Parragon Books Ltd - 100 Best Ways to Stay Young: 100 Powerful, Natural Strategies to Boost Your Youth and Vitality

Staying young, remaining as youthful as possible for as long as possible, has been a preoccupation of men and women since the dawn of time. Unfortunately we all ageits part of the human conditionbut there is a great deal you can do to delay the process and feel good about yourself as you do so.

In fact, how you feel is half the battle. The age you are at any time in your life is not especially importantit is how old you feel inside that counts. The years roll by and the number that you are labeled with gradually accumulates, but we all age at different rates and we all have different experiences in our lives. There really are no guaranteed certainties about agingor staying youngit is all about how you feel and cope personally.

Part of feeling young and remaining so for as long as possible involves making a conscious decision to make the most of life as you get olderto live it to the full. Staying active and healthy for as long as you can is a big part of this, and we show you countless ways of doing this throughout this book. However, setting goals and planning your future will help you in your objective. What do you want to do with your life as you become older? Maybe you want to travel; perhaps you want to spend more time with your children or grandchildren; you might even want to embark on a new career. The choice is yours, but it will pay to have some notion of where you are taking your life as you get older and will motivate you in the process of endeavoring to stay young.

One of the most important things you can do in your quest for youthfulness is to eat a healthy diet. This is probably the key factor in your general health throughout your life. We are still learning about how various foods affect our bodies and minds and the precise nutritional value of much of what we eatnew scientific findings and revelations are announced every daybut what is indisputable is that a balanced diet full of foods that have a high nutritional value will benefit you whoever you are and whatever age you might have attained.

The right diet involves a balance of the five key food groupsprotein, carbohydrates, fiber, fats, and sugarsand we give you comprehensive information about how to achieve this balance in Chapter 1, Food for life. The most important thing is to ensure that you eat a sufficient number of good foods every day, while avoiding foods high in unhealthy sugars and saturated fats that wear down the body, increase blood pressure, and contribute to the likelihood of heart disease.

Eating to stay young need not be a chorethere are lots of truly delicious and enjoyable foods that you can make part of your regular diet while benefiting your health. These are covered in detail in the following pages. The really good news is that some of the very best anti-aging foods are actually regarded as treats and luxuries in many societies. These include red wine and dark chocolate, which are both full of health-giving antioxidants that are particularly beneficial as we become older. Having said that, as with most things in life, balance is the key. A little of what you fancy might not do you any harm, but too much will put your caloric balance out of kilter and might result in you seeing inches added to your waistline.

For many of us, exercise was something that we were obliged to do at school in gym classes once or twice a week. It was often cold, uncomfortable, and not particularly enjoyable. However, exercise has come a long way since then. These days there is a multitude of choices available and exercise facilities have generally become far more sophisticated and user-friendly.

These developments reflect an ever-growing understanding of the benefits of exercise to human health. Again, whatever age you are and whatever your physical condition, a little regular exercise will benefit your general health and make you feeland probably lookyounger.

Get in the habit of doing a little exercisemake it part of your weekly routineand you will soon reap the rewards and maybe even begin to enjoy it. There are so many different things you could do! If you dont fancy sweating in a gym surrounded by other people, buy an exercise bike or a rowing machine to use in the privacy of your own home. If you dont like the idea of working out with machines, take up running, swimming, or racquet sports, such as badminton or tennis. If these sound too strenuous, simply make a brisk walk or some gardening part of your daily routine. All these things and more will improve your health and help keep you youngand their benefits are covered in detail throughout Chapter 2, Fit mind, fit body.

While bodily fitness is of undoubted importance as we become older, keeping your brain in good shape and your mind sharp is of equal significance. One of the unfortunate by-products of aging is a decline in mental acuity. Many people become aware of problems, such as forgetfulness, vagueness, and mental fatigue, as they become older, symptoms that if left unchecked can ultimately result in dementia or Alzheimers disease. However, the good news is that much can be done not only to slow this process down but to reverse it altogether.