NATURAL HEALTH AT 50+

50 NOW:

The Wisdom Years













In developed countries today a healthy woman of 50 can expect to live another 30 years and a man another 26 years, but men should take heart as this gap is narrowing. Each year the number of people celebrating their hundredth birthday doubles, so far more and more people 50 is only the midpoint of their lives. To help answer the challenge of making the most of the second half of your life, this post reveal an anti-ageing strategy that is designed to add 'life to your years' as well as 'years to your life'.




In the first three decades of life, growing and maturing are much the same for most people. In the short term, whatever we throw our bodies during these years, such as alcohol, tobacco smoke and unhealthy eating habits, seems to make very little difference to our health. Then, at around 30+, there is a subtle change and maturing suddenly becomes reclassified ageing. Measure taken to combat the progress of ageing cannot guarantee a long and healthy life, but they do increase the chances of longevity, and also of recovering good health rapidly if illness or an accident should unfortunately occur.

We all know how old we are in years. If you look around at your friends and relatives of 50+, however, it is easy to see that some both look and move in ways that appear to be much older than their years. Others seem younger than 50+, and for them the biological clock seems to be moving more slowly. To some extent staying young is inherited, but scientists say that only about 30% of ageing lies in the genes; the rest is up to you. So how can you slow the biological clock?















Oxygen reacts with other compounds to create free radicals. Its effects can be seen on butter left in a warm room, which degenerates into a rancid pool due to oxidation.

Biological Ageing

Doctor and scientists are gradually beginning to understand what causes ageing, and this is the first step in devising ways to fight it. As we grow older the inner chemistry of our bodies becomes less efficient. Not only is the body more likely to produce dangerous substances, known as free radicals, from internal chemical processes, but it is also less able to neutralize the free radicals that are produced as a result of external factors.

Surprisingly, oxygen is one of the most common generators of free radicals within the body. If you want to see the result of too much oxygen, leave a cube of butter, uncovered, in a warm kitchen. After a few days it degenerates into a yellow pool of fat that neither smells nor tastes like butter. In butter the changes start faily slowly because it contains substances, known as antioxidants, that neutralize free radicals. Oxygen is, of course, essential to life, but its ability to produce free radical can be controlled by eating plenty of antioxidants.

Another positive step is to try to minimize exposure to other sources of free radicals. These include:

• Drugs, including tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke, alcohol, caffeine and certain prescribed medications.
• Toxic metals, such as lead from old paint and water pipes, cadmium from cigarette smoke and the mercury present in certain industrial discharges.
• Manufactured chemicals, many of which are difficult to detect, but come into your home, workplace, food and water from many sources.
• Ionizing radiation, present in ultraviolet light, cosmic background radiation and manmade sources, such as X-rays.
• Exercise, causing your body to use oxygen more rapidly than when it is at rest, generates free radicals if you are short of antioxidant vitamins and minerals in your diet.

Antioxidants In The Diet

However, hard we try, it is obviously impossible to avoid all sources of free radicals, and our bodies have a number of well-developed defence systems that can neutralize them. Many of these systems rely on adequate supplies , in the diet, of substances known as antioxidants. These have the ability to halt the chain reactions that produce free radicals, and include beta-carotene (or pro-vitamin A ), vitamins C and E and riboflavin, and the minerals copper, zinc, manganese and selenium.

Of course, taking a handful of supplements may provide these antioxidants, but it is difficult to be sure that the balance is right. Supplements should only be taken to enhance a good diet, because they cannot provide the hundreds of carotenoids, bioflavonoids and other substances that are found in food and also have essential antioxidant functions. These are best obtained by eating generous amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Personalized Anti-Ageing

In addition to free radicals, stress is another vause of ageing. To avoid the anxiety of making large and uncomfortable changes in your lifestyle you may find it helpful to develop your aown anti-ageing plan. Lifestyle changes work best if they are introduced systematically over time. To be most beneficial they need to be prioritized and updated when more information becomes available or your circumstances change.

First of all, check out the risks you may have inherited. Enslist your doctor help and arrange for appropriate check-ups. It is recommended to have your blood pressure checked regularly at 50+ especially because many people who have high blood pressure are not aware of it. High blood pressure can cause heart and kidney disease and strokes.

Next look at those habits that can contribute to ageing. You may have reduced your biological age by seven years if you stop smoking. Reducing your alcohol intake to the recommended safe level, can help de-age your mind and body. Regular exercise builds stamina and a healthier, stronger heart that may last several years longer. Even if you dont't want to play sports or to to a gym, you can strengthen your heart and bones and simply feel younger by walking regularly. If you are overweight do not try to lose weight rapidly. However, a gradual weight loss boosts morale and can both prolong life and improve your quality of life by reducing the risk of developing a number of illnesses, including arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.