Do we get old because we slow down or do we slow down because we get old?

So many people speed up their aging process and then wonder why they got old so fast. Procrastination and lack of information are two of the worst enemies of youthfulness…the best and the most exciting anti-aging word is PREVENTION. I learned this as a child from my Father…he preached prevention, mainly with regard to nutrition and diet…and I listened!
The act of p-r-e-v-e-n-t-i-o-n must cover all health and beauty subjects—head to toe—if we are to stay youthful for life. Start early enough – with the proper information – and you can prevent almost anything. Like the engine of your car…don’t take care of it…don’t have check ups, and your car will shut down on you. Same with your body…it will not keep running on it’s own without help from its owner.

Think about this…As the years pass by, our faces slowly begin to change shape… unnoticeably at first, but look at a picture of yourself from ten years ago, and your likely to see what I mean.…Are you beginning to look older than you would like? Question: How much control do we have over this? Answer: Lots! Much more than you think!

This is often what happens...Over the years as we age, our bodies lose calcium. This means our bones slowly shrink, become thinner and more brittle. We lose inches in height .
. . and our facial structure changes, too.
Now, if we gain weight, as many of us do when we age, the fatty tissue covering a smaller facial structure causes our face to look older with more wrinkles.
If you think in terms of Preventative Care for a long term youthful facial structure, you will make sure your calcium level is maintained at a sufficiently high level, AND you will keep you weight down. (Tell your doctor you want the printout of your calcium level…not his/her statement to you saying that it is “normal.” Always keep your medical reports in your personal files at home…it is your legal right to receive copies of all reports. You can compare one year to another – you will also have a copy to show to a new doctor if necessary.)

Make sure you get enough calcium all your life. In most cases, as we grow older, it is difficult to get enough through the food we eat, so we need calcium supplements. In my case, I am on hormone replacement therapy under the careful eye of my trusted GYN. You must take charge…insist that your doctor carefully check your calcium and, where necessary, prescribe or suggest treatment to bring it up to a satisfactory level. If your doctor resists doing this– get another doctor! Your bones not only can keep you looking younger…they can actually keep you younger - period!

So my answer to the question I asked above is, We become old-looking because we slow down. We PROCRASTINATE…we tend to not PREVENT the problem … instead, we react only after we realize what has happened to us. Then the doctor prescribes a drug, which sometimes causes other issues. So by procrastinating over the inevitable, and not preventing a problem, we lose our health, and then lose our money to try to restore our health…oh boy! Please…think prevention!

Here is a list of some things you need to keep in mind to
prevent other health and beauty problems. You know most of them I’m sure, but with the example I just gave maybe you will take PREVENTION a little more seriously? I hope so.

* Keep your weight down. Many serious diseases are caused by excess weight—Diabetes, heart problems, aggravated arthritis, to name a few. Obesity is a vicious circle since it causes us to become less active, which in turn only compounds the weight problem.

Being overweight or obese and the health issues it causes can most often be prevented. – but YOU have to take charge. Think of all the medical bills you won’t have to pay…think of all the pain you can save yourself …and think of all the time you save by not being sick.

* Skin care. Billions of dollars are being spent on skin cancer, as well as getting rid of wrinkles. Most of this we cause ourselves…or we just let it happen by not protecting our skin. So you think you can bake in the sun and get away with it because you are young? Ha…forget-about-it! You obviously don’t realize that, from your very first “bake,” the sun starts damaging the collagen under the skin where you don’t notice it … until later. The rays harden the collagen a little every time it’s exposed to the sun rays. It doesn’t go away either…it builds up and stays there. Then the wrinkles get deeper and deeper as you age. Scary? Right; but you can prevent much of the damage by a) staying out of the sun, or b) if you must be out in it, cover up with clothing and a good sun screen. Think of all the money and pain and time you can save by preventing skin cancer and heavy wrinkling.

* Medical checkups. This is a big must for a long life and healthy aging. For example cervical cancer, osteoporoses, as well as so many other illnesses are totally preventable through medical check ups. Get your checkups…and listen to your doctor.

* Exercise a little every day. Exercise will reduce stress and anxiety as well as help you stay healthy, active and in shape. Walking is good – it gets your cardiovascular system going… don’t worry about over doing it. Any kind of exercise will be beneficial. Even if you only exercise for 15-20 minutes each day, even 3 or 4 times a week helps.

* Do things that bring you joy and happiness. Look on the bright side of life and find things to do that really give you joy and happiness

* Keep your brain busy – even playing games is fine. Golf, cards, games, dancing, sports, learning something new are stress zappers, and also stimulates the brain and body. When your mind is focused on an activity, it gives your body a chance to relax.

*Must have fun. Pick your friends who add fun and laughter to your life. Drop those who drag you down. Having fun and laughing gives you a mental break.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT -
ON YOUTHFUL AGING , LIVING LONGER and HEALTHIER: An ongoing major study of identical twins over many years has shown that 70% of the aging process is controlled by lifestyle and environment (controlled by us), while only 30% is due to your genes.

It’s not so much the every day difficulties and the tragedies of life that control our sense of well being, it’s the way we handle them that counts.