Take Charge of your Aging

The new science of aging is shedding light on the coveted fountain of youth. Our midlife represents both risk and opportunity. As we creep into our middle years we often begin to experience disruptive symptoms and face increased risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. It is at this critical time that we have the most important opportunity to take charge of our aging. Forget aging gracefully, our generation can choose to age proactively and design the second half of our lives.

But to age well requires that we first understand why we are aging. As we approach midlife, we begin to face accelerated loss of vital factors; our hormones, our nutrients, our sleep and our telomeres. As a result of these losses, rapid aging ensues. Indeed, from the age of 40 to 50 years women age twice as fast as any other decade. While men's aging speeds up too, by about 60 per cent, they do not face the same cliff in the aging process.

The rapid loss of ovarian hormones, estrogen and progesterone, during the years saddling a woman's menopause contributes to this accelerated aging. By 50 years of age, many other critical hormones have dwindled including melatonin (which sets our sleep-wake cycle), the adrenal hormone DHEA (which has been linked with vitality and libido in women) and other hormones regulating our metabolism.

It is not only our hormonal rhythms that begin to fail, but so too our nutritional status. Even if we take in the required nutrients in our diet, our guts become less able to absorb them. Acquired deficiencies in essential minerals and vitamins may arise interrupting key pathways and functions.

Just a few years ago, Nobel prize winning research unlocked the code to our biological aging. The discovery of telomeres and an enzyme telomerase, has shed light on cellular aging. Telomeres are protective caps on the ends of our chromosomes that shorten as we age and place a finite limit on our lifespan. Telomerase is a housekeeping enzyme that functions to preserve telomeres. With defects in the enzyme and shortening of our telomeres, cells face programmed senescence. More recently, it has been shown that telomere length can be improved with comprehensive lifestyle changes including; diet, exercise, stress management and social support.

It is not surprising that a careful balancing of key lifestyle factors is vital to healthy aging. While hormones and telomeres are important, so too are nutritional factors. Dietary factors may determine approximately 30 per cent of how long we live and add as much as a decade to our life. Animal models have shown caloric restriction to have anti-aging effects. Mice fed low calorie diets remain more youthful; both on the inside and out. They have longer life expectancies and are also less likely to have cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. They look younger too. They have fewer wrinkles and less body fat. Clearly, it is not just how much you eat but what you eat that matters.

So is there a longevity diet? To design one it is instructive to look at populations who boast the highest proportion of centenarians and longest life expectancy. With an average lifespan of 81-years. Okinawa islanders of Japan are considered the oldest demographic in the world. Compared with other Japanese diets, theirs is lower in calories, carbs and salt and higher in nutrients such as calcium, iron and vitamins. The Okinawa diet is plant-based with little red meat. American gerontologist, Dr. Craig Willcox authored a book "the Okinawa Program" describing his findings of a 25-year study of Okinawan longevity and recommends that we "eat as low down the food chain as possible." According to the JAMA network, other studies have confirmed that very low meat intake may contribute to longevity. Vegetarians in three continents have been shown to live longer than people on the Standard American Diet (SAD), high in refined sugars, trans fats and meat products.

Life stress, especially when it is chronic and extreme, works like the common denominator when it comes to aging. Stress shortens telomeres, depletes the pool of precursors needed for healthy hormone balance, impedes nutrient absorption in the gut and leads to inflammation. It is estimated that chronic stress may shave more than seven years off the lifespan due in part to the shortening of telomeres. Proven stress-management techniques such as yoga, meditation and tai chi may favorably affect cellular aging by reversing the deleterious effects of stress.

The emerging field of "epigenetics" is revealing how our lifestyle, our stress and environmental exposures can effect the expression of our genes. Our DNA is not our destiny but rather a roadmap for a journey that can be largely influenced by our lifestyle and life choices. The understanding of how these gene-environment interactions shape our health is the new frontier of Personalized Medicine.

The science of aging is complex and evolving rapidly. Achieving a lifestyle optimal for your genes and body type is the cornerstone to maintaining health and vitality through the ages. We can now choose to take charge of our aging and live longer better.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/dr-jennifer-pearlman/women-aging_b_4760771.html

Poverty - The Most Successful Thief

Poverty is a thief! In fact, poverty is the most successful thief of all time, simply because it continues to rob without consequences. Poverty is by definition - the state of being inferior in quality or extremely poor. In other words poverty is a state of not ever being enough or having enough. From this place absolutely nothing is ever seen correctly, because its view is completely out of alignment with this universe and the creator of it and us. Below are some symptoms of poverty.

Symptoms Of A State of Poverty

Confidence is missing

Feeling that someone else should help you for life to change

Hopelessness in life

Limited in all things

Feelings of inadequacies

Excuses as to why you can't do better

Looking for hand-outs

Habitual procrastination

Lack of responsibility

No hope or plan for a brighter future

Blaming others for state

Feelings of uneasiness or resentment when someone mentions money

Jealousy towards those who have money

Victim mentality

Waiting for someone to come to the rescue

Taking shortcuts to success

Lack of belief in self

Finding excuses for not doing better

The word "can't" is use when asked about living one's dream

Many people are unaware that they are in a state of poverty; and worse still some people know they are in a state of poverty and have accepted that it is all they will ever have. There are some extreme cases of poverty, which need to be eradicated through immediate help, but not without re-education, as without the awareness of who we are as spiritual/human beings, poverty will still exist even with help. Let those of us who are able take up our bed and walk, so that we may help those who are truly vulnerable.

