Imagine being able to drink or bathe from the waters of the Fountain of Youth and feel and look young again. Tales of such a fountain have been told around the world for thousands of years including in the 16th century when Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, first Governor of Puerto Rico, was said to be searching for a physical Fountain of Youth when he traveled to what is now Florida in 1513.
Legends aside, who doesn’t want to look younger while aging gracefully? Luckily, we live in a time where there are many things we can do to slow the aging process. From diet and exercise to reducing stress and of course choosing the right beauty care products — you can take years off your skin and body naturally.
15 Ways to Slow Down Aging
Studies show that with some healthy lifestyle habits, 80 to 90 percent of chronic disease in the U.S. is not only preventable but can increase our life’s expectancy. So here’s an easy solution that can help you to look and feel 10 to 20 years younger (maybe more!).
1. Anti-aging foods
Say No to Sugar. It’s no secret that sugar can have a widely detrimental effect on our health. When our blood sugar levels spike, it can also dramatically age our skin. When excess sugar, mainly glucose and fructose, teams up with collagen and elastin, two skin protective proteins, it dehydrates them. This process is called advanced glycation end product or AGE for short and it causes your skin loses its elasticity and vibrancy.
2. Go Gluten-Free
Avoiding wheat goes along with avoiding sugar for the same reasons. Because of the hybridization of modern wheat, 2 slices of whole wheat bread can spike blood sugar levels more than 2 tablespoons of pure sugar cane and once again – glycation occurs. My suggestion is to not go for the starchy alternatives and stick to eating more veggies!
3. Drink More Water
Chronic dehydration is a common culprit of aging skin so drink up! Water helps to restore elasticity to the skin and hydrates us on a cellular level, which helps to plump up and smooth out our skin giving it a more youthful glow. Drinking adequate amounts of water all day can also protect against the age-accelerating effects of toxins stored in your body due to lack of hydration and more.
And remember, drinking plain filtered water is best, even over coffee and tea; skip drinks with added sugars.
4. Reduce Stress
Chronically high levels of cortisol, your stress hormone, leads to many harmful and potentially life-threatening diseases that can literally take years off your life and add tons of wrinkles to your skin. Make it a point to do all you can to reduce stress. Try practicing deep breathing exercises, meditating, attending a yoga class, taking a walk out in nature or enjoying a hot bath before bed.
5. Load Up on Antioxidants
To fight free radical damage which in turn can cause premature aging, we need antioxidants. Vitamins A, C, E, and beta-carotene do the very important work of repairing our cells. Vitamin C is particularly crucial for maintaining healthy and resilient skin by helping with the formation of collagen, which helps to give your skin more elasticity. [1]
6. Eat More Protein
Protein helps to slow insulin levels, stabilizes blood sugar and helps keep cortisol levels in check. Collagen is one of the most valuable proteins in our body and helps to reduce sagging skin, strengthen bones, hair, and nails and helps prevent premature aging and support health overall.
Protein is also needed to fuel your mind and help your body to maintain muscle. If you opt for animal protein, eat it as a side dish along with lots of plant-based foods.
7. Maintain lean muscle mass
For tighter and firmer skin, weightlifting is one of the best exercises I recommend. Having lean muscle mass helps burn calories more efficiently, supports healthy blood glucose levels, manages blood pressure and reverses oxidative stress, all of which can lead to premature aging.
8. Straighten Up
Pay attention to your posture. Straighten up! Think about your posture as you go about your day. Straighten your back, throw your chest out, pull in your chin and hold your head up high. Right there you will have eliminated 20 years from your appearance and 40 years from your behavior. And don’t forget to get proper nutrition to support your bone health as you age.
9. Brain Boosters
Cognitive decline can start as early as the mid-forties and can be avoided with natural support. A combination of daily activity, following a healthy diet, and even supplementing with certain key nutrients can help support brain function. Nutrients such as DHA, gingko, and phosphatidylserine are among a few that can be vital steps to increase circulation to the brain, enhance memory and cognition, keep the mind sharp and operate at peak efficiency.
10. Reduce inflammation
Fight inflammation and fight the disease of aging. Several studies have shown that inflammation has been linked to functional decline in aging. Eating a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods helps to keep inflammation at bay. Sip on green tea, eat some antioxidant-rich berries, get plenty of omega-3s, and spice it up with spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger. Eat foods that resemble the color of the rainbow in your everyday diet.
11. Stay Active
Hit the gym with some form of physical activity like aerobic or cardio exercise, running or walking, etc. Physical activity will help get the heart rate up and lower the risk for all-cause mortality. Studies showed that adults who exercised on a regular basis had cells that were a whopping 9 years younger than their sedentary counterparts.
Take breaks from sitting for long periods of time at your computer or watching TV. This will help you to live longer while feeling and looking younger too.
