Xtend Your Life

There is a certain fascination with the aging process. So many people try to fight it. They fear its symptoms and its inevitable meaning, that death is closer that is was when they were young. But every day death is closer than it was yesterday and age is just a part of life. As we age our bodies begin to react. Certain functions, such as the digestion process and intestinal function slow. Eyesight may weaken, hair may fall out, the skin may develop skin tags or age spots, the memory may not be what it once was and the body may protest a bit more when subjected to activity. As the body ages, it becomes more prone to physical ailments such as arthritis, fibromialgia, cataracts and other maladies that are associated with the aging, but can occur in any age group.

Other disorders, such as Alzheimer’s are usually associated with advanced age. But aging does not have to be scary or unwanted. With age often comes wisdom and a certain sense of being settled. You have years of experience that cumulate in a perspective that is fresh and wise. An aging woman going through menopause may think that the hot flashes and night sweats will do her in, but once it is over, she can relax and enjoy the next phase of her life. Aging, as we are talking here, is generally considered to begin around age 40 or later. So, let’s talk about the biological functions that are occurring in your aging body.

How do we Age

To answer the question how do we age? We need to look at several scientific opinions because, to be honest, no one really knows for sure just why we age, why some people age faster than others and why some seem to be ageless.

One discipline of study suggests that the free radicals or oxygen radicals injure the body’s cells. A by product of our breathing, these free radicals seem to promote aging. It is uncertain just how much the free radicals contribute to our aging and subsequent death.

The next discipline of study suggests that there is a chemical reaction that is the basis for the body’s aging process. This is known as the browning reaction. In this reaction, at the cellular level, the browning reaction occurs between glucose and proteins. This reaction is responsible for changes and even damage to protein function as well as to the genetic expression.

The third discipline of study suggests that as we age our cells lose their ability to divide. As a result, our immune system becomes weaker. This discipline suggests that the aging process is actually pre-programmed into us, into our genome. However, there is still not clear reason as to how this is done.

How Long can we Live

Of mammals, humans live the longest. The longest recorded human life span is 120 years but the actual length of our lives varies depending on a variety of factors, including geographical region and health. There are statistics that show how long a baby is projected to live, but life is so uncertain, there is no hard and fast rule that the child will survive. Accidents happen, disease, a self destructive lifestyle, even outside influences such as people wishing to cause the child harm can all twist the original statistic as the child’s life is “cut short.” However, the overall life expectancy has increased dramatically as the 20th century marched on and introduced the industrialized world and with it medical and technological advances. Over the course of the 20th century, the average life expectancy skyrocketed from 50 years of age to almost 80 years of age.

While we know that some of the contributing factors to this increase in life expectancy includes an improved food supply, improved hygiene and better medicine it is still not completely clear why people are now living longer.

Is it Possible to Slow the Aging Process?

Scientists are making strides in slowing the aging process and have been successful in doing so with rodents. They have also been successful in identifying specific genes that are related to aging. By modifying these genes, scientists can extend the length of yeast, mice, worms and fruit flies. But the questions are raised of how animals or humans that were longer living and slower aging would function in the real world outside of a lab. This type of mutation has rendered its subjects infertile, so as evolution weeds out what is not conducive to the natural world it does not allow these beings to reproduce.

Reuben John, is the author of the book on Staying Healthy And Fit As You Age. He has trained thousands in Fitness, Exercise, Diet and Nutrition. Discover more little known secrets to staying youthful and energetic at [http://www.healthwealthtreasury.com]

Author: Reuben John
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you are trying to look 10 years younger or more, there is no shortage of information or products to help you achieve your goal. Nowadays, it seems everywhere you turn there is some new product or cosmetic procedure claiming to remove wrinkles, restore elasticity, bring back radiance… the list goes on and on.

But before you try that breakthrough product or visit that hot new medical day spa there are 3 anti aging traps you need to know about. Fall into one of these, and no matter what products you are using, you could be undermining your results without even knowing it.

Anti Aging Trap #1- No Passion for Anti Aging or Complete Acceptance of the Aging Process

“Passion for anti aging?” you say. “Of course I have passion for anti aging. Why do you think I spend hundreds of dollars on products and procedures?”

Let’s make one thing clear- passion for anti aging and looking 10 years younger has nothing to do with how many products you buy or how many visits you schedule with your plastic surgeon. Passion for anti aging starts in the brain:

For example: Every morning when I wake up, the first thing on my mind is anti aging. I am constantly researching, studying, putting test ideas into practice to stay and feel younger and more vibrant. I thoroughly enjoy it and a day doesn’t go by without me thinking about anti aging and trying to look 10 years younger.

Now I know everyone doesn’t or even can’t wake up with anti aging on the brain. There are kids to get off to school, jobs to go to, bills to pay; the list goes on and on.

But to really achieve any level of anti aging, you do have to have some passion for it.

Why?

