Improve with Age
http://www.healityourself.com/articlelive/articles/41/1/Improve-with-Age/Page1.html
By Steven H Horne
Published on November 1, 2008
Some things definitely improve with age. Cheese and
wine, for example. Even some people improve with age, becoming wiser and happier. Of course, for many people, aging doesn’t mean improving, it means declining and gradually losing one's health and one's mental capacity. I reject that this is normal and in this article I discuss what causes our health to deteriorate as we age and what we can do to counteract it. I also take about my personal anti-aging program.
Understanding and Counteracting the Aging Process
Some things definitely improve with age. Cheese and wine, for example. I’m not big on wine, but I do love a nicely aged cheddar. Even some people improve with age, becoming wiser and happier.
Of course, for many people, aging doesn’t mean improving, it means declining. When I turned 50 a few years ago, I was becoming aware that my body just wasn’t quite as healthy as it used to be. I didn’t sleep as well or have as much energy as I used to. I was also developing more little aches and pains.
This realization didn’t send me into resignation, however. It caused me to develop a keen personal interest in learning all I can about anti-aging, making it “center stage” in my personal research and practice. My plan has always been to live to a “ripe, old age” and to be healthy and active until the day I die. I want to die “in the field with my boots on,” not wasting away in some old nursing home. Of course, if my life is cut short because of some accident, that’s okay, I just don’t want any of this slow “wasting away” from chronic and degenerative disease that I see happening in so many people my age.
I’ve always had a healthier lifestyle than the average American, but that’s not good enough for me anymore. The little signs of aging I noticed in my body told me that my program is less than optimal, so I’ve been tweaking it and improving it. Anyone who tells you that you don’t need to adjust your lifestyle for maximum health, you just need to take some supplements, doesn’t know what they are talking about. Supplements can help, but 80-90% of staying healthy is all about lifestyle.
There is a common misconception that you don’t know you’re developing chronic and degenerative diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental deterioration, etc. until they “take you down,” because most people, including most medical doctors, don’t recognize the “early warning” signs that tell you your lifestyle isn’t healthy. They think that little aches and pains, constipation, digestive upset, headaches, joint stiffness, waking up at night to urinate, gaining weight around the abdomen, etc. are all just natural parts of “growing older.”
I reject that hypothesis. In fact, the more I’ve researched the subject, the more I realize that the extra weight I was carrying around my middle (which I gained under a period of great stress) was a serious indication that my metabolism was out of whack. And, when I see people who are in their 70s and 80s who are active and healthy, I know that we aren’t meant to deteriorate from degenerative disease as we age.
My Findings
My reading in this subject has lead me to I believe there are four major factors that contribute to the development of chronic and degenerative disease as we age. These factors are:
Use Antioxidants to Counter-Act Free Radical Damage
Scientists are recognizing that oxidative stress, also known as free radical damage, is a major cause of degenerative disease and premature aging. Since rust is an example of oxidative stress, you can think of this free radical damage as causing us to slowly “rust” on the inside.
Antioxidants prevent this “rust” and so slow the aging process and prevent degenerative disease. The primary way to get more antioxidants is to eat 5-9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day.
The only difficult part of this is that it requires a little food preparation time to cook vegetables yourself rather than opening up a can or a package of frozen vegetables. But even if you don’t have time to cook, what stops you from eating carrot and celery sticks, raw fruits or using some of the organic pre-packaged salad mixes? Come on, it’s not that hard.
You can also use antioxidant supplements. One of my favorites is Thai-Go from Nature’s Sunshine Products. It has been independently tested and bears a seal of certification from an independent lab about it’s high antioxidant value and is the best product in it’s class.
I also supplement my own fresh fruit and vegetable intake using products from URI International, including the Feast, SuperCharged Feast, Berry Feast and Beyond Berries. These mixtures of fruit and vegetable powders are so tasty that even children like them. I’ve been using them for months and find them highly valuable “insurance” that I’m getting an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables each day.
Recently, I’ve also discovered the value of Kangen water. These water is not only alkalizing to the system, it is also a source of antioxidants when consumed within a few hours of production. I was surprised that it actually initiated a “cleansing crisis” in me when I started to drink it (as I thought I was too healthy for that), but the longer I’ve drunk it the more energy I find it gives me.
2. Use Anti-inflammatory Remedies to Prevent Chronic Inflammation
Years ago I learned the inflammation was the body’s response to tissue damage of any kind. Of course, the inflammatory process is supposed to end with the tissue repairing itself and returning to normal function. This doesn’t always happen, so chronic inflammation sets in and causes tissue breakdown.
Chronic inflammation and free radical damage are closely related processes, so the same 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables also help to reduce chronic inflammation, but there are some additional factors that target inflammation more specifically.
Omega-3 essential fatty acids are missing in almost all American diets. These fatty acids help produce chemical messengers that control inflammation. When they are lacking tissue damage doesn’t heal properly and turns into chronic inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids are also critical to brain function as the brain is 50% fat and most of that fat is omega-3 fatty acids.
Another key to reducing chronic inflammation is to get rid of the refined carbohydrates in your diet. I’m taking about eliminating refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour and polished rice from your diet as much as possible. It’s OK to use whole grains and natural sweeteners, but it’s not good to eat too many of them, either. The primary carbohydrates in the diet should be fruits and vegetables.
