Exercise and ageing.
Lots of exercise recommendations are out there but when it comes to exercising for longevity, things get a bit confusing. Is it better to focus on your heart, bones or muscles? Is there an age when the risks of exercise outweigh the benefits? Let us see.
Exercise and DNA
It seems that exercise can get deep in your body, even into your DNA. Researchers have found that people who exercise have younger DNA -- by up to 9 years. That is an incredible benefit. So exercising may do more than help prevent illness; it may make you younger (see Turn Back the Age Clock).
Walk to stay young
Metabolic syndrome is a fancy name that means someone is headed for lots of trouble. The typical person with metabolic syndrome is overweight, has high cholesterol and has a host of other problems. A person with metabolic syndrome is at high risk for heart disease and diabetes. The good news is that taking control of your lifestyle can help. One change that helps -- walking. Getting a bit of daily walking can derail metabolic syndrome and put a person on a path toward greater health.
Lots of exercise recommendations are out there but when it comes to exercising for longevity, things get a bit confusing. Is it better to focus on your heart, bones or muscles? Is there an age when the risks of exercise outweigh the benefits? Let us see.
Exercise and DNA
It seems that exercise can get deep in your body, even into your DNA. Researchers have found that people who exercise have younger DNA -- by up to 9 years. That is an incredible benefit. So exercising may do more than help prevent illness; it may make you younger (see Turn Back the Age Clock).
Walk to stay young
Metabolic syndrome is a fancy name that means someone is headed for lots of trouble. The typical person with metabolic syndrome is overweight, has high cholesterol and has a host of other problems. A person with metabolic syndrome is at high risk for heart disease and diabetes. The good news is that taking control of your lifestyle can help. One change that helps -- walking. Getting a bit of daily walking can derail metabolic syndrome and put a person on a path toward greater health.
Exercise as part of your life, not an add-on.
If you believe that exercise is a good thing and you know you need to do it at least 3 hours a week. Now is the most important part -- find a way to get yourself excited about exercise. Anything you are planning to do for 3 hours a week needs to be fun. You need to look forward to exercise.
If you are a true beginner to exercise, it is going to take a while to make exercise a habit. You are going to need to start small and build up strength and endurance. The most important thing is to work on building exercise into your weekly routine. If you can do that, everything else will follow. Set aside time for exercise and physical activity and don't let anything stand in your way. After a month or two, you'll be loving exercise (really, you will -- just give it a try).
Lots of people in their 50s, 60s and older think there is no point in starting a healthy lifestyle now. They are overweight and have unhealthy diets. They think the damage is done. The "why bother" attitude is dead wrong. Its never too late to turn back the age clock.
If you believe that exercise is a good thing and you know you need to do it at least 3 hours a week. Now is the most important part -- find a way to get yourself excited about exercise. Anything you are planning to do for 3 hours a week needs to be fun. You need to look forward to exercise.
If you are a true beginner to exercise, it is going to take a while to make exercise a habit. You are going to need to start small and build up strength and endurance. The most important thing is to work on building exercise into your weekly routine. If you can do that, everything else will follow. Set aside time for exercise and physical activity and don't let anything stand in your way. After a month or two, you'll be loving exercise (really, you will -- just give it a try).
Lots of people in their 50s, 60s and older think there is no point in starting a healthy lifestyle now. They are overweight and have unhealthy diets. They think the damage is done. The "why bother" attitude is dead wrong. Its never too late to turn back the age clock.
Eating and ageing
From your brain to your bones, what you eat matters. So help yourself to some age-defying foods.
"What you eat makes a huge difference in how you age and how you feel," dietitian Manuel Villacorta says "Even your skin will stay younger looking if you eat right," says Allison T. Pontius, MD, an expert in anti-ageing and regenerative medicine at Williams Centre in Latham, NY.
Colourful fruits and vegetables.
The antioxidants in colourful vegetables and fruits, such as leafy greens, deep red tomatoes, blueberries, and carrots, help stop unstable molecules from damaging healthy cells. So at each meal, fill about half your plate with fruits or vegetables. Your goal is five to nine servings a day.
Three particular antioxidants - vitamin C, zinc, and beta-carotene - help protect your vision from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness after age 64. If you already have it, eating foods with these nutrients may slow its progress. Dark green leafy vegetables, spinach, kale, collard, greens and cantaloupe.
Antioxidants like vitamin C can even help keep your skin younger-looking. One study linked eating lots of yellow and green vegetables to fewer wrinkles.
A powerful antioxidant in grapes and red wine, called resveratrol, may help lower your odds of getting cancer, heart disease, and premature ageing.
Fish.
Omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish offer many anti-ageing benefits. They help protect your heart, lower your odds of having a stroke, and may even help guard against Alzheimer’s disease. Help yourself to two servings a week of fatty fish such as salmon, lake trout, or tuna.
If you typically get tuna from a can, choose those packed in water for the most omega-3s. If you don't eat fish, consider taking fish oil supplements.
Nuts.
The fats in nuts are among the healthiest you can find. If you avoid nuts because they're high in fat, think again. One study showed that snacking on nuts cut the risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol by about 20%. You only need to eat 1/4 of an ounce a day to get the benefits -- that’s about 4 almonds.
Beans and lentils.
These foods give you loads of fibre and plant-based protein, so they’re an age-protecting alternative to red meat with saturated fats, too much of which is linked to heart disease and diabetes. Beans and lentils are inexpensive and easy to add to soups, casseroles, and side dishes.
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