I am still to meet anyone who enjoys the negatives that old age often brings with it. We all try to stay healthy, youthful, vibrant and full of energy as long as we live. This means that not only we keep enjoying life but also preserve our independence. However, while there are some people who seem to stay young without much effort, the large majority of us aren’t so lucky and have to work for it. But do we need to work that hard? Does it need to be complicated?
I’ve thought about it and have come up with 3 main things to remember in order to stay young. In fact, they aren’t even things – I’ve put my thoughts into 3 groups which I consider to be most important. See if you find what I’ve come up with useful for yourself.
1. Mindful nutrition – make it your rule
The way we age very much depends on what, when and how much we eat. Our health depends on what we put into our mouth at any time in our life. As we age, this becomes even more important since our metabolism slows down and the body becomes less efficient at delivering important nutrients and eliminating toxins.
Nutrition is a very controversial subject these days. There are people who follow certain diets – low carb, fruit only, vegetarian, vegan, and so on. I am not going to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of any of them. People make their choices consciously and it’s not for us to judge or try to change what they eat. What I can do is offer some tips which you may find useful.
Following are the things that need to be considered:
- Make sure that you eat a lot of fresh, preferably organic, fruit and vegetables. They are rich in vitamins, minerals and various other substances which are good for ourselves.
- Eat sprouted seeds and legumes – they contain a lot of nutrients.
- Eat nuts and seeds – they are very rich in minerals, vitamins and, most importantly, are rich in omega fatty acids needed for the brain, nerve cells and to help keep the blood vessels clean of plaque.
- Eat protein – whichever varieties suit your diet. If you are vegan, the richest sources of protein are legumes (peas, lentils, peanuts, beans), seeds, nuts and tofu. If you are a vegetarian, add well-sourced eggs and fermented organic dairy to the mix. If you are a meat-eater, be mindful of where your meat comes from. Cheap meat may be good for the wallet but not good for the body since it almost always contains all sorts of substances which are being fed to animals. Add to the list hormones and antibiotics, as well as stress hormones which intensively farmed animals are exposed to for all sorts of reasons. So choose wisely.
- Hydrate yourself regularly – drink water, some freshly squeezed juice, smoothies.
- If you eat grains choose the varieties which are rich in fibre.
- Supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals to promote better health. These must include magnesium, zinc, selenium and vitamins B, E, C and A.
- My recent post is about a super-powerful antioxidant which you may want to check out. Astaxanthin is such a revelation. As you may be aware, ageing is caused to a large extent by free radicals which bombard our cells damaging DNA. This antioxidant takes care of neutralising free radicals and protecting cells like no other.
2. Keep active – physically and mentally
This means keeping your body active and mind occupied – while maintaining inner peace. Here are some suggestions:
- Do Yoga. You don’t need to be an expert – anyone can do it following videos on Youtube or by attending a class.
- Meditate – again, this doesn’t require expert knowledge either. There are many ways to meditate. Some forms of meditation are very simple. A lot of instructional videos can be found on Youtube and online.
- Join a dance class – whichever style takes your fancy. Dance has been proven to be an amazing way to keep both the body strong and agile and the mind active.
- Walk a lot – it’s the cheapest and best form of exercise. Or cycle if you can – that’s another way to exercise without spending money on a gym.
- Start learning to play a musical instrument. Playing an instrument creates new neural connections and this helps to keep the brain in good health.
- Begin learning a language – for the same reason as you would learn to play a musical instrument. There are free apps such as Duolingo which you can use to start.
- Take up knitting or crochet – both develop the motor skills and help to prevent a number of diseases.
- Read, write, learn something new. An active mind stays healthy as much as an active body.
3. Take care of your thoughts and emotions
What we think and how we react to what happens around us is very important for staying young. Our mindset affects the way we feel – emotionally as well as physically. There are a number of ways we can help ourselves to keep our thoughts and emotions in check:
- Meditate regularly. A gratitude ritual helps many to stay in good mental shape.
- Practise deep breathing. Look on Youtube for Dr Weile breathing exercise.
- Read a good book at least for 1 hour a day. Books have a way of taking us into another world, especially the ones that make us think, laugh and feel a range of emotions.
- Help people, animals or anyone needing help. Join or start a community project. Being needed is what keeps us going.
- Travel, do things that you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t for some reason. Don’t put them off.
- Wear the clothes and shoes you love. Enjoy it.
- If you are single – think whether having a companion would be a great idea. Then think about where to find one. I know it’s not an easy thing but it’s not impossible either. If you prefer to be single for a while or for good – it’s good too, as long as it makes you happy and content.
- There is a lot going on in the world and what we see on TV, online etc can get confusing and depressing. If you feel this way – cut these channels for yourself. Nobody can make you follow what makes you upset but yourself. Many of us have become news junkies, and it’s absolutely our choice whether to stay this way or change it. Cleanse your mind from all this. Don’t allow disturbing stuff to go through it – especially considering the fact that it’s not often that we can help. Mental hygiene is as important and physical, and it’s up to us to keep our mind free from information junk.
To this, I want to add that at Pure Nature Cures we offer a fantastic treatment developed by ourselves – Far Infrared Rejuvenating Seaweed Wrap. If you are in London, you can book a treatment or a course of treatments. The treatment involves using the power of minerals and far-infrared to facilitate rejuvenation of the body from the inside out – both through detox and remineralisation.
All of what I have mentioned above is a great way to keep your body, mind and soul healthy and young, but it’s not everything of course. Make your own list of what you can do to live a long and happy life and follow through with it!
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Take a look at my books where I describe how minerals – salts, muds and clays – help us heal. They are some of the best remedies for our joints. The resorts where people go to get help with arthritis are the most solid proof that they work.
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