Who wouldn’t want to live forever, beautiful and young, without any mark of the time passing by?
Our chosen lifestyles have a tremendous psychical impact on our faces, bodies, energy levels and mental state. If we don't look after ourselves, the signs of aging will begin to peek through as lines, wrinkles, grey-hairs, aches and pains.
But let’s face it, some of us age more graciously than others. Everything, from your genes, lifestyle, diet, sleep, happiness, relaxing hours, exercise habits and even cosmetics you use will contribute to your raging process. Either positively or negatively.
What Causes Premature Aging?
The key causes of accelerated aging are free radicals, toxic wastes of cell metabolism, and oxidative stresses which damage our DNA.
Ultimately, it comes largely down to our lifestyle choices, which thankfully, are well within our own control. It's very possible to naturally slow down and even reverse the signs of aging with health lifestyle changes.
Many of these things are relatively easy to change and add your current lifestyle. Adopt as many as you can and look forward to becoming the youngest, happiest and healthiest version of you!
Natural Anti-Aging Tips and Lifestyle Changes
1. Cut-Out Junk Foods/Drinks/Habits
This ones a biggie! Take as many of these age-accelerating foods/drinks/habits out of your daily life:
- Everything refined, bleached, voided of any nutrients: refined sugar, refined flour, refined vegetable oils and derivatives (pastry, cookies, candies, cakes, pasta, etc.) – they trigger inflammation in your body, promote yeast infections in your guts, spikes your cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure levels and lead to premature aging.
- Fast-food, junk-food and other over-processed foods are bad for your health and they speed up the aging process. You are what you eat. An over processed food leads to an over aged body. If you don’t want to look like junk, don’t eat it. As simple as that.
- Alcohol – excess drinking causes inflammation, neuronal damage, and heart problems. While one glass of red wine is beneficial to your health, due to resveratrol, too much of a good thing is bad for you.
- Genetically modified foods – they have proven negative effects on your body in the long run.
- Artificial additives, sweeteners, colorants, flavors, preservatives – run away from the food that has a lot of artificial additives, as they have been found to be carcinogenic, allergenic, irritants, and overall damaging to your health. If you don’t want to look like the Mummy, don’t eat food with artificial “stuff” stuffed in it.
- Stop smoking – it is known that smoking accelerates the aging process and is harmful to health.
2. Nourish Your Body With an Anti-Aging Diet
Next, it's time it's time to add nutrient and mineral rich food sources to support natural body regeneration:
- Eat more vegetables and fruits – they provide your body a plethora of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes in the most bioavailable form possible.
- Drink enough water – replenish your body with water. Be generous with it. Your body runs on water. It is vital in performing many essential body functions. It flushes out toxins, decreases inflammation, reduces the stress and tension, hydrates your tissues, organs and skin, regenerates your body.
- Drink natural, freshly squeezed juices from fruits and vegetables – they are easier to digest and assimilate by your body which conserves energy. Plus, your body is flooded with goodies necessary to rejuvenate.
- Boost Metabolism, Immunity, and Rejuvenation with Teas – Green Tea, Matcha Tea, Rooibos Tea, Oolong tea, Pu-erh Tea, Blackberry tea, Blackcurrant tea, Yerba Mate tea, Dandelion tea, etc.
- Eat Superfoods and supplements– such as berries, Spirulina, Turmeric, walnuts, goji, acai, avocados, spinach, cocoa, quinoa, kale, chia seeds, almonds, green tea, broccoli, ginger, Ashwagandha, ginseng, Maca, citrus fruits, hemp seeds, coconut oil, green wheat powder, fish oil, etc. - they are a powerful source of antioxidants that protect your body from cell damage and premature aging.
- Essential oils – geranium, sandalwood, lavender, frankincense, rose, and myrrh essential oils are packed with powerful antioxidants. Take a few drops with water. Use it on your skin.
3. Balance Relaxation with Healthy Exercise
Least we forget, regular movement and relaxation are essential for keeping the body well balanced:
- Exercise – run, do aerobics or Pilates, go to the gym, jump the rope, dance, swim, hike, try to take a 30 minute walk daily.
- Do Yoga and Meditation – they are proven to slow down the aging process and regenerate your body by reducing stress, promoting relaxation, peace, and well-being.
- Spend time in Nature – Mother Nature has an infinite potential of regeneration. That is why, when you are in nature, we feel replenished with energy, joyful, and full of life.
4. Live a More Harmonious Lifestyle
Finally, here's a few more changes that have a greater anti-aging effect than you may have imagined:
- Sleep enough – at least 8 hours a day. It’s not called “beauty sleep” for nothing. During sleep, your body is silently, slowly, and secretly engaging in a general and inside-out regeneration and rejuvenation process.
- Use natural cosmetics for your face and body – they will help your skin regenerate and hydrate the natural way.
- Laugh more – watch comedies, spend quality time with friends, learn jokes and tell them to others. Laughter reduces the levels of cortisol (the stress hormones) and releases endorphins (the happiness hormone). No stress, no wrinkles.
- Love even more – love and harmonious relationships with others has been proven beneficial for people’s health. People feel more energetic, open, full of life, willing to do great things when they are engaged in happy and mutually satisfying relationships.
Resources
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Harman D., “The Aging Process – Free radical theory of aging, update”, University of Nebraska College of Medicine, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2006 May, 1067:10-21
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Aging Under the Microscope. Public Information Booklet. U.S. National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging