin. As the body’s largest organ, it can tell how well your health is and how well you are aging. Eating at least 5 serving of anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables, sipping anti-oxidant rich green tea, and drinking at least 8 glasses of pure water a day are of prime necessity.
Not to mention, a smile can really deceive others of your age.
Being optimistic and vigorous
Having an encouraging, dynamic, and balanced approach or outlook towards your individual and collective possibilities is a healthy advantage. Not only does it provide you with better results in what you seek, it also gives your youthful energy a boost.
Optimism and vigor shape a huge part in the expansion of your emotional life. If you wish to live well and young, you will have to remove the self-defeating pessimism from your mind, and replace with a constructive attitude.
Being young is also being optimistic and vigorous, and that requires more of us than exhibiting a compelled smile and telling yourself, “you can do it.” Being young is living your life at full capacity, and we can only go beyond what we think we can if we expand ourselves rather than holding yourself back, and rather than putting you forward. After all, who got blinded by looking at the brighter side of life?
Indeed, being young is also skin-deep. And because it is, you should examine a little more within you to know whether you too can feel and look young. And if you will, the inside will radiate a more beautiful being.
Lie Without Saying A Word - Tips on Staying Youthful
Stop waking up in the morning and dreading having to look in the mirror because you look “old”. Instead, wake up to a relaxing full-body stretch and yawn unapologetically. Smile afterwards. If maintaining a youthful state-of-mind was as easy as that, everybody could just wake up to a good mood. Well, that can be a start. However, staying youthful means more than just those fancy chemicals advertised on TV promising you a “youthful glow” after seven days or so.
If you really want to take it seriously, first, you examine the things and the values which are attributed to being “old”. Examples of such are being “no fun”, “unfashionable”, “irritable” and “weak”. Let’s dissect these attributes and turn them 180 degrees around.
SAY YES TO FUN!
Remember when you were a teenager? When the world seemed to lack boundaries and when rules are made to be broken? Feel that rush. I am not suggesting you become a criminal. It’s just that when we get older, our priorities become tweaked. Readjust them again and insert some fun into it. Eat street ice cream once again! Have a Big Mac once in a while!
Get your nails painted regularly. Hang out with your younger peers—your nieces count!—once in a while. It will keep you on your toes about what “the funnest fun” feels like. And trust me, it’s a high that no other drug (or anti-aging cream) can provide.
STAY UPDATED IN FASHION
Fashion is both an art and a discipline. However, it’s not as hard as you think. There are general rules like matching your bag with your shoes, not wearing more than three colors at once, etc. There are certain fashion styles that never fade. Jeans, for example, is a worldwide classic. Learn how to use them properly. Read fashion magazines apt for your age, surf the internet for celebrity styles or even chat to your peers about it.
TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN
Smile! Nothing brings more negative vibes than a sulky frown. In case you haven’t heard yet, it takes three times more number of facial muscles to frown than to smile. So smile! In fact, studies show that the mere act of curving your lips upward—even if you’re not really smiling—releases endorphins (the get-happy hormones) throughout your body.
If you’re trying to score a date, smiling will ease the tension down and makes you look more approachable. Moreover, notice the people in their 40s who always smile. They have an unexplainable, beautiful, youthful aura that works like an invisible halo that makes them always pleasing to the eye. You too, can be like them. It’s all about attracting positivity in your life. Start by smiling.
GET THOSE MUSCLES MOVING
Oh come on! Who says you’re bedridden? Get those muscles moving! Take an early morning jog and release more endorphins! Try walking to your destination if it’s the sun is not so glaring. It’s about time that you get out of your home and welcome the world outside!
Experts suggest backyard sports like Frisbee, badminton and table tennis. However, if you seem to not have time for these sports (say, even on weekends) try doing a fifteen minute full-body stretch right after you wake up. It gives you time to meditate and plan your day ahead. Moreover, it also improves your flexibility. Work on it so you don’t have to ask someone to get the slipper stuck under the sofa again. It’s not yoga, but hey, you will get there.
The best thing about this is that you don’t have to eat a “special food” or buy “special equipment”. You will hate having to eat oatmeal and bananas for the rest of your life and without turning your state-of-mind the way it should be, the treadmill you might purchase will just look forlorn in one corner.
Youth is all about embracing life to the fullest. You can make youth eternal. Remember, Sex and the City? Samantha was still steaming hot even when she was fifty.
If you really want to take it seriously, first, you examine the things and the values which are attributed to being “old”. Examples of such are being “no fun”, “unfashionable”, “irritable” and “weak”. Let’s dissect these attributes and turn them 180 degrees around.
SAY YES TO FUN!