Finally, the primary source of both oxidative stress and the tissue damage that causes inflammation is environmental toxins. As much as you can, avoid chemicals. If you don’t buy pre-packaged foods loaded with preservatives, food colorings, etc. that’s a start, but you should also look for natural household cleaning products and personal care products.
3. Keep Your Blood Sugar Stable
The best way to do this is to avoid simple carbohydrates like refined sugar, white flour and polished rice. Instead, opt for whole grains and natural sweeteners. However, as I’ve already suggested even whole grains and natural sugars can be overdone.
If you experience a lot of sugar cravings, it’s because you aren’t getting enough good quality fat and protein in your diet. So, make sure you’re also getting good fats and proteins.
Start the day with a breakfast that includes both protein and good fats, such as good quality eggs, turkey breakfast sausage, organic bacon, organic beef, avocados, a shake with protein powder and some coconut milk or coconut oil, etc. Then, eat regular small meals throughout the day. This helps keep you from getting on the blood sugar roller coaster that leads to chronic inflammation.
I’ve found that Super Algae (an NSP product) and licorice root help reduce sugar cravings. Take two capsules of each at breakfast, two more at lunch and two more around 3-4 PM if you start to experience an afternoon slump. Another product I’ve found very helpful in balancing blood sugar levels and reducing carbohydrate cravings is Metabazon from Amazon Herbs.
4. Manage Stress
Saying avoid stress is ridiculous advice because stress comes into everyone’s life. We need to learn to manage our stress and the best way to do that is to deliberately create pleasurable experiences for ourselves every day. A pleasurable experience such as taking a hot bath, getting a massage or a foot rub, taking a walk in nature, sitting down and enjoying a wonderful meal or any other activity that engages the body and senses in a pleasurable way counteracts stress. This is because it creates more positive benefits than stressful experiences create harm.
Adaptagenic herbs can also be used to help reduce the level of stress. These herbs often have the added benefit of helping to keep blood sugar balanced, too. Adaptagens include Eleuthero root, rhodiola, suma, ginseng, astragalus, schizandra and many other tonic herbs. These herbs can often help with inflammation and oxidative stress, too.
My personal favorite adaptagen is still just plain Eleuthero root. I also really love the Nervous Fatigue Formula from Nature’s Sunshine Products. It helps people who feel “burned out” from stress to sleep better, have more energy and feel more relaxed. I also like Sumacazon from Amazon Herbs.
Another thing that benefits both blood sugar levels and reduces stress is regular exercise. This doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym. You can take a walk, bounce on a mini-trampoline or just lift some light weights at least three to four times per week.
Of course, for many people, aging doesn’t mean improving, it means declining. When I turned 50 a few years ago, I was becoming aware that my body just wasn’t quite as healthy as it used to be. I didn’t sleep as well or have as much energy as I used to. I was also developing more little aches and pains.
This realization didn’t send me into resignation, however. It caused me to develop a keen personal interest in learning all I can about anti-aging, making it “center stage” in my personal research and practice. My plan has always been to live to a “ripe, old age” and to be healthy and active until the day I die. I want to die “in the field with my boots on,” not wasting away in some old nursing home. Of course, if my life is cut short because of some accident, that’s okay, I just don’t want any of this slow “wasting away” from chronic and degenerative disease that I see happening in so many people my age.
I’ve always had a healthier lifestyle than the average American, but that’s not good enough for me anymore. The little signs of aging I noticed in my body told me that my program is less than optimal, so I’ve been tweaking it and improving it. Anyone who tells you that you don’t need to adjust your lifestyle for maximum health, you just need to take some supplements, doesn’t know what they are talking about. Supplements can help, but 80-90% of staying healthy is all about lifestyle.
There is a common misconception that you don’t know you’re developing chronic and degenerative diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental deterioration, etc. until they “take you down,” because most people, including most medical doctors, don’t recognize the “early warning” signs that tell you your lifestyle isn’t healthy. They think that little aches and pains, constipation, digestive upset, headaches, joint stiffness, waking up at night to urinate, gaining weight around the abdomen, etc. are all just natural parts of “growing older.”
I reject that hypothesis. In fact, the more I’ve researched the subject, the more I realize that the extra weight I was carrying around my middle (which I gained under a period of great stress) was a serious indication that my metabolism was out of whack. And, when I see people who are in their 70s and 80s who are active and healthy, I know that we aren’t meant to deteriorate from degenerative disease as we age.
My Findings
My reading in this subject has lead me to I believe there are four major factors that contribute to the development of chronic and degenerative disease as we age. These factors are:
- Free Radical Damage
- Chronic Inflammation
- Hyperinsulinemia (metabolic syndrome)
- Stress (excess or diminished cortisol)
Use Antioxidants to Counter-Act Free Radical Damage
Scientists are recognizing that oxidative stress, also known as free radical damage, is a major cause of degenerative disease and premature aging. Since rust is an example of oxidative stress, you can think of this free radical damage as causing us to slowly “rust” on the inside.
