How to stay young!

Retired couple swimming and snorkelling

Ageing is an accumulation of all the stresses we pile on our bodies. Brett Hill from The Wellness Guys summed up ‘healthy ageing’ with a great analogy:  

“Growing old should be like a candle burning evenly to the bottom, with only a slight flicker at the end and then the light goes out!”

Brett Hill

Can we really slow down the ageing process? The key to staying young is: move more, stress less and massage our minds!

Top ten tips for staying young

  1. RESISTANCE EXERCISE
    • Helps counteract & improve bone density and muscle mass (ranges from aqua aerobics to squats and lunges).
  2. PRACTICE (& challenge) YOUR BALANCE
    • standing on one leg (add resistance for a greater test) will help test whether your nervous system is ‘firing’ properly
  3. GENERAL NUTRITION
    • LESS processed carbs (accelerate cell division/ inflammation = you age quicker)
    • MORE quality fats *OMEGA 3s* vital
  4. BONE DENSITY
    • LESS acidity in diet (processed foods, sugar, sodas)
    • MORE vitamin D (from sunlight)….have a few mins each day outside without sunglasses as this activates perineal gland in eye that helps body regulate clock to improve sleep.
  5. FISH OIL (Omega 3)
    • From deep sea/ oily fish or quality liquid ‘supplement’ – choose from health food shop NOT supermarket as must be microfiltered and EPA/ DHA standardised.
  6. MAGNESIUM
    • Great for anti-stress – food sources: green veg (kale, spinach), nuts and seeds, whole grains (AVOID ALL white processed flours)
  7. CALCIUM
    • BEST from leafy greens, nuts and seeds
  8. Your ‘THOUGHT PROCESS’ – THINKING YOUNG! 
    • Negative thoughts = stress/ high cortisol levels/ inflammation
    • Try keeping a diary and only writing down POSITIVE things from your day
  9. LAUGHTER!
    • Pumps out serotonin = happy drug!! = better sleep = more energy
  10. PLAYFUL CURIOSITY
    • Having fun/ being an optimist/ being grateful EVERYDAY.

Optimism can help you live longer

One more thing…  Is your cup half full or half empty?

If it’s half full, chances are you’ll live longer. Optimism can actually add years on to your life. If you’re an older person with a positive attitude about your age it can help you live up to 7 years longer. And if you’re a young person with a positive attitude about growing older that can halve your risk of a heart attack.

In the words of Monty Python’s Life of Brian: Always look on the bright side of life 🙂

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best


And always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the light side of life


If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing


And always look on the bright side of life.
Come On!
Always look on the light side of life.


References

The Wellness Couch, BBC Study 2016

Monty Python Lyrics

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