Health and Beauty

Everyone wants the secret to being forever young, and judging from the different types of surgery available tied into the next generation of cloning, we are only a few years away from growing and replacing our livers should we pickle them from 150 years of drinking. Well, who wants that kind of health anyway? Is there a better way? Are there secrets to staying young?

Well, yes there are. They are basic, but maybe not so obvious. If you are interested in retaining that youthful look, or regaining the body you used to have, or even if you just want to have a healthy life, all of these things are related to your overall health.

Warning: Though these are basic, they are VITAL to your health and youthfulness.

1. Sleep Well. Some say we need at least 8 hours of sleep every day. For some of us that’s no problem, for others, it is hard to stay asleep that long. It is important to get your sleep in the largest chunks possible. Waking up and going back to sleep disrupts your body’s regeneration and recharging faculties. Sleep will help speed heal, and will renew all of your body functions. People can live without food for weeks, and water for around a week, but we can only go to about the 4th or 5th day without sleep. In some documented cases people have died with 72 straight hours of being awake. Embrace your sleep. Learn to enjoy it. It will make everyday a better day.

2. Eat Right. No, not talking about holding your fork the right way or chewing with your mouth closed. You need to find out your current BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). Your BMR is the amount of calories that your body needs to take in – in order to regenerate itself properly. This does not take into account any activity. It is how many calories your body burns in a day. It is pretty easy to calculate, but there are online calculators in the links below.

Eating the right kind of food is almost as important as eating the right amount, maybe even more so in some cases. Limit your intake of saturated fats, and useless calories. Eat with a purpose. Yes, “because I like it” may be a reason, but not necessarily a good one. Limit your fried food, and if you must deep-fry anything, find a light low calorie cooking oil and drain well. Best foods for you are what you probably picture people eating before microwaves and factory produced additives and preservatives. If you can’t pronounce it, limit it – unless you have a hard time pronouncing broccoli.

Staying young and healthy also means watching the amount of salt you are taking in as well as other harmful food components like caffeine. If you are hip on all the diet foods, you need to brush up on what the experts are saying about aspartame and other substitution foods.

3. Drink Water. Drink lots of water. The two most important things to the pop stars in staying young and their voices holding together day after day for 200 concerts a year is SLEEP and WATER. Drink it through out the day. Not in big doses all at the same time. Never get dehydrated. This is bad for your cells and (I think) we will find that it is associated with poor cell communication that could lead to carious types of cancer. Drinking is not the only important thing; some drinks are actually diuretics. Be careful that you are not just drinking coffee in the morning, and alcohol in the afternoon and evening. If you are doing this, you are among the many in our population who are dehydrated as a lifestyle. You may even think that you need these “drugs” to think straight in the morning and relax in the evening. Well, actually you are maintaining poor inner body communication and hurting your organs in the meantime. Stay young…Drink – WATER. The fountain of youth is all around us – it is in the water…get it? Juices are good for you as are sports drinks, because they contain water and other helpful elements, but they often contain large amounts of sodium or calories as well. God had it right the first time. Water is necessary for our overall body and mind well being.

4. Watch your environment. If you live in a city with heavy pollution, your body is filtering the gunk for you all the time. This can be a dangerous chronic situation just like second hand smoke (first hand smoke is a given no-no). Particulates in the air and for that matter anything that our body needs to filter over long periods of time are bad for us. Do what you can to better your situation in general. Be careful of too much exposure. Sunburn is not good for you. Too much sun can rapidly deteriorate the elasticity of your skin and make you susceptible to cancer. If you want a nice healthy glow, look to the alternatives to sun.

5. Stay away from harmful drugs and alcohol. If you must, imbibe in moderation. We have heard about the benefits of red wine, but now there are extracts of the grape skin/seed extracts like reservatol, which can be taken as a supplement. If you are eating correctly, ask your doctor if you need to be taking extra supplements or drugs. The more you can wean yourself from, the better…unless there is a void in your diet or lifestyle, which requires their use.

6. Exercise regularly. Look at the children around you. See how they love to play all the time? See how they have so much energy? Most children are thin and look overall “healthy”, especially ones who love to play outside. They have all of this energy and are in such good shape because they are active. Get out and do something you love and find the time. If you don’t love the gym and exercising, you might love the “rock gym” or hiking, or biking. Get out. Do this regularly. Try to get out at least once a day, even if it is just for a walk. Just do it. Fitness and health are worth preserving. It’s not that hard. People in great shape feel better about themselves, they aren’t as susceptible to sickness as much, and they look better. Stay young…stay healthy.

(Of course consult your doctor before you make any modifications which may alter your health, the views listed above are NOT from a certified physician, they represent research done on the Internet and are not given as medical advice.)