Antioxidants prevent this “rust” and so slow the aging process and prevent degenerative disease. The primary way to get more antioxidants is to eat 5-9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day.
The only difficult part of this is that it requires a little food preparation time to cook vegetables yourself rather than opening up a can or a package of frozen vegetables. But even if you don’t have time to cook, what stops you from eating carrot and celery sticks, raw fruits or using some of the organic pre-packaged salad mixes? Come on, it’s not that hard.
You can also use antioxidant supplements. One of my favorites is Thai-Go from Nature’s Sunshine Products. It has been independently tested and bears a seal of certification from an independent lab about it’s high antioxidant value and is the best product in it’s class.
I also supplement my own fresh fruit and vegetable intake using products from URI International, including the Feast, SuperCharged Feast, Berry Feast and Beyond Berries. These mixtures of fruit and vegetable powders are so tasty that even children like them. I’ve been using them for months and find them highly valuable “insurance” that I’m getting an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables each day.
Recently, I’ve also discovered the value of Kangen water. These water is not only alkalizing to the system, it is also a source of antioxidants when consumed within a few hours of production. I was surprised that it actually initiated a “cleansing crisis” in me when I started to drink it (as I thought I was too healthy for that), but the longer I’ve drunk it the more energy I find it gives me.
2. Use Anti-inflammatory Remedies to Prevent Chronic Inflammation
Years ago I learned the inflammation was the body’s response to tissue damage of any kind. Of course, the inflammatory process is supposed to end with the tissue repairing itself and returning to normal function. This doesn’t always happen, so chronic inflammation sets in and causes tissue breakdown.
Chronic inflammation and free radical damage are closely related processes, so the same 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables also help to reduce chronic inflammation, but there are some additional factors that target inflammation more specifically.
Omega-3 essential fatty acids are missing in almost all American diets. These fatty acids help produce chemical messengers that control inflammation. When they are lacking tissue damage doesn’t heal properly and turns into chronic inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids are also critical to brain function as the brain is 50% fat and most of that fat is omega-3 fatty acids.
Another key to reducing chronic inflammation is to get rid of the refined carbohydrates in your diet. I’m taking about eliminating refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour and polished rice from your diet as much as possible. It’s OK to use whole grains and natural sweeteners, but it’s not good to eat too many of them, either. The primary carbohydrates in the diet should be fruits and vegetables.
Finally, the primary source of both oxidative stress and the tissue damage that causes inflammation is environmental toxins. As much as you can, avoid chemicals. If you don’t buy pre-packaged foods loaded with preservatives, food colorings, etc. that’s a start, but you should also look for natural household cleaning products and personal care products.
3. Keep Your Blood Sugar Stable
The best way to do this is to avoid simple carbohydrates like refined sugar, white flour and polished rice. Instead, opt for whole grains and natural sweeteners. However, as I’ve already suggested even whole grains and natural sugars can be overdone.
If you experience a lot of sugar cravings, it’s because you aren’t getting enough good quality fat and protein in your diet. So, make sure you’re also getting good fats and proteins.
Start the day with a breakfast that includes both protein and good fats, such as good quality eggs, turkey breakfast sausage, organic bacon, organic beef, avocados, a shake with protein powder and some coconut milk or coconut oil, etc. Then, eat regular small meals throughout the day. This helps keep you from getting on the blood sugar roller coaster that leads to chronic inflammation.
I’ve found that Super Algae (an NSP product) and licorice root help reduce sugar cravings. Take two capsules of each at breakfast, two more at lunch and two more around 3-4 PM if you start to experience an afternoon slump. Another product I’ve found very helpful in balancing blood sugar levels and reducing carbohydrate cravings is Metabazon from Amazon Herbs.
4. Manage Stress
Saying avoid stress is ridiculous advice because stress comes into everyone’s life. We need to learn to manage our stress and the best way to do that is to deliberately create pleasurable experiences for ourselves every day. A pleasurable experience such as taking a hot bath, getting a massage or a foot rub, taking a walk in nature, sitting down and enjoying a wonderful meal or any other activity that engages the body and senses in a pleasurable way counteracts stress. This is because it creates more positive benefits than stressful experiences create harm.
Adaptagenic herbs can also be used to help reduce the level of stress. These herbs often have the added benefit of helping to keep blood sugar balanced, too. Adaptagens include Eleuthero root, rhodiola, suma, ginseng, astragalus, schizandra and many other tonic herbs. These herbs can often help with inflammation and oxidative stress, too.
My personal favorite adaptagen is still just plain Eleuthero root. I also really love the Nervous Fatigue Formula from Nature’s Sunshine Products. It helps people who feel “burned out” from stress to sleep better, have more energy and feel more relaxed. I also like Sumacazon from Amazon Herbs.
Another thing that benefits both blood sugar levels and reduces stress is regular exercise. This doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym. You can take a walk, bounce on a mini-trampoline or just lift some light weights at least three to four times per week.
My Personal Anti-Aging Program
Deep down inside I think that most people know what they should be
doing to stay healthy and prevent premature aging. They just don’t do
it because they don’t think it’s that important. Unlike me, they don’t
take these little warning signs seriously. But, I’m not content with
just “not being sick.” I want a high level of wellness. I want to have
a clear mind, lots of energy and be free of minor aches and pains. Is
that possible? I not only believe this is possible, I’m taking active
steps to make this a reality in my life. Here’s what I’m doing.
