13 ways ECL stays young - Thursday Thirteen #01

13 ways eastcoastlife stays young

1. Stay the weight I was at age 25
I'm slightly overweight now. Carrying excess fats raises the risk of some cancers. Lean people halve their chances of premature death. From time to time, I have to try to slip into the dress I wore when I was 25. I aim for a body mass index of about 23.5.

2. Skip a meal
People who eat 30% less than normal live 30% longer than usual. Their hearts appeared 10 to 15 years younger than those of regular eaters. Eating less food may reduce tissue wear and tear from excess blood sugar, inflammation, or free radicals. I skip lunch often, fast one day a week and drink plenty of water.

3. Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables
They have cancer-preventing abilities. I have 2 servings of fruits and vegetables each meal.

4. Get more sleep
Not having enough sleep raises the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes — maybe even obesity. I sleep 8 hours a day.

5. Get help for what hurts
I had depression once, it weakens my immune system and push levels of the stress hormone cortisol higher. After consulting a doctor, my mood improves and my immune system perks up, too.

6. Take brisk walks
I walk briskly for an hour everyday to make the walls of my arteries twice as flexible as those of a couch potato. (I hadn't been able to do that for the past month due to my injury.)

With age, blood vessel walls tend to stiffen up — the main reason 2/3 of people older than age 60 have high blood pressure. Exercise keeps vessels pliable. Mild exercise also reduces the risk of diabetes, certain cancers, depression, aging of the skin, maybe even dementia.

7. Keep my waist trim
The tape measure is better than the bathroom scale in determining if my body is staying young. My weight can remain the same while I lose muscle and pack on fat, including visceral fat, the culprit behind a thick waist. It's linked to a higher risk of age-related ills such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. If your waist measures more than 35 inches (for a woman) or 40 inches (for a man), you probably have too much belly fat.

8. Stop and plant the roses
Gardening or being around plants relaxes me.

9. Strength-train a few times a week
Cardio exercise and strength-training are key to slowing the advance of time. After their mid-40s, people lose about 1/4 kg of muscle mass a year, gaining fat in its place. I lift weights 3 days a week, for a minimum of 30 minutes.

The payoff : more endurance, stronger bones, less risk of diabetes — and better sleep and thinking.

10. Drop that hot potato
I don't take sugary drinks and the potato. They can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes, contribute to overeating and diabetes risk — which accelerates aging. I still can't control my love for bread.

11. Sup from the sea
I eat fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines and trout. They contain the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, which help prevent sudden death from heart attack. Omega-3s also helps ward off depression, Alzheimer's disease, and age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. I use canola and olive oils for cooking. I avoid unhealthy foods which are loaded with trans fats.

12. Fight fair
Nasty arguments increase the risk of clogged arteries. Women's hearts suffer when they make or hear hostile comments; men's hearts react badly to domineering, controlling words.

I avoid getting nasty, sarcastic, or personal, or using body language like rolling your eyes on my loved ones. hehe... I can still count with my fingers.

13. Keep a positive outlook
People who have a goal in life — a passion, a purpose, a positive outlook, and humor—live longer.

(Portions of info from my doctor's list of 25. ^-^)



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