Remember when you were a teenager? When the world seemed to lack boundaries and when rules are made to be broken? Feel that rush. I am not suggesting you become a criminal. It’s just that when we get older, our priorities become tweaked. Readjust them again and insert some fun into it. Eat street ice cream once again! Have a Big Mac once in a while!
Get your nails painted regularly. Hang out with your younger peers—your nieces count!—once in a while. It will keep you on your toes about what “the funnest fun” feels like. And trust me, it’s a high that no other drug (or anti-aging cream) can provide.
STAY UPDATED IN FASHION
Fashion is both an art and a discipline. However, it’s not as hard as you think. There are general rules like matching your bag with your shoes, not wearing more than three colors at once, etc. There are certain fashion styles that never fade. Jeans, for example, is a worldwide classic. Learn how to use them properly. Read fashion magazines apt for your age, surf the internet for celebrity styles or even chat to your peers about it.
TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN
Smile! Nothing brings more negative vibes than a sulky frown. In case you haven’t heard yet, it takes three times more number of facial muscles to frown than to smile. So smile! In fact, studies show that the mere act of curving your lips upward—even if you’re not really smiling—releases endorphins (the get-happy hormones) throughout your body.
If you’re trying to score a date, smiling will ease the tension down and makes you look more approachable. Moreover, notice the people in their 40s who always smile. They have an unexplainable, beautiful, youthful aura that works like an invisible halo that makes them always pleasing to the eye. You too, can be like them. It’s all about attracting positivity in your life. Start by smiling.
GET THOSE MUSCLES MOVING
Oh come on! Who says you’re bedridden? Get those muscles moving! Take an early morning jog and release more endorphins! Try walking to your destination if it’s the sun is not so glaring. It’s about time that you get out of your home and welcome the world outside!
Experts suggest backyard sports like Frisbee, badminton and table tennis. However, if you seem to not have time for these sports (say, even on weekends) try doing a fifteen minute full-body stretch right after you wake up. It gives you time to meditate and plan your day ahead. Moreover, it also improves your flexibility. Work on it so you don’t have to ask someone to get the slipper stuck under the sofa again. It’s not yoga, but hey, you will get there.
The best thing about this is that you don’t have to eat a “special food” or buy “special equipment”. You will hate having to eat oatmeal and bananas for the rest of your life and without turning your state-of-mind the way it should be, the treadmill you might purchase will just look forlorn in one corner.
Youth is all about embracing life to the fullest. You can make youth eternal. Remember, Sex and the City? Samantha was still steaming hot even when she was fifty.
Combat Aging Wisely
Suddenly, looking in the mirror is a burden. Suddenly, you don’t go out that much. The sight of crow’s feet haunts you even if you don’t have them. Face it, you’re aging.
Technically, aging means a process that includes changes in the structure and elasticity of the skin over time. Usually, it starts as early as your late teenage years and may start as late as in your late twenties. Our skin does a lot of things. It analyzes sensations such as pressure, pain and touch. It also protects us from the environment, helps balance fluid and electrolytes and most of all, helps in the regulation of our body temperature. With that said, our skin is clearly overworked. The least we can do is protect it from further harm.
Aging is majorly caused by either of these two: normal physiological aging (no matter what we do, we will wrinkle in time) and UV exposure (accounts for 95% of the wrinkles that you might have now). The enemy that we have to combat is the UV exposure. How can we beat it?
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
There are three kinds of UV rays: the UVA, UVB and UVC. These are graded according to their wavelength. The longest wavelength rage are UVA rays and the shortest, UVC rays.
UVA wavelengths are almost harmless. The hazard is not non-existing but it’s highly negligible. Sunlight, when passing through ordinary glass contains UVA wavelengths. Short UVA wavelengths are those used for sun/UV tanning. However, this form of tanning is not completely safe. It still exposes your skin to UV rays and hastens its aging. Also, around 50% of skin cancer is acquired through sun tanning.
UVA does not damage DNA directly, unlike UVB and UVC. It doesn’t cause sunburn but it can penetrate deeply. UVA can produce reactive chemical intermediates which can harm the DNA such as hydroxyl and oxygen radicals. UVA rays damage the collagen fibers of your skin.
Next, let’s talk about UVB. Your skin can only take small amounts of UVB rarely. Meaning, no matter how small the exposure is, it is dangerous if it’s every day. UVB, like UVA, can deplete the Vitamin A in your skin. Unlike UVA, UVB light causes DNA damage directly. It awakens the DNA molecules in the skin cells, causing a modification on the DNA’s growing strand. This is a mutation that is commonly found in most skin cancer cases. UVB also causes collagen damage, albeit slower than UVA.
UVC is the least penetrating since the outermost portion of your skin, the epidermis, is made of dead cells. This portion protects you from UVC. UVC is quite damaging to living cells and has burning effects.