A Check Up From the Neck Up
The first, and most important, lifestyle change that any of us need to make is to adjust our thinking. We all need a frequent “check up from the neck up for stinking thinking.” Many people have seen the DVD The Secret. (If you haven’t seen it, you can purchase it at www.thesecret.tv.) The program impressed on me again the power of the mind/body connection. What we focus our mental attention and emotional energy will influence our choices and shape our experience.
So, if we worry that we’re going to get diabetes because it “runs in the family,” we more than likely will. If we’re convinced that old age will bring lots of chronic health problems that will cause us to need lots of medical help, it will. That’s why I’ve chosen to believe that I can live a long and healthy life, but believing means “being and living,” so I’ve also chosen to act on this belief by working on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
I’m not saying genetics doesn’t play a role in our health, or that we don’t age. But, I think it’s the lifestyle and attitudes we “inherit” from our family that do more damage to our health than our genetics. My own parents were active right up to the time they died in their early 80s. And, while they had some health challenges, they both told me how much better off they were with the natural remedies I’d recommended to them than their friends were with their numerous drug medications.
In fact, my parents were in their late 60s and early 70s in the 1980s, when I started working in this industry full time. After I helped them get started on some supplements, both of them saw improvement in their health over the next decade, instead of a decline.
I also believe there is always a mental/emotional component in chronic illness. We are not victims of disease. For example, disease can be an excuse for getting out of an unpleasant situations we don’t have the courage to get out of on our own. For others, it becomes a way to get pity and sympathy. Have you ever noticed that old people who complain constantly about their health problems are less healthy than those with a positive outlook on life? I have.
So, our first task if you want a long and healthy life is to not buy into the fear of disease. Remember the secret (the one discussed in The Secret DVD) is that what you focus your mental and emotional energy on you will create. It’s really a principle of faith. What you hold firmly in your mind and heart will influence your choices and through persistence will eventually materialize in your life.
The problem with most people is that they never focus on health. They don’t even think about their health until they get sick, and then, they still don’t focus on health, they focus “curing” the sickness. So, the focus is never on health, it’s always on either disease or nothing. If you want to be healthy you have to start by picturing yourself as healthy. You need to visualize seeing yourself living a healthy lifestyle and being active, healthy and pain-free as you grow older.
Building health is different than curing disease. It’s a completely different mind set because it’s focused on the positive outcome of health rather than the fearful activity of trying to avoid or get rid of disease. Even if you’ve already developed some degenerative disease, focusing on your health will help you heal; focusing on the disease will only maintain the disease. Also, if you already have a chronic or degenerative disease, it’s really important to assess your beliefs and emotional “payoffs” that surround the illness. You may even need some flower essences or emotional healing work to help you move past these issues.
Be a “Picky Eater”
Now, that brings us to the second thing we all need to do if we want to slow the aging process. We need to eat healthy and to do that you need to become a picky eater. Now, when most of us think of a picky eater, we think of the child who won’t eat their fruits and vegetables and only wants to live on junk food. I’m talking about the opposite kind of picky eater, the one who eats the fruits and vegetables and avoids the junk food.
Look, supplements are great, but they are meant to supplement, not replace, a healthy diet. I know you’re not a kid anymore, so you don’t need or want some parent-figure (like me) hanging over you bugging you to “eat your vegetables.” But, if you shift your attitude about health and then start eating your vegetables (and fresh fruits, too), it’s one of the best things you can do to stay healthy.
I think most of us should know why those fruits and veggies are so healthy, but in case you don’t fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, and antioxidants help reduce inflammation and free radical damage, which in turn slows aging and reduces one’s risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and so forth. You can, of course, supplement your diet with some antioxidants, but again, that should be in addition to, not instead of, your healthy diet.
Now, as much as I know that I should be eating all those fruits and vegetables every day, I just get busy, don’t take time to cook and often fail to get the produce in my diet that I should. Fortunately, I’ve found something that has really helped me—The Feast. The Feast is a whole food supplement from URI International that contains powdered fruits, vegetables, sprouts, probiotics and enzymes. One scoop is the equivalent of two servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, so two scoops per day and you’ve gotten the equivalent of four servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, about half of what you should be eating daily.
I make a shake most mornings now using The Feast, frozen fruit, whole milk yoghurt and protein powder. I really like URI’s protein powder Vegetein, which is made with rice and pea protein. I’ve tried a lot of protein powders and this is the first one I’ve been able to tolerate long term. I don’t do well with soy protein or whey protein, but this protein powder seems to be great for me. I sometimes use NSP’s GreenZone or the Barley Gold available from NSP Canada. The Barley Gold is a fantastic product, one I wish we had in the states.
Of course, it really helps to avoided refined and processed foods, but again, if you’re thinking about the negative (what you shouldn’t be eating) that makes it hard. You want to focus on the positive, i.e., eating stuff you know is healthy for you. That makes the job of improving your diet easier.
