Anti-aging And Baby Boomers

Being a baby boomer myself, my thoughts often run toward aging and what I can do, if anything, about it. Old age may be creeping up on all of us, but there are many anti aging systems that we can incorporate into our lives to help us stave off the inevitable and stay as young as our minds think we are.

Talking to my aunt the other day, who will soon be 84, we discussed our thoughts as to why some people, like her, still look out at the world as if she was, perhaps 40 and others just get old. Marge who is constantly on the go, she still babysits, a job she took up when she was about 65, several days a week. When she visits her cousin, first at the assisted living facility, now in a nursing home environment, the first thing she does is try to get her and the other residents moving, doing a little exercise. Even though these people are the same age, or even younger, Marge has done the anti-aging things for years that would keep her active and healthy. A lot of these are not expensive. but are just a matter of making healthy changes in our lifestyle.

First on the anti-aging system list is smoking. If you still smoke, stop. Cigarette smoking is only second to sun damage in aging your skin. So, stop smoking if you want to do some anti-aging activity.

Instead of concentrating on feeling deprived, you will find that you feel free because you are not hooked to a pack of cigarettes. You no longer have to think about when and where you can have your next cigarette. This is one of the best things you can do, to keep your skin from premature aging.

Aside from the health benefits that you will experience from getting out from under that pack of cigarettes, “For smokers, middle age starts in the early 30’s as the tell tale wrinkles around the mouth and eyes begin to appear. Young female smokers are likely to be wasting their money on anti aging face creams if they continue to smoke.”
Amanda Sandford, Action on Smoking and Health.

Even though you may not be able to reverse the damage done by years of smoking, the longer you continue the worse the damage will become. Your skin will appear dull and it will lack vitality. Wrinkles will get deeper around the mouth and eyes, due to continual puckering from drawing on a cigarette and squinting in reaction to the cigarette smoke curling around into your eyes. Normal aging is bad enough, but smoking will aggravate the loss of tone and elasticity.

So, first thing in the anti-aging system is to stop smoking.

Nutrition is #2 on the Anti-aging system list. If it wasn't for the damage smoking does, it would be number 1. Look closely at your diet, this is not talking about a diet to lose weight, but replacing junk food with healthy fruits and vegetables. Good nutrition is one of the best anti aging systems that we can use to stay young and healthy. Leafy green vegetables, raw vegetables and fresh raw fruits are full of antioxidants, vitamins and essential minerals that help the body to fight off the signs of aging.

Anti Aging Supplements: Grape Seed Extract

Anti aging supplements are actually good for all ages. Take a close look at grape seed extract. It has some startling properties that will make you wonder if mom was right to tell you not to eat those grape seeds!

Grape seeds are very high in antioxidants which, as you probably know, have been shown to have many healing and anti aging effects. However, the polyphenols and proanthocyanidins that they contain have properties that seem to go beyond regular antioxidants in many ways. Chief among the benefits is antioxidant protection against heart disease and cancer.

Anti-Aging Supplements: Resveratrol

First is resveratrol. This a constituent of grapes that has been highly publicized in recent years after research identified it as the ingredient that accounts for the apparent health giving effect of drinking small quantities of red wine.

A huge industry in resveratrol supplements was born, practically overnight. However, scientific research has not proved any benefits to taking resveratrol in isolation. It seems we need the total effect of the grape.

When it comes to grape seed extract, the position is much more positive. This contains resveratrol but also many other nutrients.

Research has shown that grape seed extract can be used to treat heart disease and hypertension in animals. There have also been successful case studies on humans reported in the medical journals, although no major population study as yet. Grape seed extract appears to stop the accumulation of cholesterol and reduce inflammation.

It has also been reported to help prevent cancer. It is thought to promote apoptosis, which is the natural dying off of old cells so that they can be replaced. In cancer, tumors grow because damaged or dangerous cells keep multiplying without dying off. Grape seed extract may therefore help to reduce or prevent tumors.

It is also this aspect of resveratrol and grape seed extract that leads to its promotion among the anti aging supplements. By encouraging apoptosis, it allows rejuvenation at the cellular level. When old, damaged cells hang around longer than they should, we end up looking and feeling older.

Resveratrol is one of the most popular anti aging supplements. However, rather than taking it in isolation, you might want to take it along with the other antioxidants, flavonoids and vitamins that it occurs with naturally. Often, substances that are found together in nature have a synergistic effect. That means that the different ingredients work together so that their combined effect is much greater than the effect of each one separately.

Perhaps it sounds like the answer is to eat a lot of grape seeds. The problem is that in order to digest them and get the elements out of them, they have to be thoroughly chewed. I do try to buy the darkest grapes with seeds and chew them up, though it is easier to include them in the fruits and veggies that go through my juicer. They do not taste good and they are hard for the stomach to digest, so juicing is preferable.

In addition to juicing your grapes, which not everyone wants to take the time or expense to do, you can buy grape seed extract rather than chew on grape seeds. You can get it as powder, in capsules or tablets, or you can buy grape seed oil which is also extracted from the seeds.