Because passion for anything, whether it be looking 10 years younger, losing weight, or getting a promotion starts in the brain. The moment you set your mind to achieve something your brain immediately goes into overdrive coming up with ideas to bring this plan to fruition. Passion is the fuel which drives this process. The more passionate you are about an idea, the higher the probability that you will achieve what you desire.

Unfortunately, anti aging or trying to look 10 years younger or more quickly loses momentum. This is because many people feel there are only a few options to truly stay youthful. Once they start to age, they believe the only options they have are plastic surgery or Botox. Which brings us to the next anti aging trap:

Anti Aging trap #2- Overloading On Plastic Surgery and Cosmetic Procedures

I recently met a 48 woman who was obviously addicted to plastic surgery. Her face was smooth, taut and unlined. She had no wrinkles on her forehead, around her eyes or around her mouth. But guess what? She didn’t look ten years younger. She looked like a 48 year old woman that had a lot of work done.

Her face was mask-like, even when she smiled. You can see this look on a lot of celebrities (Courtney Cox, Nicole Kidman, Joan Rivers). Maybe that’s why some people think it is the best way to fight the aging process. People love to emulate their favorite stars.

Now I’m not against plastic surgery. Compared to only 10 years ago, plastic and cosmetic surgery has come a long way in helping people everywhere to look and feel younger. And perhaps that’s the problem. Because it has become so much more affordable it is now the quick fix instead of the last resort. Too much plastic surgery or cosmetic procedures will not make you look 10 years younger. It will however make you look strange, unnatural and like a plastic surgery junkie.

Anti Aging Trap #3 Setting the Bar Too Low

When I ask women what they really want to achieve from all the effort they put into staying youthful, more often than not most of them respond with the following:

“I want to look good for my age.”

The only way I know how to respond to this statement is “Why?”

If you truly want to look good for your age, no matter if it’s 30, 40 or 50+ then I say go for it. You could probably achieve your goal in a matter of months if you haven’t done so already. But know this:

You will never go to a college sporting event and be mistaken for a coed by 4 different students. You won’t be able to wear a mini skirt and look “age appropriate”. (Sorry to use that phrase. I actually despise it but that’s a whole other article.) You will never go for a jog and have 3 seventeen year olds on scooters ask what college you go to.

Why? Because “looking good for your age” is setting the bar way too low. Sure you look good, but only for your age. It’s the equivalent of the comment: “you throw pretty good for a girl”. You want to look good period. You want to look so good that no one can say you look good for your age because no one can tell how old you are.

I know plenty of women aged 40+ who can and have been mistaken for a college coed. Who still have the ability to pull off a mini and flip flops. And who have 17 year old boys waving to them from their motorcycles and scooters

Now that we discussed the 3 Anti Aging Traps and how easy they are to fall into, let’s talk about the good news. Look at the following quote:

“Anti Aging to us is a lifestyle. My wife and I decided a long time ago that we weren’t going to age. We were going to eat right, constantly try new things, take care of our bodies. But most importantly, we set our mind to it and I guess we’re doing all right.”-from a 52 year old man and his 46 year old wife.

This quote came from a married couple I recently met who I had guessed to be in their mid thirties. The man confessed to me that he was actually 52 years old and his wife was 46. I was pretty stunned. Being as obsessed as I am with anti aging, I can usually guess peoples’ ages pretty well. So this really threw me for a loop.

This couple looked, walked and talked like they were 35 years old. And a young 35 at that. It was truly amazing and I couldn’t stop looking at them.

So how were they able to look at least 10 to 15 years younger? Is it possible that they had some plastic surgery?

They were very open and honest about their beauty regimen and upkeep. They told me they have had “absolutely no Botox”. And no plastic surgery. They both have skin peels every six months to rejuvenate their skin. They eat no processed food whatsoever and a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. They exercise 5 days a week, stretch extensively to stay flexible and agile and keep abreast of new innovations in the anti aging industry.

Everything they told me was fascinating and their plan was obviously working for them. But I kept going back to their original quote: “My wife and I decided that we weren’t going to age.”

That small statement is one of the key reasons why they are able to stay so vibrant and young looking. In their mind, they wouldn’t accept the aging process and when they had that affirmation set firmly in their brain that set in motion a life-long plan of fighting aging at every turn. Once that affirmation was solidly in place, everything else that followed became second nature to them.

And that is the true key to anti aging and staying young and vital. Believing with absolute certainty that you can. So stay passionate about anti aging, don’t overload on cosmetic and plastic surgery and set that bar way up high. When you avoid these anti aging traps, you’ll be surprised how quickly your body and mind respond. You may just wake up a couple months from now looking 10 years younger.

Julia Cortman has been a freelance researcher for over 15 years. She became interested in anti aging and the aging process when at only age 30, her skin began to show the first signs of aging. This spawned 7 years of extensive research and the creation of her exclusive Anti Aging Formula and The Anti Aging Beauty Club. Visit http://www.myantiagingsecret.net to learn how her anti aging formula is helping women everywhere bring back the glow and vibrancy to their skin.

Author: Julia Cortman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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