Oh, and there’s another aspect to being a picky eater that I might mention. That’s eating less. According to Barry Sears in The Anti-Aging Diet, there’s only one way that is scientifically proven to extend the life of animals in laboratory experiments. You guessed it—limiting food intake. Apparently, one of the biggest sources of oxidative stress comes from processing nutrients. So, if you eat less, you have less oxidative stress. You’ll also lose weight, which is another part of the anti-aging equation.
In that arena, I’ve made some progress. I have tended to be the kind of person who skipped meals and then ate big meals. That’s a sure-fire way to gain weight (or at least not be able to lose it). What does work is to eat lots of small meals. I recently read about a professor at BYU here in Utah who is helping people lose weight by telling them to eat a little bit whenever they are hungry and not worry too much about what they are eating.
The article said that people whose parents tried to control their eating are more likely to gain weight as adults than parents who didn’t fuss over their children’s diets. Apparently, it has to do with learning to pay attention to your body and what it wants. When you have parents like mine, who stressed “clean up your plate or no dessert” or “some starving child in China would just love to have that food,” you learn to override your body’s messages about hunger and fullness.
This professor said that you should learn to image hunger on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is you are starving to death and 10 is you are so stuffed from that big Thanksgiving dinner that you couldn’t even think of eating another bite. What you want is to keep your hunger around 5. So, whenever you feel just a little bit hungry, you eat a little bit, but not enough to make you feel full. Just enough to take the edge off the hunger. This sounds like a good practice for longevity and not just for weight loss.
I do know that not skipping breakfast and following NSP Senior National Manager Jack Ritchason’s long standing advice of breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper (instead of the other way around, which has been my norm) has given me better energy and helped me get trimmer. It has been easier to eat regularly since I’ve been married as my wife cannot go for long periods without eating, so I’m eating on a more regular basis.
Get Off the Coach and Away from the Computer and Exercise
Groan! Okay, here’s where one of those “check up from the neck up...” sessions had to come into play for me. I know that exercise is an important part of staying healthy. Over and over again, the research shows that regular exercise helps diabetes, helps you lose weight, reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, relieves depression, etc., etc., etc. So, why has the thought of exercise been so “negative” for me?
It’s because that word exercise takes me back to Junior High and High School Gym classes where a more than slightly uncoordinated young man experienced a lot of humiliation and stress. So, the word exercise brings up those negative feelings, which makes me avoid it, even though it’s “good” for me. So, as I’ve evaluated my own anti-aging plan, I’ve had to figure how to deal with those emotions in order to get myself to exercise.
When I realized that my attitudes from high school interfered with my getting exercise, I decided that I needed to get some help. So, I signed up for some coaching at the gym. I knew that I have a stronger need to keep appointments and commitments than my blocks about exercising. It really helped.
Now, I’ve found a great trainer, who has showed me how to do a really effective program, so I’m confident that I’ll continue to improve in this arena. But, this brings up an important secret to overcoming blocks to doing what you know we know we should. Getting someone to be accountable to is the best motivator for most of us. It is much stronger than willpower.
Get a Good Night's Sleep
Here’s our next to the last one, and it’s an important one, too. A lot of people start having problems sleeping as they get older, and that’s a problem. During deep sleep, your body produces growth hormone from the pituitary. (It’s also produced during exercise.) Growth hormone stimulates tissue repair. So the combination of physical activity and deep sleep is what allows your body to repair itself. That’s an important part of the reason why adequate rest and exercise are an essential part of an anti-aging program.
So, if you’re having trouble sleeping you need to do something about that. The most common problem I find that disturbs sleep is adrenal fatigue and nervous exhaustion. This can cause a person to feel tired during the day, but toss and turn all night long. Nervous Fatigue Formula or Adrenal Support will often correct this.
It’s also important to know that if you suddenly wake up at night and can’t go back to sleep that this is a sign of blood sugar problems. What happens is the blood sugar drops so low that the body uses adrenaline to bring it back up. This causes you to suddenly “wake up” as if you were startled and lie there thinking about all of your problems. The solution become a picky eater and get those refined carbohydrates out of your diet. It also helps to have a high protein, high fat snack (like nut butter or cheese) right before bed. Supplements that stabilize blood sugar levels (like licorice or Super Algae) may also be helpful when taken during the day.
Another thing that can disturb sleep is kidney, bladder and prostate problems. This causes you to wake up in the night needing to urinate. It can be related to adrenal fatigue and Nervous Fatigue Formula sometimes corrects it. For some Men’s Formula or PS II may help. I was having this problem, and after some experimentation found the combination of two urinary herbs pipsissewa and goldenrod stopped the problem for me and got me a peaceful night’s sleep.
If the problem is getting to sleep, there are several healthy habits that might help. One is getting the refined carbs out of your diet, another is exercise and the final one is adopting a set bedtime to help regulate the body’s biological clock. Instead of watching TV at night, read or listen to music. If stress is a problem, adaptagens or nervines may help you relax and get to sleep.
If you have trouble getting to sleep, but feel groggy and irritable in the morning, you need to “cleanse” your colon and liver. A congested liver will give you nervous energy at night, but leave you feeling “hung over” in the morning.
