 |
Supplements, Diet and Exercise for Healthy Aging
Recently a television health expert was discussing the topic, "How to stay young looking" for the post-50 set. It was pretty much the standard 'take good care of your skin, eat right and exercise' list until the last item. He stated, "Take your drugs every day. One of the best ways to look younger is to stay healthy". Wait a minute! When did the use of prescription drugs become a mainstay of a healthy lifestyle in this country? Now, no doubt about it, the drug industry is big business. All those prime time TV ads are marketed to specific audiences. Just watch the evening news and nearly all the national ads are for drugs or medical equipment and services. Between the drug companies and the media, they would have us believing that poor health is the normal, natural state of the human condition. But is this really what we should expect? One 'side effect' of our so-called 'healthy, modern' lifestyle is that all these drugs, devices and services come with a hefty price tag to the users. A recent study published in the American Medical Association journal showed that 95,000 people die from the use of PROPERLY prescribed drugs each year in the United States alone. Thousands more are sickened by adverse reactions to medications. That is right, folks, the facts show that the very drugs your doctor prescribes to alleviate your symptoms of illness can do you serious, permanent harm. What about the financial cost? Recent statistics indicate that one of the largest groups now filing bankruptcy are people WITH medical insurance but unable to pay the medical bills and other associated costs of illness that insurance doesn't cover. Is that what we should expect from our 'golden years'- to give our gold to the health care industry just to eke out a few more months or years of existence while suffering the effects of debilitating diseases? Is this what you picture for yourself in the future? Are you suffering now? The experts agree there are certain basic things we can do to stay healthier as we age. Most of this you've probably heard before, yet keep in mind, these suggestions only work if you put them to use in your life. First, proper hydration is essential. Our bodies are 90% water and 8-10 8 oz. glasses are needed every day just to maintain the proper fluid balance in the body for cell function. Regular exercise is another vital part of healthy aging. 20 minutes of aerobic exercise- perhaps just taking a walk-three days a week alternating with moderate weight lifting is a good routine nearly every one can follow. Research shows that following a weight lifting program can improve both strength and agility, no matter what your age. Of course, check with your doctor first before starting any new exercise program and take the time to learn proper technique for both safety's sake and the maximum benefit from your efforts. Be sure to take one day off each week to allow your body time to rest and recuperate. Get sufficient sleep. Time spent asleep is grossly undervalued in our society. It is during the sleep cycle that the body repairs and rejuvenates itself. A proper diet of balanced protein and complex carbohydrates with small amounts of essential fats promotes both physical health and mental alertness. Remember, what you fuel your body with directly impacts your performance level in a big way. Avoid processed foods, artificial colors, flavorings, sweeteners and preservatives. Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible. Stop thinking of the fast food drive up window as your 'friend'. Unfortunately, experts agree that it is nearly impossible to adequately meet your nutritional needs with our modern diet alone. Our soils have been depleted of most essential nutrients since the 1930's. Farmers regularly replace nutrients required for plant growth-nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, but it is up to us to replace the minerals and other nutrients missing from our diets. Modern processing and marketing techniques also contribute to our lack of adequate nutrition. Produce picked in it's green state, then allowed to 'ripen' in transit to market often lacks the nutritional quality of their field ripened cousins. Poor nutrition combined with the stress of our modern lifestyle and constant exposure to environmental toxins means it is unreasonable to expect good health in our mature years (or any year, for that matter) without adequate supplementation. Picking the correct supplement is essential to your health as well. The vast array of options are enough to make your head spin. Testing by independent labs show huge differences in quality between brands. The cheapest drug store 'has everything' vitamin may not have much in the way of active ingredients, but the most expensive brands may not, either. Once again, take the time to do the research. Find out what quality control methods the company uses. Are their products manufactured to pharmaceutical standards? What is the company's commitment to using the best available ingredients and how do they test for ingredient quality? In addition, investigate the latest scientific evidence on what nutrients are needed for good health. There have been important breakthroughs recently in our understanding of what cells need to function and how proper cellular nutrition contributes to the body's ability to restore and repair itself. Find a nutrition company whose products reflect these advances. The last, and perhaps most important way to stay healthy as the years go by, is to pay attention to you. Respect yourself enough to take care of your physical needs. If something needs fixing, do it. Learn to like yourself if you haven't already. Don't just feed your body, feed your mind as well. Make your brain work. Take time to laugh everyday. Laughter stimulates the immune system and just plain makes living more fun. Do the things in life that give you pleasure. After all, there is more to life than work and worry. You deserve to be happy, but it is up to you to BE happy. When it comes down to it, you are all you've got. Be someone whose company you enjoy. Doing all these things won't guarantee you a long, healthy life. After all, "times and unforeseen circumstances befall us all". But they may help the time you do have on this planet be enjoyable for you and those whose life you impact. Best wishes for a good life! Karen Walker is a life long student of healthy living. She works from her home in Montana. http://www.keephealthkeepwealth.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Using Antioxidants in Your Weight Loss Program
If you're smart, you should not only be focused on your goal to lose weight but to maximize your weight loss
program to its full extent by getting some health benfits
out of it as well, and make them priority #1.One of the health benefits you should be aiming for as you lose weight should be getting a good daily dosage of antioxidants while on your weight loss plan and even afterward while in maintainence mode.
