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Metabolic Rate As you age, your metabolic rate slows down. As your metabolism slows with age, you tend to gain more body fat. This is why you gain fat faster than when you were young. Diets don’t increase your metabolic rate. Only exercise will do so. Even walking 20 minutes a day – will raise your metabolism. Avoid diets and look for a fitness program if you are really serious about keeping your metabolic rate up. 20 minutes of cardio-vascular exercise before breakfast will help burn off fat efficiently. Cardio exercising for longer periods will burn off muscle in addition to fat, and should be avoided unless it is combined with weights (more about aerobic weight training in future issues) Muscle Mass Muscle loss is a major symptom of aging. Choose exercises with weights that you can repeat comfortably 8 to 15 times. You only need to work each body part once a week to make a significant difference. Combine weight training with foods rich in protein. Include protein with every meal or snack. Training for strength is different than training for muscle mass. For strength, you exercise for shorter duration – 4 to 6 repetitions. Bone Density Once you hit age 35, your bones slowly start to lose density. Weight training signals your body to retain bone mass. Exercise is the only effective way to keep your bone density. Don’t count on calcium supplements to do the work for you. Flexibility Regular stretching exercises will help keep your body limber as you age. Yoga, Pilates or martial arts classes like Tai Chi or Haikido often teach excellent stretching exercises. Growth Factor You can increase your body’s production of growth factor (Human Growth Hormone – HGH) by short, intense exercise followed by sound sleep. Weight training and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) are proven methods to increase HGH levels. Heart (Cardiovascular) As you pass forty, your cardiovascular system declines in the ability to direct blood to your muscles. Stiffening arteries increase blood pressure and place a greater stress on your heart. Many people don’t realize they have a heart problem until they find themselves in the emergency room. Yet the problem actually began years earlier. Increasing your heart rate with aerobic exercise is the most efficient way to improve your cardiovascular capability. The 20 minutes HIIT has been proven very effective raising your cardio capability and keeping your veins and arteries flexible. Lung Volume Our lungs lose their elasticity gradually until, by the age of fifty, breath capacity is 20% lower than what it was when you were twenty. Smokers lose much higher breath capacity and put themselves at risk for other problems such as cancer. Immune System Anti-Aging Programs should help you slow the decline of your immune function. The thymus gland is the primary organ of the immune system. After puberty, the thymus begins to shrink. When you are forty, the thymus is just a small fraction of your youth and when you are sixty, it can hardly be found. A combination of nutrition, exercise and supplements can slow down this process significantly. Brain The phrase “use it or lose it” applies perfectly to the brain. Studies shows that people who are involved in mental activities (chess, reading, mental stimulation), tend to have better memories than those who aren’t. More about how to improve your brain capability in next week’s issue. Sex Many people face deterioration of sexual activity after 40. You shouldn’t compromise your sexuality. Aging shouldn’t affect your ability to have great sex. Age-related decline in testosterone in men results in weaker erections, lower volume and intensity of ejaculations, more “rest time” required between sexual encounters, and deterioration in libido. Lack of estrogen in women results in thinning of the vaginal tissue and loss of lubrication which can make intercourse uncomfortable. Exercise, nutrition and supplements can slow down hormone decline. Learn more how to slow your aging and keep your biological age much younger than your chronological age.
Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db
Dov Oshri is the author of the revolutionary Anti-Aging Fitness Program "Change Your Body and Be Admired". He is the chief editor of Body for Mind – a Wellness Lifestyle for Successful People. His cutting edge Anti-Aging Fitness Program can be downloaded for FREE at www.bodyformind.com
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