Recently I’ve discovered some new helps for sleep. The herb corydalis is in the poppy family and is a mild sedative. It’s helped me get to sleep when I’ve had trouble getting to sleep and also helping me get back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night. It works well when taken with extra magnesium, which is another great sleep aid.
Even more recently I found a formula called Serenity at the health food store. It’s produced by Gaia Herbs and contains skullcap, kava kava and other herbs to help you relax. What’s nice about it is that it’s a liquid herbal product in a capsule so it works fast, but you don’t have to taste it. This stuff really helps “knock me out.”
If none of the above helps, consult a natural health practitioner for additional help and suggestions, but try to avoid sleeping pills as they don’t give you a natural night’s sleep.
Take Some Anti-Aging Supplements
Now we come to the final part of my anti-aging program. It’s an important part of the anti-aging program, but it isn’t going to make up for bad lifestyle habits in the other four areas. Because it’s hard to get really good food in modern America and because of the high level of pollution, I think some degree of supplementation is appropriate. I adjust what I take regularly, depending on what is happening and how I feel, but here are some of the items I use regularly.
Enzymes. These diminish as we age and it is important to maintain good digestion. I take plant enzyme supplements regularly. Because I have problems with protein metabolism I often take NSP’s High Potency Protease. My favorite enzyme product is Digestazon Plus from Amazon Herbs, but I also use NSP’s Proactazyme and a product called Absorb Aid.
Fiber. It not only helps keep me regular, it also protects my body against environmental pollutants and cancer. I like NSP’s Psyllium Hulls mixed half and half with fresh ground flax seeds. I’ve got my wife taking Amazon’s Fiberzon Plus, which is another fiber supplement I frequently use.
Antioxidants. Like Thai-Go—love the stuff. Antioxidants should be an important part of any anti-aging program. I also get antioxidants from The Feast.
CoQ10 and MegaChel. I noticed little signs that indicate I could be at risk for cardiovascular disease (such as spider veins around my nose and a tendency to gum disease) so I decided I should start protecting myself before I have any serious problems. So, I’ve been taking Co-Q10 75 since I turned 50 and recently added MegaChel (2-4 per day) instead of a vitamin and mineral supplement. It’s something I had my parents do and it worked great for them.
Tonic Herbs. Elderly people the world over have used tonic herbs like ginseng to maintain health as they got older. I vary what I take with how I feel. Right now, I’m on cordyceps for my lungs and Ginkgo/Gotu Kola with Bacopa to help maintain good circulation to the brain.
As I stated at the beginning of this article, I don’t accept the fact that we’re meant to waste away as we get older. Of course, we do have to slow down a bit, but I still think we can keep our good health as we get older by actively working on our health. If you don’t have a health-building program, start one today. If you need help, talk to a competent natural health practitioner.
A Check Up From the Neck Up
The first, and most important, lifestyle change that any of us need to make is to adjust our thinking. We all need a frequent “check up from the neck up for stinking thinking.” Many people have seen the DVD The Secret. (If you haven’t seen it, you can purchase it at www.thesecret.tv.) The program impressed on me again the power of the mind/body connection. What we focus our mental attention and emotional energy will influence our choices and shape our experience.
So, if we worry that we’re going to get diabetes because it “runs in the family,” we more than likely will. If we’re convinced that old age will bring lots of chronic health problems that will cause us to need lots of medical help, it will. That’s why I’ve chosen to believe that I can live a long and healthy life, but believing means “being and living,” so I’ve also chosen to act on this belief by working on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
I’m not saying genetics doesn’t play a role in our health, or that we don’t age. But, I think it’s the lifestyle and attitudes we “inherit” from our family that do more damage to our health than our genetics. My own parents were active right up to the time they died in their early 80s. And, while they had some health challenges, they both told me how much better off they were with the natural remedies I’d recommended to them than their friends were with their numerous drug medications.
In fact, my parents were in their late 60s and early 70s in the 1980s, when I started working in this industry full time. After I helped them get started on some supplements, both of them saw improvement in their health over the next decade, instead of a decline.
I also believe there is always a mental/emotional component in chronic illness. We are not victims of disease. For example, disease can be an excuse for getting out of an unpleasant situations we don’t have the courage to get out of on our own. For others, it becomes a way to get pity and sympathy. Have you ever noticed that old people who complain constantly about their health problems are less healthy than those with a positive outlook on life? I have.
So, our first task if you want a long and healthy life is to not buy into the fear of disease. Remember the secret (the one discussed in The Secret DVD) is that what you focus your mental and emotional energy on you will create. It’s really a principle of faith. What you hold firmly in your mind and heart will influence your choices and through persistence will eventually materialize in your life.
The problem with most people is that they never focus on health. They don’t even think about their health until they get sick, and then, they still don’t focus on health, they focus “curing” the sickness. So, the focus is never on health, it’s always on either disease or nothing. If you want to be healthy you have to start by picturing yourself as healthy. You need to visualize seeing yourself living a healthy lifestyle and being active, healthy and pain-free as you grow older.
Building health is different than curing disease. It’s a completely different mind set because it’s focused on the positive outcome of health rather than the fearful activity of trying to avoid or get rid of disease. Even if you’ve already developed some degenerative disease, focusing on your health will help you heal; focusing on the disease will only maintain the disease. Also, if you already have a chronic or degenerative disease, it’s really important to assess your beliefs and emotional “payoffs” that surround the illness. You may even need some flower essences or emotional healing work to help you move past these issues.
