Stress Management

Stress has got to be the number 1 ager there is! Not only does stress have a major impact on the quality of our lives, it can also lead to serious health problems. It wasn’t so long ago that people wouldn’t even have considered that a physical problem could be due to a mental problem.However, more and more scientific evidence is showing that the mind and body are more closely linked than originally thought. Our habits, lifestyle and environment all have an impact. But what really happens when we get stressed?

A stressful event can cause a number of things to happen. The adrenal glands pump adrenaline into the body and both heart rate and blood pressure increase. Fat and sugar enter the bloodstream to prepare for a ‘fight or flight’ response and the stress hormone cortisol is released.In modern man this is a big problem. Our response to stress will often far exceed that required of the situation having severe consequences for our long term health.

All that fat left in the bloodstream following a stressful situation makes the blood thicker and less able to flow, putting more strain on the heart. Very often the fat is not burned off and plaque will develop in the arteries. This can lead to hypertension and risk of a stroke. Exercise is great for alleviating the effects of stress because the fat and sugar are used up by the muscles allowing the blood to flow more freely.

By keeping an eye on what we eat and drink we can do a lot to alleviate stress. The trouble is, stress often makes us consume the wrong types of food. eating when stressed can send our blood-glucose levels all over the place making our problems worse by directly effecting the brain. In other words what we eat influences our stress levels which in turn has some bearing on what we eat. A very hard loop to break – one reason diets never work.

A stress management program designed to restore the balance in life is what most people need. The serious study and practice of anti aging technqiques should never underestimate the power of stress management.

Reducing Calorie Intake

There is little question that reducing one’s calorie intake has a positive impact on longevity.Not just any calorie restriction based diet but one based on complex carbohydrates.Reducing calories but sticking to simple carbohydrates would surely shorten life expectancy. Nutrition is essential to human health and this is not found in flour, sugar and salt so common to the western diet.

Lab experiments have shown that mice on reduced calorie diets (containing vital nutrients) live much longer than mice on a normal diet The calorie restricted mice maintained their youthful appearance and stayed active for much longer.

In trials at Washington University adults with an average age of 55 kept their blood pressure as low as a 20 year old. Studies have also shown that calorie restriction reduces the bad cholesterol (LDL) while boosting the good cholesterol (HDL), lowers inflammation and reduces body mass index. Further, a reduction in insulin levels can both help prevent diebetes and improve memory. In other words calorie restriction coupled with a balance of vital nutrients is key to the fight against aging.

But why does a calorie restriction diet work?

The body goes into survival mode when calories are restricted. It does this by lowering metabolic rate.Because the production of free radicals is limited there is less damage to cellular structure.If you also consider that such a diet should only be conducted by maintaining a vital balance of nutrients (based on complex carbohydrates) there is the added bonus of plenty of anti-oxidants. Most complex carbohydrates are plant foods which are also rich in anti-oxidants. These anti-oxidants help keep the free radicals in check preventing any further cellular damage.

The key to calorie restriction is of course maintaining the right balance of nutrients by sticking to a mainly plant food diet. There have been many studies showing that a diet rich in plant foods will keep the diseases (cancer, heart disease, diebetes, alzheimers etc) associated with affluent societies at bay. There is also plenty of evidence that people who mainly eat plant foods maintain their youthful looks for much longer. A close study of nutrition will reveal the power of plant foods to promote good looking skin, hair and nails. In our quest for life extension nutrition should always override our wish to consume fewer calories.

Present moment living

If you a looking for a true anti aging solution, look no further than the ability to live in the present. Letting the future take care of itself and putting the past behind us, leaves no room for the negative emotions that are so damaging to our health. The present moment contains all the answers we need because now is all there is.

Living in this moment means all our awareness is focused on the current situation. We don’t dwell on the past, neither do we dwell on the consequences of our actions – we can’t know what the future holds so why waste our energy. It doesn’t mean we can do anything we please or that we should not plan. Awareness in the moment ensures the right thing to do is made clear to us, even if that means planning ahead! If someone makes the wrong choice it is generally because of the power time has over us and how the mind has been conditioned to think and act. If a person is trapped by mental time a person will base their decision on past experience and personal gain – with total disregard for what is happening now! Behavioural patterns are repeated over and over again as are the mistakes we make. Our mind constantly shifts between the past and future and thinks it normal. It clearly is not. After all, is there anything but the current moment?

Just a little examination will reveal that all negative emotions are a product of the mind. When you have the power to still the mind you become aware of the what the current moment holds – love, beauty and peace. Only action based on these realities keeps you from prematurely aging. All the spiritual leaders of the past were aware of this truth and so can we be, by learning to be present.

By practising forgiveness and being grateful for what you have now, you let the past go. By accepting the current moment and letting the future take care of itself you free yourself from frustration and stress. The more you live in the present the less you will age – time will have lost its grip on your life.

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