Grape seed extract should include all of the elements naturally occurring in health-giving grape seeds in nature, but in a much higher concentration. Therefore, grape seed extract is a better solution if you are looking for anti aging supplements. But , in addition, taking a separate resveratrol as well, can be a good thing.

Drinking enough water should seem like a no-brainer. But most of us don't consume the water that's necessary each day. And drinking soda after soda is not the way to get the water you need.

The general guidance is 8 x 8 oz glasses per day, or 2 liters if you use the metric system. If you are a heavier person (over 200 pounds) you can increase this a little.

Spread your water consumption throughout the day and it will help to keep your skin stay hydrated, preventing dryness and minimizing wrinkles.

One of the worst things we can do as we age is become more and more sedentary. Couch potatoes are not going to age well. Without movement, joints seem to get stiffer, the body just doesn't work right anymore. But it doesn't have to be that way. Exercise for us "seniors" is a must. Exercise will also help with weight control, if that is a problem.

This has an effect on the skin as well as the inner workings of the body, because physical exercise increases both the blood circulation and the amount of oxygen in the blood. more oxygen and other health promoting substances reaches the skin, which helps it to renew and repair itself.

If you are not used to exercise, start with a little and work up. You may want to consult your doctor to check what you can safely do. You could start by increasing the distance that you walk in a day, or doing a little more physical activity around the house and yard.

Exercise does not have to mean going to the gym or running a marathon. It does not have to be boring, either. Playing with kids, using a Wii, swimming or just splashing around in the pool are all examples of physical activity that can be a lot of fun.

Anti-aging systems have to include exercise daily. If you listen to Dr. Bob on PBS's "The Doctor Bob Show", he closes with the suggestion to "get a little laughter in your life and exercise 30 minutes a day, six days a week," seven is better but his wife says no one will want to think about exercising 7 days a week.

Everyone knows there are all sorts of exercise programs out there, but which ones are doable for those who begin to exercise after slacking off for years and which will provide the most benefits without killing you. My son bought a program called "Insanity". Well, if I had tried to do even the warmup, I would have collapsed. For me it would be insane to do that, but for a 25 year old guy, who was in fairly good shape, it is a great program. Exercise needs to be a good fit for the individual.

But moving of any kind, going to the pool or playing with the grandkids, counts as exercise. Investing in a Wii (you can always say that it is for the kids when they come over) is a great idea also. Not only will you score points with the grandchildren, you can get a great workout as well.

Want to look and feel younger, try Tai Chi. This is a great form of stress management and you get a great workout also. Stress can take a toll on both your body and face. Managing that stress will have a positive effect on your youthful look, because stress can change the choices we make in food and drinks and also cause wrinkles from frowning.

Tai Chi is suitable for seniors because it is a low impact form of exercise. The exercises help to build strength, which is very important as people age and lose muscle mass.

One of the worst things that happen to people as they age, especially if the are not exercisers, is that balance seems to deteriorate. Tai Chi can help seniors to be steadier on their feet which reduce the chances of falls as they age.

Tai Chi also helps posture and this helps people to look younger, as the ability to stand tall rather than stooped as many older people become will give the impression of being younger. Of course, even though exercise can help, people with advanced osteoporosis may not be able to regain their former posture and but,some resistance training will help even more to strengthen their bones.

If you go to classes to practice Tai Chi, you will have social interaction as well and this helps people to stay alert and coordinated. The positive attitude that this brings with it, will enhance your life, helping to keep you younger for longer.

Check out the National Institute For Health for more information on the "how to's" and benefits of Tai Chi for seniors.

Don't let your anti-aging system become an obsession.  Being concerned and proactive about aging is far different from becoming obsessive and letting it rule your life.  To stay younger, you need to enjoy life as well.  Moderation, as with most everything in life, is key here.

You should work, though, on things that improve your health,both inside and out, such as quitting smoking, limiting your sun exposure, getting the proper nutrition and exercise.  Doing these things will actually help you to enjoy life more. If you quit smoking, for instance, you will be able to taste your food, if you smoke you only think you know what things taste like.  If you exercise and change to a nutritious diet, you will have more energy to do the things that you enjoy. 

Doing these things in moderation will not only make you healthier and improve the outlook for your longevity, but will have the positive benefit of making you look better and younger as well.

Once you go from moderate to extreme in your training or diet, you can actually look older and are susceptible to injuries that can do far more damage than good.  You need to find a balance in all things that you do to keep you young in mind and body.

I recall reading a book on a husband and wife team who focused their life on longevity. This book detailed all that they did with their extreme exercise and nutritional regime.  Extreme is the keyword here.  Their lifestyle might, or might not, add to their longevity, they certainly didn't look very young for their age.  In fact their 'extreme' lifestyle made them look considerably older than the average person of the same age. It just goes to show you that more is not always better when it comes to anti aging programs.

Changes in your lifestyle should not be just for vanity, but when you look younger, you will feel younger and be happier for it.  Enjoyment and happiness will show on your face and the more you smile the more beautiful you will become, and besides, smiling does wonders for your face muscles.  So, back to Dr. Bob, "get a little laughter in your life" and live as long and healthy as you can.