Be a “Picky Eater”
Now, that brings us to the second thing we all need to do if we want to slow the aging process. We need to eat healthy and to do that you need to become a picky eater. Now, when most of us think of a picky eater, we think of the child who won’t eat their fruits and vegetables and only wants to live on junk food. I’m talking about the opposite kind of picky eater, the one who eats the fruits and vegetables and avoids the junk food.
Look, supplements are great, but they are meant to supplement, not replace, a healthy diet. I know you’re not a kid anymore, so you don’t need or want some parent-figure (like me) hanging over you bugging you to “eat your vegetables.” But, if you shift your attitude about health and then start eating your vegetables (and fresh fruits, too), it’s one of the best things you can do to stay healthy.
I think most of us should know why those fruits and veggies are so healthy, but in case you don’t fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, and antioxidants help reduce inflammation and free radical damage, which in turn slows aging and reduces one’s risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and so forth. You can, of course, supplement your diet with some antioxidants, but again, that should be in addition to, not instead of, your healthy diet.
Now, as much as I know that I should be eating all those fruits and vegetables every day, I just get busy, don’t take time to cook and often fail to get the produce in my diet that I should. Fortunately, I’ve found something that has really helped me—The Feast. The Feast is a whole food supplement from URI International that contains powdered fruits, vegetables, sprouts, probiotics and enzymes. One scoop is the equivalent of two servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, so two scoops per day and you’ve gotten the equivalent of four servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, about half of what you should be eating daily.
I make a shake most mornings now using The Feast, frozen fruit, whole milk yoghurt and protein powder. I really like URI’s protein powder Vegetein, which is made with rice and pea protein. I’ve tried a lot of protein powders and this is the first one I’ve been able to tolerate long term. I don’t do well with soy protein or whey protein, but this protein powder seems to be great for me. I sometimes use NSP’s GreenZone or the Barley Gold available from NSP Canada. The Barley Gold is a fantastic product, one I wish we had in the states.
Of course, it really helps to avoided refined and processed foods, but again, if you’re thinking about the negative (what you shouldn’t be eating) that makes it hard. You want to focus on the positive, i.e., eating stuff you know is healthy for you. That makes the job of improving your diet easier.
Oh, and there’s another aspect to being a picky eater that I might mention. That’s eating less. According to Barry Sears in The Anti-Aging Diet, there’s only one way that is scientifically proven to extend the life of animals in laboratory experiments. You guessed it—limiting food intake. Apparently, one of the biggest sources of oxidative stress comes from processing nutrients. So, if you eat less, you have less oxidative stress. You’ll also lose weight, which is another part of the anti-aging equation.
In that arena, I’ve made some progress. I have tended to be the kind of person who skipped meals and then ate big meals. That’s a sure-fire way to gain weight (or at least not be able to lose it). What does work is to eat lots of small meals. I recently read about a professor at BYU here in Utah who is helping people lose weight by telling them to eat a little bit whenever they are hungry and not worry too much about what they are eating.
The article said that people whose parents tried to control their eating are more likely to gain weight as adults than parents who didn’t fuss over their children’s diets. Apparently, it has to do with learning to pay attention to your body and what it wants. When you have parents like mine, who stressed “clean up your plate or no dessert” or “some starving child in China would just love to have that food,” you learn to override your body’s messages about hunger and fullness.
This professor said that you should learn to image hunger on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is you are starving to death and 10 is you are so stuffed from that big Thanksgiving dinner that you couldn’t even think of eating another bite. What you want is to keep your hunger around 5. So, whenever you feel just a little bit hungry, you eat a little bit, but not enough to make you feel full. Just enough to take the edge off the hunger. This sounds like a good practice for longevity and not just for weight loss.
I do know that not skipping breakfast and following NSP Senior National Manager Jack Ritchason’s long standing advice of breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper (instead of the other way around, which has been my norm) has given me better energy and helped me get trimmer. It has been easier to eat regularly since I’ve been married as my wife cannot go for long periods without eating, so I’m eating on a more regular basis.
Get Off the Coach and Away from the Computer and Exercise
Groan! Okay, here’s where one of those “check up from the neck up...” sessions had to come into play for me. I know that exercise is an important part of staying healthy. Over and over again, the research shows that regular exercise helps diabetes, helps you lose weight, reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, relieves depression, etc., etc., etc. So, why has the thought of exercise been so “negative” for me?
It’s because that word exercise takes me back to Junior High and High School Gym classes where a more than slightly uncoordinated young man experienced a lot of humiliation and stress. So, the word exercise brings up those negative feelings, which makes me avoid it, even though it’s “good” for me. So, as I’ve evaluated my own anti-aging plan, I’ve had to figure how to deal with those emotions in order to get myself to exercise.
When I realized that my attitudes from high school interfered with my getting exercise, I decided that I needed to get some help. So, I signed up for some coaching at the gym. I knew that I have a stronger need to keep appointments and commitments than my blocks about exercising. It really helped.