12. Best anti-aging cream
Use natural beauty care products. Beware of the parabens, preservatives and toxic chemicals found in many beauty care products. These not only increase our toxic load but can also age our skin at a faster rate. Most mainstream cosmetics companies promise fewer wrinkles and younger looking skin, yet their products usually cause too much dryness or oiliness, inflammation, wrinkles, acne and other skin conditions.
My favorite cream is a product called DermAvail Renew
. It is an all-natural cream containing essential nutrients for the skin such as borage oil, caviar extract, green tea, vitamin E and more.
13. Get More Sleep
Not getting enough sleep means not only the possibility of fatigue but also a hormonal roller coaster which can increase cortisol levels tenfold, leading to oxidative stress and imbalanced blood sugar levels, all of which will rob you of your youthful glow. Don’t lose even an hour of sleep a night. Find solutions to your insomnia. Strive to get seven to eight hours nightly in the dark and quiet.
14. Eat More Fat
Healthy fats from foods like avocados, fish, walnuts, coconut oil and olive oil, help to lubricate the skin internally, leading to more vibrant, radiant skin as well as protecting the skin from oxidative damage. Good fats not only keep you looking lovely, but they are also essential for maintaining brain health and increasing mental focus.
15. Socialize with Friends and Laugh More
Make time to enhance your life with people who bring you happiness and love. Know that you deserve to have your most cherished desires fulfilled, even the desire for renewed youth and vitality. Self-love and laughter enable you to feel good about who you are, and this greatly speeds the renewal process. Those who enrich themselves lead longer lives and make all things possible.
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Hormones and Aging
Super important in your age reversing quest are hormones. Did you know that a little progesterone in your life could make you feel as if you’ve had some of that Fountain of Youth water?
What is progesterone?
Progesterone is a hormone found in men, women, and children. Everyone needs a small amount of progesterone for good health and longevity. It helps to balance and neutralize the powerful effects of excess estrogen in both men and women. Without enough progesterone in the body, estrogen becomes harmful and out of control. And progesterone is a pivotal building block to produce other hormones, including estrogens, glucocorticoids, and corticosteroids.
In the 1990’s, American medical doctor John R. Lee pioneered the use of natural progesterone in treating breast cancer, PMS and menstrual problems. Dr. Lee emphasized the use of natural progesterone with its dynamic and holistic properties and warned doctors to avoid synthetic progesterone look-alikes or analogs because they were not as effective and have serious side-effects.
Progesterone cream
Progesterone is poorly absorbed when taken orally, being broken down by the liver instead of being bioavailable. However, progesterone is well absorbed transdermally (through the skin). It is essential to use only high-quality pharmaceutical grade natural bio-identical progesterone cream. Homeopathic progesterone products and wild yam creams do not work as well and low-quality products and creams containing insufficient progesterone are unlikely to be effective.
The benefits of using bio-identical progesterone are indeed like finding the Fountain of Youth.
For women, it may:
- Help with the common symptoms of menopause including hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and restlessness.
- Relieve PMS symptoms and regulates heavy menstrual bleeding.
- Restore libido/sex drive and function such as lubrication.
- Restore energy.
- Help burn body fat for energy which in turn helps control weight gain.
- Help to stabilize blood sugar levels, and control craving for high-sugar and sweet foods such as chocolate.
- Help ease depression.
- Help stimulate bone growth and protect against osteoporosis.
- Help restore normal thyroid hormone action.
For men, it may:
- Help combat or even reverse symptoms of estrogen dominance in men.
- Protect against prostate problems. Bio-identical progesterone is increasingly being used as an alternative to prostate surgery. There is substantial anecdotal evidence indicating that it can reduce an enlarged prostate back to normal.
- Improve libido and sex drive.
- Improve energy level.
- Increase feelings of happiness and well-being.
- Combat the build-up and redistribution of fat.
- Improve muscle bulk and tone.
- Stop or reverse the loss of hair all over the body.
- Reduce risk of heart conditions.
Fountain of Youth Supplements
Search no further for the legendary Fountain of Youth. Consider the huge benefits of progesterone and other natural hormones in helping you feel and look younger. I recommend one of the best forms of progesterone available. Progest-Avail is a natural topical progesterone serum providing 20 mg of bioidentical progesterone in every 1 ml serving.
AND brand new to my arsenal of anti-aging choices is Whole Body Collagen which contains a unique blend of three patented collagen peptides which research shows can support collagen production, bone strength, joint health and integrity, skin elasticity and more.
So, it appears the long-sought-after fountain of youth isn’t a fountain at all…
The secret to a more radiant youthful appearance and overall well-being lies within your reach with these simple everyday anti-aging lifestyle habits.
CONTACT ME TODAY for more information about how to get started on the path to achieving a more youthful you!
Share your secret with a friend…Now that you’ve discovered the “Fountain of Youth,” why not pass this article on to friends who can benefit also? After all, wouldn’t it be nice to share your age-defying youth secrets and team up with them!
References:
1. You Are What You Eat: Within-Subject Increases in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Confer Beneficial Skin-Color Changes.
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