ARM YOURSELF
The best that you can do to combat these culprits is to wear sun block/sunscreen every day. The higher the SPF (Sun Protection Factor), the better. Experts suggest wearing sun block/ sunscreen with at least SPF 15 for everyday use. However, if you are at the beach, or biking, or hiking, your sun block should have a minimum of SPF 30. It’s like having 15 layers of skin every day or 30 layers of skin when you are heavily exposed to the sun.
Don’t think that if there’s no sun you can steer clear from UV damage. Wear sunblock EVEN IF there is no sun. Remember that the stronger UV rays can penetrate through the clouds and these can still damage your skin. These are the rays that you should protect yourself from. Also, some bulbs contain UV rays, albeit weaker. So even if you’re just indoors, it’s still advised to wear sunblock.
There. That is just everything you need to fight aging. Remember to keep the principles handy. First, learn about your enemy and then arm yourself. It’s the “art of war”…of beauty war.
Technically, aging means a process that includes changes in the structure and elasticity of the skin over time. Usually, it starts as early as your late teenage years and may start as late as in your late twenties. Our skin does a lot of things. It analyzes sensations such as pressure, pain and touch. It also protects us from the environment, helps balance fluid and electrolytes and most of all, helps in the regulation of our body temperature. With that said, our skin is clearly overworked. The least we can do is protect it from further harm.
Aging is majorly caused by either of these two: normal physiological aging (no matter what we do, we will wrinkle in time) and UV exposure (accounts for 95% of the wrinkles that you might have now). The enemy that we have to combat is the UV exposure. How can we beat it?
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
There are three kinds of UV rays: the UVA, UVB and UVC. These are graded according to their wavelength. The longest wavelength rage are UVA rays and the shortest, UVC rays.
UVA wavelengths are almost harmless. The hazard is not non-existing but it’s highly negligible. Sunlight, when passing through ordinary glass contains UVA wavelengths. Short UVA wavelengths are those used for sun/UV tanning. However, this form of tanning is not completely safe. It still exposes your skin to UV rays and hastens its aging. Also, around 50% of skin cancer is acquired through sun tanning.
UVA does not damage DNA directly, unlike UVB and UVC. It doesn’t cause sunburn but it can penetrate deeply. UVA can produce reactive chemical intermediates which can harm the DNA such as hydroxyl and oxygen radicals. UVA rays damage the collagen fibers of your skin.
Next, let’s talk about UVB. Your skin can only take small amounts of UVB rarely. Meaning, no matter how small the exposure is, it is dangerous if it’s every day. UVB, like UVA, can deplete the Vitamin A in your skin. Unlike UVA, UVB light causes DNA damage directly. It awakens the DNA molecules in the skin cells, causing a modification on the DNA’s growing strand. This is a mutation that is commonly found in most skin cancer cases. UVB also causes collagen damage, albeit slower than UVA.
UVC is the least penetrating since the outermost portion of your skin, the epidermis, is made of dead cells. This portion protects you from UVC. UVC is quite damaging to living cells and has burning effects.
ARM YOURSELF
The best that you can do to combat these culprits is to wear sun block/sunscreen every day. The higher the SPF (Sun Protection Factor), the better. Experts suggest wearing sun block/ sunscreen with at least SPF 15 for everyday use. However, if you are at the beach, or biking, or hiking, your sun block should have a minimum of SPF 30. It’s like having 15 layers of skin every day or 30 layers of skin when you are heavily exposed to the sun.
Don’t think that if there’s no sun you can steer clear from UV damage. Wear sunblock EVEN IF there is no sun. Remember that the stronger UV rays can penetrate through the clouds and these can still damage your skin. These are the rays that you should protect yourself from. Also, some bulbs contain UV rays, albeit weaker. So even if you’re just indoors, it’s still advised to wear sunblock.
There. That is just everything you need to fight aging. Remember to keep the principles handy. First, learn about your enemy and then arm yourself. It’s the “art of war”…of beauty war.
Keeping Your Brain Young
One good telltale of our real age is our mental capacity. We expect that as we become grandmas and grandpas, our intellectual performance can never be the same with its prime years. But why does this happen? And what can we do to avoid thinking like we are old-aged already?
THE PROCESS OF AGING
Our neurons are non-regenerative. That means they do not divide to reproduce more of its kind. Once they die, they can’t be replaced with another one. As we age, these brain cells of ours start to reduce in size and in number. This reduces our ability to call to mind some things that we have learned, including those in school, and even those details when we were younger.
A neurotransmitter called acetylcholine also declines as we age. This neurotransmitter is directly involved in memory and conveying of messages from a cell to another one. Moreover, because of the stresses that we have, the hippocampus, our memory bank, diminish in function.