Now, I’ve found a great trainer, who has showed me how to do a really effective program, so I’m confident that I’ll continue to improve in this arena. But, this brings up an important secret to overcoming blocks to doing what you know we know we should. Getting someone to be accountable to is the best motivator for most of us. It is much stronger than willpower.
Get a Good Night's Sleep
Here’s our next to the last one, and it’s an important one, too. A lot of people start having problems sleeping as they get older, and that’s a problem. During deep sleep, your body produces growth hormone from the pituitary. (It’s also produced during exercise.) Growth hormone stimulates tissue repair. So the combination of physical activity and deep sleep is what allows your body to repair itself. That’s an important part of the reason why adequate rest and exercise are an essential part of an anti-aging program.
So, if you’re having trouble sleeping you need to do something about that. The most common problem I find that disturbs sleep is adrenal fatigue and nervous exhaustion. This can cause a person to feel tired during the day, but toss and turn all night long. Nervous Fatigue Formula or Adrenal Support will often correct this.
It’s also important to know that if you suddenly wake up at night and can’t go back to sleep that this is a sign of blood sugar problems. What happens is the blood sugar drops so low that the body uses adrenaline to bring it back up. This causes you to suddenly “wake up” as if you were startled and lie there thinking about all of your problems. The solution become a picky eater and get those refined carbohydrates out of your diet. It also helps to have a high protein, high fat snack (like nut butter or cheese) right before bed. Supplements that stabilize blood sugar levels (like licorice or Super Algae) may also be helpful when taken during the day.
Another thing that can disturb sleep is kidney, bladder and prostate problems. This causes you to wake up in the night needing to urinate. It can be related to adrenal fatigue and Nervous Fatigue Formula sometimes corrects it. For some Men’s Formula or PS II may help. I was having this problem, and after some experimentation found the combination of two urinary herbs pipsissewa and goldenrod stopped the problem for me and got me a peaceful night’s sleep.
If the problem is getting to sleep, there are several healthy habits that might help. One is getting the refined carbs out of your diet, another is exercise and the final one is adopting a set bedtime to help regulate the body’s biological clock. Instead of watching TV at night, read or listen to music. If stress is a problem, adaptagens or nervines may help you relax and get to sleep.
If you have trouble getting to sleep, but feel groggy and irritable in the morning, you need to “cleanse” your colon and liver. A congested liver will give you nervous energy at night, but leave you feeling “hung over” in the morning.
Recently I’ve discovered some new helps for sleep. The herb corydalis is in the poppy family and is a mild sedative. It’s helped me get to sleep when I’ve had trouble getting to sleep and also helping me get back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night. It works well when taken with extra magnesium, which is another great sleep aid.
Even more recently I found a formula called Serenity at the health food store. It’s produced by Gaia Herbs and contains skullcap, kava kava and other herbs to help you relax. What’s nice about it is that it’s a liquid herbal product in a capsule so it works fast, but you don’t have to taste it. This stuff really helps “knock me out.”
If none of the above helps, consult a natural health practitioner for additional help and suggestions, but try to avoid sleeping pills as they don’t give you a natural night’s sleep.
Take Some Anti-Aging Supplements
Now we come to the final part of my anti-aging program. It’s an important part of the anti-aging program, but it isn’t going to make up for bad lifestyle habits in the other four areas. Because it’s hard to get really good food in modern America and because of the high level of pollution, I think some degree of supplementation is appropriate. I adjust what I take regularly, depending on what is happening and how I feel, but here are some of the items I use regularly.
Enzymes. These diminish as we age and it is important to maintain good digestion. I take plant enzyme supplements regularly. Because I have problems with protein metabolism I often take NSP’s High Potency Protease. My favorite enzyme product is Digestazon Plus from Amazon Herbs, but I also use NSP’s Proactazyme and a product called Absorb Aid.
Fiber. It not only helps keep me regular, it also protects my body against environmental pollutants and cancer. I like NSP’s Psyllium Hulls mixed half and half with fresh ground flax seeds. I’ve got my wife taking Amazon’s Fiberzon Plus, which is another fiber supplement I frequently use.
Antioxidants. Like Thai-Go—love the stuff. Antioxidants should be an important part of any anti-aging program. I also get antioxidants from The Feast.
CoQ10 and MegaChel. I noticed little signs that indicate I could be at risk for cardiovascular disease (such as spider veins around my nose and a tendency to gum disease) so I decided I should start protecting myself before I have any serious problems. So, I’ve been taking Co-Q10 75 since I turned 50 and recently added MegaChel (2-4 per day) instead of a vitamin and mineral supplement. It’s something I had my parents do and it worked great for them.
Tonic Herbs. Elderly people the world over have used tonic herbs like ginseng to maintain health as they got older. I vary what I take with how I feel. Right now, I’m on cordyceps for my lungs and Ginkgo/Gotu Kola with Bacopa to help maintain good circulation to the brain.
As I stated at the beginning of this article, I don’t accept the fact that we’re meant to waste away as we get older. Of course, we do have to slow down a bit, but I still think we can keep our good health as we get older by actively working on our health. If you don’t have a health-building program, start one today. If you need help, talk to a competent natural health practitioner.