Aging is inevitable ~ Begin your Journey into a “Healthy Lifestyle”.
To live longer may be a goal of yours, but to extend your healthy lifestyle years is key. The term for this is “HealthSpan” which means the time period of life in which a person is free from debilitating disease.
The information below comes from Stephen Anton, Ph.D. of the Institute of Aging in the Department of Aging & Geriatric Research at the University of Florida Health.,
~ Let’s delve into the 6 Habits That Age You ~
Habit #1 ~ Sitting Around! Just because you exercise during the day, won’t exclude you from additional aches and pains. What you do with the rest of the 16 hours of the day is very important. Here are a couple of suggestions to help.
- Break up your periods of sitting – with activity ~ get up walk around, throw a load of laundry in, walk to the mailbox, fix yourself something to eat –
- A regular walking routine is what you need – this will build resiliency (which keeps us from aging). Remember, you aren’t expected to walk 3 miles! Start out walking to the end of your block, and set a goal for yourself. One step at a time.
Habit #2 ~ Eating Out ~ Fast Food! According to the CDC, we Americans consume way too much sodium. 3400 mg per day when the recommended is 2300 mg per day. Approximately 25% comes from restaurant food. What to do?
- To avoid hidden sodium that’s packed into restaurants and take-out fare, make more meals at home.
Habit # 3 ~ Skimping on Veggies! You know the term “You Are What You Eat?” A suggestion or two to get you on the right path.
- Plant-based diets rich in veggies provide you with much-needed fiber. There is strong evidence that eating plenty of fiber (roughage) is associated with lower heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes among other issues.
- If you are eating plenty of veggies, this means you aren’t eating the types of processed foods that are high in sugar, salt, and fat, which can cause disease-causing inflammation.
Habit # 4 ~ Avoid eating high-calorie, high-fat, & high-sugar foods or drinking too much alcohol close to bedtime. We don’t always have the choice of picking our hours of work. The graveyard shift can really throw off our inner clock.
- It is recommended to get a good 7 hours of sleep. Ask yourself this, are you waking up feeling rested?
- During your sleep cycle, your body is going through important quality control processes, this is when the cells remove waste in the form of toxins, or damaged cells so they can repair and rejuvenate.
Habit # 5 ~ Alcohol ~ Excessive consumption has significant impacts on aging well! Excessive alcohol bathes your liver and bone marrow in toxins that damage your organs and immune system. What to do?
- The CDC’s current recommendation ~ people assigned male at birth should limit themselves to 2 drinks per day. People assigned females at birth should limit themselves to 1 drink per day. Here is a great link showcasing increasing evidence that there are health-protective benefits of consuming half that!
Habit # 6 ~ Smoking ~ As we grow older, smoking causes premature aging and health problems. Did you know that nicotine in a cigarette breaks down the collagen in your skin? This can lead to early wrinkles and sagging skin! Nicotine toxins also decrease skin elasticity. Here is a great premature aging article from the Cleveland Clinic.
- If you smoke occasionally, or on a regular basis ~ yes, the advice is to quit altogether. This isn’t easy. There are many great programs out there to assist you.
Begin your journey with N2Shape today!
Let’s begin your journey into a Healthy Lifestyle today! Here at N2Shape, we evaluate the whole person. Our clients range from teens to seniors. Each person is unique. Click Right Here to Let us help you begin your journey to a Healthy Lifestyle today!