As we get old also, we develop plaques and tangles that accumulate between and within neurons, respectively. Plaques are proteins that mount up in between neurons while tangles are fibers that grow within the brain cells. Too much of these two are thought to kill nerve cells, like in Alzheimer’s Disease, an age-related disease.
In addition to this, substances are created as a result of our lifestyle and environmental pollution. These substances called free radicals can damage our DNA and impede the production of energy which can cause early cell death.
STAY SHARP
To delay the signs of aging with regards to our mental capability, we should make a number of things a habit.
As they say, stress is inevitable in everyday life because we need it to overcome large and small obstacles. But, of course, stress has a lot more negative effects than good ones. So, avoid too much stress. According to some studies, stress does not only make you look older, it also accelerates the degeneration of your brain.
Those who are easily stressed have higher risks to cognitive impairment than those who are not. You should examine yourself and determine the best ways in which you can cope with the obstacles of the day. Praying is one of the best examples. Planning ahead of time can reduce possible stress. An hour of it can even reduce two hours of your working time.
To stay sharp, one must also have adequate sleep. A new research in Massachussetes General Hospital shows that adequate sleep can help you think well. Adequate sleep helps the brain collect different bits of information and have correct interpretation of them. On the contrary, if you sleep less than the required number, you would most likely have a bad performance and mood problems.
Another thing we should regularly do to preserve our brain functions is to meditate. Doing it actually improves attention, learning, and memory. Regular meditation can also help you slow down the shrinking of our gray matter. For the younger ones, a thought of it is quite ridiculous because meditating is just for the oldies. But a new study has shown that people who meditate earlier in life have better attention in their succeeding years.
One can’t end a roster of anti-aging recommendations without mentioning about eating right. It is true when the say that an apple a day can make you okay. Apples are rich in flavonoids that helps protect the brain cells from free radicals. These fruits also contain a good number of antioxidants that do not only make your skin look young, it also raise the levels of the neurotransmitter called acetylcholine that diminishes as we age.
Just for review, this neurotransmitter is very important for our memory and the ability of the neurons to transport messages from one to another.
THE PROCESS OF AGING
Our neurons are non-regenerative. That means they do not divide to reproduce more of its kind. Once they die, they can’t be replaced with another one. As we age, these brain cells of ours start to reduce in size and in number. This reduces our ability to call to mind some things that we have learned, including those in school, and even those details when we were younger.
A neurotransmitter called acetylcholine also declines as we age. This neurotransmitter is directly involved in memory and conveying of messages from a cell to another one. Moreover, because of the stresses that we have, the hippocampus, our memory bank, diminish in function.
As we get old also, we develop plaques and tangles that accumulate between and within neurons, respectively. Plaques are proteins that mount up in between neurons while tangles are fibers that grow within the brain cells. Too much of these two are thought to kill nerve cells, like in Alzheimer’s Disease, an age-related disease.
In addition to this, substances are created as a result of our lifestyle and environmental pollution. These substances called free radicals can damage our DNA and impede the production of energy which can cause early cell death.
STAY SHARP
To delay the signs of aging with regards to our mental capability, we should make a number of things a habit.
As they say, stress is inevitable in everyday life because we need it to overcome large and small obstacles. But, of course, stress has a lot more negative effects than good ones. So, avoid too much stress. According to some studies, stress does not only make you look older, it also accelerates the degeneration of your brain.
Those who are easily stressed have higher risks to cognitive impairment than those who are not. You should examine yourself and determine the best ways in which you can cope with the obstacles of the day. Praying is one of the best examples. Planning ahead of time can reduce possible stress. An hour of it can even reduce two hours of your working time.
To stay sharp, one must also have adequate sleep. A new research in Massachussetes General Hospital shows that adequate sleep can help you think well. Adequate sleep helps the brain collect different bits of information and have correct interpretation of them. On the contrary, if you sleep less than the required number, you would most likely have a bad performance and mood problems.
Another thing we should regularly do to preserve our brain functions is to meditate. Doing it actually improves attention, learning, and memory. Regular meditation can also help you slow down the shrinking of our gray matter. For the younger ones, a thought of it is quite ridiculous because meditating is just for the oldies. But a new study has shown that people who meditate earlier in life have better attention in their succeeding years.
One can’t end a roster of anti-aging recommendations without mentioning about eating right. It is true when the say that an apple a day can make you okay. Apples are rich in flavonoids that helps protect the brain cells from free radicals. These fruits also contain a good number of antioxidants that do not only make your skin look young, it also raise the levels of the neurotransmitter called acetylcholine that diminishes as we age.
Just for review, this neurotransmitter is very important for our memory and the ability of the neurons to transport messages from one to another.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)