If retirement were a baseball game,
then baby boomers are up to bat. These days, retirement doesn't mean
being out of the mix. Retirees are everywhere, doing big things,
creative things and important things. For many of us, retirement is the
renaissance of our lives, when life truly begins.
People as a whole are living longer and retiring earlier. The life
expectancy during the Roman Empire was 22 years of age! However, life is
not only a matter of living longer, but also living a better quality
life. The goal is to truly enjoy our retirement years, these years of
precious gold. After all, who wants a retirement defined by frequent
visits to the doctor and bottles of pills?
There are three types of aging. Aging is quite the paradoxical human
condition isn't it? It's essentially a dance between development and
decline. The three different kinds of aging are: normal aging,
successful (healthy) aging, and unhealthy aging.
Normal
aging
refers to the common impairments that
affect many people such as vision loss, hair loss and the loss of muscle
mass. Because people age differently, normal aging encompasses a wide
spectrum.
Successful
aging is the most beautiful
type of aging there is. It is not accompanied by harmful health issues.
People who age successfully tend to maintain an active healthy life
until death and are said to die of "old age." They do not experience
many of the unwanted components of aging.
Unhealthy aging
is accompanied by diminishment of health. This is the kind of aging that
is defined by illness and other health difficulties.
Believe it or not, we spend our entire lives deciding which way we are
going to age. Which one do you choose?
 10
Tips On Healthy Aging
1. Have one
alcoholic drink daily.
Yes, it's true. Harvard
University just completed a study with 11,000 women. The ones that drank
one drink daily had better memory tests and verbal fluency.
2. Restrict
Calories. Put a small
amount of food on the side of your plate every meal and don't eat it.
Researchers have found that restricted calories increase life span.
3. Protect your
bones. Women especially
should include dairy in their diet for its calcium and Vitamin D. Low
fat yogurt supplies beneficial bacteria to support the immune system and
a healthy intestine. It also contains calcium and D.
4. Wash your
hands. Most communicable
health problems are transferred from one person to the next by touching
something infected from another person. Books, paper towels, water
fountains, chairs and the cart at the grocery store are likely places
for bacteria and viruses.
5. Pitch all
your antibacterial soaps.
Help your body help itself.
It's healthy for the body to encounter germs on a regular basis; it
keeps the immune system well-conditioned like a track star. The frequent
use of antibacterial soaps and gels actually cripples your immune system
by not letting it develop its own immunity to the outside world.
6. Monitor
your citrus. Beware of
grapefruit juice if you are taking medication. Grapefruit juice can
interact with medications such as those that lower cholesterol.
Calcium-rich orange juice is fabulous for the bones and full of vitamin
C and other healthy antioxidants. Try the pulpy orange juice for added
fiber.
7. Enjoy your
joints.
Sometimes, joints are the first thing
to go wacky as you age. Don't let your joints turn into creaking doors.
It starts with good body posture, which aligns the joints and keeps
unnecessary pressure off of them. Slouching puts more pressure on the
lower back and the knees. If you are sedentary most of the day, get up
frequently and move around, even if it is just for a few moments.
8. Eat your
phytonutrients.
These are nutrients found
in fruits and veggies. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are phytonutrients that are
great for healthy eyes. These carotenoids are antioxidants found in the
eye lens, retina and pupil. As you age, the amount of these antioxidants
decrease; therefore, researchers have found that there is a positive
correlation between increased Lutein and Zeaxanthin and eye health.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin are found in green veggies like broccoli, kale,
string beans and believe it or not, egg yolks.
9. Act your
shoe size.
Sore feet can really make your
entire body feel awful. A proper shoe size is important. While size is
nice, it’s more important to have shoes that fit your feet correctly and
comfortably. When home, pick up marbles with your feet to work the inner
muscles of your feet. Stand on tip toes and rock to your heels 10-20
times.
10. Don't
forget to laugh. Scientists
have found that humor can perpetuate actual physiological changes such
as enhancing the immune system by increasing T cells, increasing gamma
interferon and B cells. It also lowers stress hormones. Find humor in
unlikely situations—look in the bushes if you have to. Watch funny
movies. Put on some music and watch your two year old granddaughter
dance.
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Age . . . like fine wine |
They say that too much of anything
isn't good.
1. excess insulin
2. excess blood glucose
3. excess free radicals
4. excess cortisol
Many people think that the way
our body ages is inevitable and that we can't do anything
about it. Wrong. Indeed, there are certain conditions we are
predisposed to because of our genetic makeup. However, our
production of insulin and growth hormones throughout our lives
will ultimately determine the manner in which we age: normal,
healthy or unhealthy. This is largely determined by the foods we
eat.
The accumulation of body fat is a large reason for the
development of insulin resistance. Thus, calorie restriction is
important to promoting successful aging. As we age, many of us
gain weight—perhaps due to lack of exercise, perhaps due to
hearty appetites and eating the wrong kinds of foods, perhaps
because our metabolism slows like molasses. Make sure your diet
is in the proper combinations of foods in correct proportions to
control your hormones that in turn control blood sugar.
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What does a fruit fly
have in common with aging adults? |
Dirk Bohmann, Ph.D. and
Henri Jasper, Ph.D. have recently received a grant from
the National Institute of Health to study a cell
signaling system that responds to stress and works in
tandem with the insulin receptor that is central to
controlling blood sugar. They are working with a type of
fruit fly that lives 40% longer than the average fly.
These researchers believe that this fly has tremendous
implications for aging and health.
Bohmann and Jasper showed that boosting the amount of a
cellular signal known as JNK in a fruit fly allows the
fly to live 85 days instead of 60, by spurring the fly
to defend itself more aggressively against the oxidative
stress that accelerates with aging. Such stress comes
from the same chemical process that makes cars rust in
the winter: Free-wheeling molecules known as free
radicals zing through molecules and run roughshod over
anything in their way, including vital proteins and DNA.
It's a major reason why our bodies falter as we age --
we're literally dinged to death by free radicals.
To add to the
excitement, the JNK also has an effect on the insulin
receptor proteins that control blood sugar levels in the
body. The finding has opened up an untapped route for
possibly interfering with this process.
"Obesity is on the
rise dramatically, and after decades of increasing life
span among people in the United States, there is talk
that life expectancy is actually expected to fall soon,
largely due to the epidemic of obesity and high blood
sugar," said Bohmann. "It's a huge health issue. Many
people have this problem -- it's not going away anytime
soon. “
It's likely that JNK counters the effects of the insulin
receptor and inhibits the production of insulin, a
crucial hormone that converts the food we eat into forms
that the body can utilize. JNK detects stress in the
environment and not only prepares the body to deal with
insults from the environment, but also limits the amount
of insulin, preparing the body for stress by slowing its
metabolism and limiting its energy output.
Like JNK, the insulin receptor is also involved in
determining life span. Caloric restriction -- limiting
the calories an organism ingests -- generally increases
lifespan in organisms ranging from worms to flies, and
maybe humans. Somehow, JNK and the insulin receptor
together seem to work in tandem to affect life span.
Insulin levels are important for a long and
healthy life.
 Too
many products, too soon, may actually make your body
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most effectively use additional specialized nutrients.
As well, the last thing we want is for you to spend your
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need or is not ready for. What's EXCITING, is many
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VIBE and building a
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wellness goals. |
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