I'm not saying there aren't some situations that are really difficult, but if you feel you are doomed to poverty then you are less likely to see anything else.

In order to release poverty you have to understand who you are in relation to poverty. It is only the realisation of how wealthy you are that can release poverty's hold on you.

Poverty is a blatant thief and if you intend to chop off the hands of poverty in your life then you need to cut all agreements with it. Refuse to have any dealings with it. No matter how tough it may look, remember that poverty is the most successful thief and that it will not stop taking from you until you stop it. Be willing to let go of the excuses and alibis you have created to defend your circumstances. Be willing to open your mind-set to understand exactly what poverty has been able to do in your life up until this point; and then from that place find the abundant thought. Get help if you have to, just refuse to line up with something that will rob your purpose and fulfilment in life.

Begin to line up with your spirit that will always affirm who you are, even if that voice is ever so faint; listen to it and align with it. Also put yourself under the teachings of those who can help you free yourself from poverty's grip. Take responsibility of becoming free from this robber. Empower yourself by taking a stand today and saying goodbye to poverty and embracing the abundant life that you are.

Give poverty its marching boots and embrace your abundance today!

There are many keys to success like, getting our mindset open for it, having persistence and being around people who are thinking like we think and having someone on our side whose only motive is to see us operate in your full potential.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Poverty---The-Most-Successful-Thief&id=8342166

Sources Of Antioxidants

Most antioxidants come from plants and include vitamins A, C and E and carotenoids such as beta-carotene, minerals, phenolic compounds and other natural chemicals with antioxidant properties.

 

Flavonoids are another powerful antioxidant and are contained in red wine and tea.

While vitamin supplements containing antioxidants are available, it's believed that eating a variety of natural foods – fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains - is the best way to supply your body with antioxidants.

Antioxidant sources:

• Beta-carotene – orange foods such as carrots, pumpkin, apricots, sweet potatoes and some leafy greens such as kale.
• Lutein – green, leafy vegetables such as spinach.
• Lycopene – tomatoes, watermelon, papaya.
• Selenium – rice and wheat.
• Vitamin A – carrots, sweet potato, milk, egg yolks.
• Vitamin E – almonds, vegetable oils, mangoes, nuts, broccoli.
• Vitamin C – available in many fruits and vegetables such as parsley, broccoli, berries, oranges, cauliflower, kale.

 http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health+az/sources+of+antioxidants,23974

Thank You For Requesting My FREE e-books

Thank You for requesting my Free e-books.

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Sharon Anderson

Largest Study on Mammograms Again Finds No Benefit

Largest Study on Mammograms Again Finds No Benefit

4 Ways to Get More Hours in a Day

Have you ever noticed how really busy, well organized people navigate through their day? Do they seem frazzled rushing from one task to another? Probably not. People who have a lot on their plate know how to manage their time.

Otherwise, they'd be running from one thing to another putting out 'fires' and by mid-afternoon, drained of energy and sharp decision-making skills.

Most of us would like to squeeze more time out of each day, although knowing how, is another matter. The good news is you can do it. First, back up and look at where you can make changes -- chances can replace current habits with new positive ways to sail through your day.

The key is to plan to free up more down time each day.

1) Embrace the Planner in You

Many people feel like they are always a "day late and a dollar short." If you are missing out on life beyond office or house work because you have too many tasks and meetings stacked up every day, you are not alone.

So many people operate in that manner that a term has been coined to describe this behavior. This all too common problem is known as "the planning fallacy." That means people forget to factor in basic things when they are planning out time to do tasks.

Researchers at Carleton University have found that people tend to overestimate how long it will take to finish a simple task like cleaning the kitchen, but they underestimate how much time it will take to complete a bigger project like painting the bathroom.

Why do people under or overestimate time? Researchers found many times people don't factor in how much time it takes to do the basics each day. If you estimate it's going to take eight hours to paint the bath, are you also factoring in time to have lunch, make or return phone calls or take care of other things like prepare the room's surfaces and then clean up afterward?

If time is not on your side, follow these tips to have more get-up-and-go, and find more time and energy to do what you really want to do each day.

2) Prioritize and Delegate

Have you ever noticed that if you are in the house all day you always find something that needs to be put away, washed, dried, dusted, repaired, or spot cleaned? Sure, you may sit down and read the paper or watch TV for a short period of time, but then you notice the stack of newspapers and magazines that should be sorted through and tossed. And so the process of endless housekeeping starts anew.

Prioritize what you need to do then focus on those tasks until they get done. Instead of letting yourself be interrupted throughout the day, concentrate on the work at hand.