Are MLM Nutrition Supplements Right For You?
Considering that the Health and Wellness industry is currently a multi-million dollar per year market, and that MLM is one of the quickest ways to develop a large stream of residual income, promoting nutritional programs via network marketing certainly might be right for you.There are several points you will want to consider though when researching an opportunity to join, such as:1.
Vitamin A - The Glow-in-the-dark Vitamin
The ancient Egyptians had a cure for "night blindness". They fed the patient lots and lots of liver.
Supplements, Diet and Exercise for Healthy Aging
Recently a television health expert was discussing the topic, "How to stay young looking" for the post-50 set. It was pretty much the standard 'take good care of your skin, eat right and exercise' list until the last item.
Know Your Bodybuilding Supplement - NO Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide is a free form gas produced by the body in order to communicate with other cells. It is created when enzymes break down the amino acid arginine.
Popular Applications of Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid has received much press lately as a natural source of health and beauty. In fact, there are so many uses and benefits of hyaluronic acid, it is instructive to clarify and organize them.
Can Vitamin E Cure Almost Everything?
Vitamin E is an absolutely vital nutrient in your body, but it probably can't do half the things you heard it can.What does vitamin E do? To begin, it is an antioxidant.
Vitamin E - Just the Facts, Ma'am
It is important to understand that we are ultimately responsible for our own well-being and should do whatever is necessary to maintain our health and assist our bodies in resisting and fighting disease. Since health practitioners agree that vitamins are essential for life and health, we must ensure that we receive adequate amounts for our bodies to function properly and to protect us from illnesses.
Protect Your Body and Slow Down Aging With Antioxidants
The Challenge of Free Radicals to Your BodyYour body is under constant attack--not only from pathogens of all kinds--but also, at the molecular level, from "free radicals." Free radicals are unstable molecules that result inevitably from the oxidation of nutrients in your body to produce energy.
Nutritional Supplements - How To Choose A High Quality Product
Looking for quality nutritional supplements can seem quite overwhelming at times, especially if you're just starting out. It is just as important to be sure you're taking high quality supplements as it is to take the right supplements, because there's no point in taking them if they don't work.
Vitamins for Your Healthier LIfe
VITAMINS:Vitamins are major for Healthy life. Vitamin D may reduce the risk of injuries from falls by more than 20 percent in otherwise healthy men and women age 60 and over.
Garlic Can Kill Superbug - A Health Supplement
The Superbug MRSA which is becoming more common in Hospitals, it has now developed a lethal strain, that has already killed a number of patients.Doctor Ron Cutler, a microbiologist at the University of East London, in the United Kingdom, says that Allicin, which is a completely natural extract from Garlic, has shown remarkable success on patients with MRSA.
Glyconutrients Will Be Revolutionary In Future Medicine - A Health Supplement (Part Two)
PART TWOFor those of you that read my previous article about Glyconutrients, the Essential Sugars for Good Health, you will perhaps have realised that I am very passionate about them and the benefits that they can and have, already given to so many people around the world.I am passionate about them, not just because we can sell a product and make money, but, because we can help so many people to improve their health, wellbeing and lifestyle, and this makes us feel good too.
Weight Lifting Supplement
Weight Lifting Supplement - what is it?The term "weight lifting supplement" is familiar to almost everyone nowadays. Weight lifting supplement is a supplement that is designed to help people who use it to achieve better results in their body building or weight lifting training programs.
The Colloidal Silver Controversy
Colloidal Silver might just be a wonderful thing and here's
why: Prokaryotic, a.k.
The Science Behind Phytonutrient Rich Soy Based Products
A healthier diet is very much in the news these days, given such initiatives as Jamie Oliver's campaign to change the eating habits of our younger generation.Not an easy task as adults like us need to be educated as well.
Amino Acids For Height Growth - Boosting Your Growth Hormones
Many people take amino acids for height growth these days. L-Arginine is an acid supplement that is known for its ability to burn fat, and release HGH (Human Growth Hormone) within the body.
Taurox SB: A Balanced Immune System Leads to Increased Energy
Taurox is an excellent way to find true and healthy energy; a new, highly effective formula that boosts your vitality by strengthening and balancing your immune system.Taurox is a homeopathic formulation, composed of the amino acids taurine and beta-alanine, which helps balance the immune system's cytokine activity.
Liquid or Pills?
A lot of people take vitamins A, C, B and much more or just take a multivitamin, before you only had to choose from brand but now not just that you have to choose from liquid or pills. From many choices which its better and more effective to use.
Superior Absorption of Coral Calcium
Over the past few years, Coral Calcium has received a lot of media attention as the widely preferred source of readily absorbable calcium. In 2003, a study was undertaken to compare and contrast the absorption of Ryukyuan Coral Calcium, as opposed to carbonate derived calcium.
|
