Diet and Aging

Rene M - The minute you hear the word, "diet", people start manifesting in their minds that you need to starve, eat bland food, suffer while your friends who aren't on a diet,eat whatever junk or restaurant food they want.

In reality, the word merely means to watch what you are eating. We have all heard this,"quit smoking, eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise, and drink moderately". This is the route to the fountain of youth, but because we are constantly bombarded with other unhealthy options, our own choices based on expedience, often betray us.

Studies in the UK back in the 1990's found that people who adopted the healthy lifestyle habits, lived 16 years longer than those that did not. The American Lung Association reports that two days after quitting smoking people begin to improve their sense of smell and taste. In a few months people begin to walk easier and blood circulation improves. Within a year, a smokers risk of heart attack is cut in half, and within 5 years the risk is diminished to the level of a non-smoker. After 10 years, the chances of getting lung cancer are cut to 50%, and after 15 years, the risk levels drop to the same level as those who do not smoke.

Choosing to eat right takes practice and motivation. Eating the proper amounts of food on a regular basis will ultimately get you to the goals you are striving to achieve whether it be to lose weight or feel good.

Fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals and other nutrients that can ward off common illnesses, as well as,the more serious ones like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Other benefits include regularity, improved skin condition and appearance. The human body is a wonderous thing, it can heal and restore itself.

Cuts and infections clear up on their own, and even broken bones mend. And when it comes to fighting the effects of time, there are some anti-aging fruits and vegetables that actually work. They may not be the miracle pill that will make you immortal, but it is true that many people today are living longer than they ever did before, partly due to what scientists and doctors are finding out about how our bodies actually work. We now know more about what we consume and how it affects our systems overall, including the aging process. By following a diet rich in anti-aging fruits and vegetables, a person can not only extend their life, they can also look great as they age!

Exercise helps boost the benefits of fruits and vegetables to full speed and helps further the fight against heart disease,cancer,diabetes,and high blood pressure. Endorphines, which are feel good hormones,are produced by your body when you exercise, and help with depression, decrease the level of bad cholestoral LDL, and increase the level of good cholestoral HDL. It also provides greater stamina to maintain an active lifestyle, and make you feel young and alive. Furthermore, studies have shown that doing aerobic and muscle building exercises help with your body's ability to continue to burn fat even while your body is at rest. How's that for a motivator!

Drinking alcohol can be a double edge sword. It can be of benefit only if taken with moderation, and it can help by reducing your risks of heart attack and high blood pressure. It also fights oxidative stress which is prompted when you consume a meal high in fat. On the other hand, if you abuse it, you can develop everything you are trying to avoid.

The bottom line is, if you want to remain looking and acting young, you are going to have to start taking care of yourself by watching what you eat, and exercising on a regular basis. Too often I hear that people take care of their cars, better than they take care of themselves. And this is true, so the next time your car needs a little maintenance, don't forget about yourselves.

Don't forget to visit my blog, Rene's Fountain of Youth, at
http://renesfountainofyouth.blogspot.com/

How to Live Longer

Brandon Johnson - Human nature, combined with our survival instinct, drives us to seek out tips and information on how to live longer. Until someone locates the proverbial fountain of youth, there are four easy things you can do, starting today, to make sure you meet your grandkids' kids.

Though these may seem like run-of-the-mill, "straight from Momma's mouth" tips, they are backed up by 20,000 participants and a 14-year-long study.

Cut to the Chase - Just Give Me the 4 Tips!

Ok, ok, no need to yell. If you prefer to blindly follow great advice, here they are (if you rather see more about the study, see below):

1. Exercise - About 30 minutes per day of any activity that gets you off your cozy couch, including walking, running, lifting weights, etc.
2. 5 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables - This one is two-fold: Not only will the addition of more fruits and vegetables provide you with several important vitamins and minerals, it should also keep you fuller between meals, thus reducing your Dorito habit.
3. Toast to Alcohol - Careful, this isn't an excuse for you to feel good about the entire 40 oz. you just downed. Moderate drinking in this case was considered to be 1-14 glasses of wine or beers per week.
4. Quit Smoking - This one is pretty self-explanatory, and if it applies to you, you clearly aren't concerned with living a long, healthy life anyway.

From 1993 to 1997, British researchers gathered information and blood samples from 20,000 healthy men and women, giving them a score of between 0 and 4, based on how many of the above tips they followed.

After tracking the participants for over a decade, while accounting for age and other factors, the team found that the "0" people were four times as likely to have died during the course of the study. Also, people with a perfect score of 4 were shown to have a shelf life of 14 years longer than their lowly "0" counterparts. The number one lifestyle change for how to live longer was to quit smoking (big surprise!).

If only 4 tips on how to live longer aren't enough, then you need to check out http://www.fitbuff.com to find out how to meet your grandkids' grandkids!

World's Oldest Orangutan Dies at 55

Jakarta Post - A Sumatran orangutan, thought to be the world's oldest, has died in Miami at age 55, a zoo spokesman said on Sunday.

Nonja, who was born in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in June 1952, was found dead on Saturday morning, Miami Metro Zoo spokesman Ron Magill told Reuters.

He said a necropsy had been performed on Saturday and that a small mass of blood had been found on Nonja's brain, pointing to a tumor or aneurysm as the likely cause of death.

Magill said one other Sumatran orangutan had lived until the age of 57. But Nonja was believed to be the oldest surviving great ape of her kind in the world, both in captivity and in the wild, he said.

Most of the animals die before they reach their mid-40s, according to Magill, who said Nonja had mothered five offspring.

"She was a grande dame and I think she knew it," he said.

Nonja was shipped to Miami from a zoo in Holland in 1983 and her name means "girl" in Dutch, Magill said.

According to the Sumatran Orangutan Society, the species has been classified as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union and could become extinct in the wild in less than 10 years. There were 7,300 Sumatran orangutans in the wild in 2003, the group said. -- JP