Managing Stress
Stress has got to be the number 1 ager there is! Not only does stress have a major impact on the quality of our lives, it can also lead to serious health problems. It wasn’t so long ago that people wouldn’t even have considered that a physical problem could be due to a mental problem.However, more and more scientific evidence is showing that the mind and body are more closely linked than originally thought. Our habits, lifestyle and environment all have an impact. But what really happens when we get stressed?
A stressful event can cause a number of things to happen. The adrenal glands pump adrenaline into the body and both heart rate and blood pressure increase. Fat and sugar enter the bloodstream to prepare for a ‘fight or flight’ response and the stress hormone cortisol is released. Of course, this can be a big problem because our stress levels invariably exceed what is necessary for the situation. This is not good for our long term health.
The fat deposited in the bloodstream is very often not fully burned off leaving behind plaque in the arteries. Also, there is added strain on the heart because the fat has a negative effect on blood flow. This can lead to hypertension and risk of a stroke. Exercise is great for alleviating the effects of stress because the fat and sugar are used up by the muscles allowing the blood to flow more freely.
By keeping an eye on what we eat and drink we can do a lot to alleviate stress. The trouble is, stress often makes us consume the wrong types of food. eating to alleviate stress can send our blood-glucose levels all over the place making our problems worse by directly effecting the brain. In other words what we eat influences our stress levels which in turn has some bearing on what we eat.The loop is closed and can be very hard to break. One reason why so called ‘diets’ don’t work.
What is actually needed is a stress management program that restores the balance of life. And this means a lot more than dealing with the mind alone. Anyone serious about anti aging techniques should never underestimate the value of stress management.
Calorie Restriction
There is little question that reducing one’s calorie intake has a positive impact on longevity.Not just any calorie restriction based diet but one based on complex carbohydrates.A low calorie diet is possible with simple carbohydrates but this idea would surely lead to premature death.The body requires nutrition and this is not found in refined sugar, flour and fat so common to the western diet.
Mice fed a calorie reduced diet while maintaining essential nutrient levels lived much longer than those fed a normal diet.The mice in the calorie restricted group also maintained their youthful appearance and remained active for much longer.
In trials at Washington University adults with an average age of 55 kept their blood pressure as low as a 20 year old. Studies have also shown that calorie restriction reduces the bad cholesterol (LDL) while boosting the good cholesterol (HDL), lowers inflammation and reduces body mass index. Further, a reduction in insulin levels can both help prevent diebetes and improve memory. In other words calorie restriction coupled with a balance of vital nutrients is key to the fight against aging.
But why does a calorie restriction diet work?
The body goes into survival mode when calories are restricted. It does this by lowering metabolic rate. Damage to cellular structure is lessened because less free radicals are produced. The added benefit of a diet based on complex carbohydrates is the increased consumption of anti-oxidants. Complex carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods - they help to fight the free radicals and therefore prevent further cellular damage.
The key to calorie restriction is of course maintaining the right balance of nutrients by sticking to a mainly plant food diet. There have been many studies showing that a diet rich in plant foods will keep the diseases (cancer, heart disease, diebetes, alzheimers etc) associated with affluent societies at bay. There is also plenty of evidence that people who mainly eat plant foods maintain their youthful looks for much longer. A close study of nutrition will reveal the power of plant foods to promote great skin, hair and nails. In our quest for life extension nutrition should always override our wish to consume fewer calories.
Living in the Moment
Probably the best indirect anti ager of all is the ability to live in the moment. It has so much positive impact on everything else we do that it should be everyones priority! Leaving the past behind and letting the future take care of itself allows no room for the negative emotions that are so damaging to our health. In fact, living in the moment is the antidote for all negative emotions.
When we live ‘now’ there is only awareness and room for dealing with the current situation. We don’t dwell on the consequences of our actions because we can’t know what the future holds. This doesn’t mean it’s alright to do anything we please as being aware in the current moment will always reveal the right thing to do. When someone chooses the wrong direction it is invariably due to the power time has over us and how the mind has been conditioned to think and react. And of course, for someone wrapped up in mental time the mind determines what to do based on past experience and the possibility of future gain. There is a total disregard for what is really going on in this moment and so the same behavioural patterns are repeated over and over again. Our mind constantly slips in and out of the past and future appearing as if normal. The reality is, it is far from normal. Is there anything but the current moment?
It doesn’t take much to realise that all negative emotions are ultimately generated by the mind. The ability to know the current moment is to understand that love, beauty and peace are all there is. Only action based on these realities keeps people from aging prematurely. By escaping the illusion of mental time we escape the self generated aging process.
By practising forgiveness and being grateful for what you have now, you let the past go. By accepting the current moment and letting the future take care of itself you free yourself from frustration and stress. The more you live in the present the less you will age - time will have lost its grip on your life.