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So you want a healthy body into old age? There are a few areas of your life that you can look at.
Start with food
It’s all about the food. Nutrition is really the key to longevity – we know that populations have been able to live longer because we have access to better food today than we used to. A balanced diet, with the right proportion of nutrients from a variety of foods, is only the first step. Be careful you do not over eat foods that are high in saturated fat and sugar. The bulk of your carbohydrates should come from whole-grain sources, not simple, processed carbohydrates.
Vitamins
If you are not getting sufficient vitamins and minerals from your diet, you may need to take supplements to fill in the gaps. Probably most important is to drink enough water every day so that your body can flush out toxins from the system and your cells can stay healthy and nourished. What you need to be looking at is a multi vitamin (ideally with minerals and anti oxidants) and some type of essential fats. We love the Udos oil. See below for some vitamin ideas.
Detox
Every so often (ie once or twice a year) you can try doing a detox. This can help to clear out some toxins from the body. You can try a simple detox like a course of “Milk Thistle” which will help to clear out the liver. Or a more comprehensive detox like “flor essence” that helps to rejuvenate all the organs. A simple bowel detox is to take two teaspoons of Psyllium Husks in a glass of water for a few days. Psyllium is a soluble fibre so it needs water for it to be effective. This will help to clear toxins from the bowel.
Restful sleep
The importance of sleep in helping you to stay well into your older years cannot be over emphasised. If the body and mind do not have the opportunity to rest and restore, then your cells will be more vulnerable to damage, and this will eventually lead to a breakdown in the system.
Get at least seven hours of sleep each night. Make sure that you sleep in a comfortable environment to get a restful night’s sleep, not one that is disturbed by light and noise.
Exercise
Regular exercise and making sure you incorporate different types of exercise into your “anti-ageing” exercise regime. The first is to stretch all the big and small muscle groups in your body, so that they remain flexible and help carry your body well. When our muscles are tight, they easily become injured when we lift heavy objects or make a certain movement.
Do at least 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activities every couple of days. This will get your heart pumping and your body sweating. You can take a brisk walk around the neighbourhood, go cycling, swimming or dancing, or play a sport like badminton, tennis or football. My favourite exercise at the moment is yoga and running (not at the same time). That way I’m exercising the muscles with yoga and getiting the heart going with the running.
A very important exercise is to laugh. It is very hard to feel bad when you are having a good laugh as it releases endorphines to the brain. You usually have to laugh with a friend and there are many health benefits to having good friendships with lots of laughs.
Health screening
Get a human NCT at least every two years. These are simple tests that you should do (following a schedule) to keep tabs on various aspects of your health.
Many of these tests should already be part of your regular screening programme, such as blood chemistry, blood glucose, cancer markers, inflammatory markers (eg homocysteine) and hormone levels. You can do these tests when you go for your annual medical check-ups (which should be part of your personal healthcare routine). Early detection to most illness is a key factor to recovery rate.
In summary
The right way to address ageing is by looking at your foods, exercise and sleep routines. This will give you a head start to Healthy Living so that you can age well from the inside out.
