Looking for your own Fountain of Youth?
Lifestyle changes are the key.
Healthy food choices, activity, using your brain and having purpose and meaning in your life will help lower your biological and psychological ages.
Slow Down the Aging Process
There actually are concrete steps you can take to slow down the normal aging process that go beyond just altering your physical appearance. However, if your gray hair is really stressing you out, you may benefit from coloring your hair. When you think you are younger than your chronological age, you can have real stress reducing health benefits. If you are thinking about more invasive and serious cosmetic surgery, you may need to weigh the pros and cons.
Lifestyle Changes Can Slow Down Aging Process
To make a difference in your biological age, lifestyle behaviors are the key. Dieting and restricting food choices will never work in the long run. Being a weekend warrior is not an answer. Your lifestyle needs to reflect healthy living. You should find ways to incorporate movement and activity every day and not just on the weekends. You should allow yourself to eat anything you want but only in moderation in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle diet. You should always use your brain. Keep learning, reading and trying new things. Always have a purpose. Whether it’s your career, a job or volunteering, you need to have purpose and meaning in your life.
Here are some healthy lifestyle suggestions to review:
The Blue Zones The Blue Zones mission statement: Informed and inspired by the world’s longest-lived cultures, our mission is to empower everyone, everywhere to live longer, better.
Founder, Dan Buettner, is an award winning journalist. He researched areas all over the globe to investigate why some cultures have people who live much longer and healthier than others. He’s written many books on the subject and has concrete ideas and methods of how to live longer.
Lifestyle Diets. Think of eating healthy as a general lifestyle rather than a “diet”. The Mediterranean diet is a guideline and is recommended by many for healthy aging. The DASH diet and the MIND diet are also recommended for a healthy lifestyle. Of course, having foods not on these plans is okay as many people get joy and pleasure out of eating certain foods and that is important. Comfort foods that are high in fat, desserts that are high in sugar, and other foods that may be considered “taboo” are still fine to have but in moderation and only once in a while. Never deprive yourself of certain foods or you will most likely binge and over eat when you have them.
CDC Healthy Eating page
American Heart Association Mediterranean Diet
MIND Diet from Mayo Clinic
DASH Diet from Mayo Clinic
Healthy Brain Tips. Research shows that activity is not only good for your heart but also good for your brain. Using ALL of your brain is vital to a healthy brain. Learning new things and doing difficult tasks are important to brain health. Having meaning and purpose in your life is also vital to having a healthy brain as we age.
Dr. Paul Nussbaum’s Health Brain Lifestyle
Alzheimer’s Association 10 Ways to Love Your Brain
Brain Exercises to Keep you Sharp-Healthline