Here's a tip that busy people know: Focus on getting the difficult, most important tasks done early in the day. That way you'll have fresh energy and mental dexterity you need in case you feel sluggish later.

If you have too much work for the amount of time you have to do them, delegate. Sometimes you can rid yourself of many to-dos on your daily list by finding others to do them.

3) Do Tasks in Batches

Changing habits is not easy, but when you make a change you'll start seeing the positive results of your work.

Take emailing, for example -- are you constantly writing and responding to emails throughout the day? Take a tip from busy professionals such as physicians. They aren't emailing patients or other contacts throughout the day because they simply don't have the time. But they typically 'batch' these tasks. Emailing patients, for example, is done at once or twice a day, not sporadically throughout the day.

You can do the same thing with things that interrupt the flow of your day. Instead of going to the post office in the morning and running to the grocery store and library later, try 'batching these tasks" and do them all together. You'll save time instead of going in and out of the house to run errands more than once.

4) Weekends are for Week-End Pleasures

One of the hardest things for people to change is how they use their weekends. Many, especially those who work outside the home during the week, see the weekend as the time to catch up on household chores.

If that's you, of course you have more time to do home maintenance during an off-time, but are you really getting the most out of life with that schedule?

Consider the fact that there always will be housework. Always! The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that women who work full-time spend 15.1 hours a week (for men who work full-time, it's 9.6 hours) doing household chores. Of course that's far less than in 1965 when women spend 30 hours a week on housework.

So where are housework hours getting used today? You guessed it -- mostly on weekends.

Consider doing some of the weekend chores during the week and delegate a short time on weekend for doing them. Whatever doesn't get done on weekends try to roll the tasks into the new week.

If you can train yourself to do that, you'll free yourself up for more down time with family and friends on weekends. Those precious few days at week's end will give you more time to enjoy just being you.

http://ezinearticles.com/?4-Ways-to-Get-More-Hours-in-a-Day&id=8300183

Simple Daily Exercises That Professional Writers Can Use to Enjoy Pain Free Hands

If your occupation requires your hands, assuredly there will be some hand pain that follows at some point in time. This indisposition, tragically, affects countless people as they go about their daily routine and their lives. For persons who rely upon their hands to accomplish their daily tasks, aching hands, fingers, wrists and elbows are the plague that besets them from time to time, and one that detrimentally hampers their productivity. It is this beguiling menace that often can keep many of us otherwise avid writers from adequately performing our daily duties and meeting our obligations. As a professional writer, I've learned this the hard way over a great deal of years. After struggling with the symptoms, a few methods have been earmarked along the way that have helped me enjoy pain free hands. In this article, I will share a few secrets of the trade with you.

Stretch Your Arms and Hands Every Hour

Your arms, fingers, hands and wrists - and other digits - contain muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves and joints. If you overuse them, they will become strained. Think of writing, or working long hours with your hands, much in the same manner that you would, say, going for a jog. You need to stretch out before you work out. That being said: make sure that you are fully stretching your arms, fingers, wrists, elbows and hands every hour. After all, as a pro writer, you are working out every hour of the day.

Behold: The Open Hand Flex

This move is a simple one that I like to call the Open Hand Flex. I've found it marvelous over the years for ensuring that I enjoy pain free hands. This method is rather basic yet very effective. Extend your palms so that your fingers point upwards, with your knuckles aiming at your front side. Now stretch out your fingers so that your digits are fully extended on your hands. Hold this position while flexing your fingers outward for 30 seconds and repeat three times for a full stretch.

The Five Finger Wall Press

A great method I use from time to time to combat aching wrists can help you do battle with arthritic symptoms. Open your hand flat and perform the Open Hand Flex move (mentioned above). Now press your palms against a wall and push in so your fingers are being pressed towards you. Hold this press for about 10 seconds and repeat three times.

The Pullback Method

A very effective and quick method for easing pain involves using pullback methods. This one is very easy to execute. Spread your palm and fingers again, as mentioned in the previous exercises, only do this for one hand. Then grab the tips of your fingers with the other free hand and slowly pull them back towards your body. Pull until you feel light tension and then hold. Keep the hold - or pullback - for at least 10 seconds. Make sure you repeat this exercise on the opposite hand. Be sure to perform this routine at least twice per day for the best results.

Ongoing Strengthening and Conditioning Methods

Remember, your hands will only be as strong as you build them up to be. The more that you build and stretch them, the stronger and more resilient they will be, not to mention that your range of motion will drastically expand as well. Be sure that you consult with your physician or physical therapist for further strengthening and conditioning methods that can net you pain free hands more often than not.

Michael Lazar has been a professional writer for most of his waking life. After writing his first book at the tender age of 16, he knew that writing was his professional calling. By the age of 20, while in college studying for a masters in English, Lazar realized that if he didn't protect his most precious resource - his hands - he would never be a writer for very long. He then spent a great deal of time learning appropriate exercise methods to enjoy pain free hands. When he's not writing, Lazar enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, his friends and his hobbies.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Simple-Daily-Exercises-That-Professional-Writers-Can-Use-to-Enjoy-Pain-Free-Hands&id=7933157