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5 Causes of Rapid Aging
Most people are aware that negative lifestyle
habits like smoking and excessive alcohol can
lead to rapid aging. But what about the repeated
stress and poor nutrition that are so often a
part of a high-pressure style of living today?
Read on to see what could be causing rapid aging
in your life.
1. Poor Diet
What you eat probably affects your health more
than anything else you do. When you eat a poor
diet—fatty, processed, or fried foods and simple
sugars—you invite rapid aging by burdening your
body with chemical additives and trans-fats and
depriving your body of essential nutrients. On
the other hand, when you eat the life-giving
foods, you prevent disease and improve organ
functioning.
In general, your diet should consist of a wide
array of colors and balance of organic sources
of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, whole
grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables.
Numerous studies show that the different
pigments in the skins of fruits and vegetables
are powerful antioxidants that are crucial for
maintaining health, preventing cancer, and
protecting against environmental toxins.
Avoid fatty foods, processed or fried foods.
Keep dairy to a minimum because most dairy
products are high in saturated fat. Take candy,
sugar, soda, and all simple sugars out of your
diet. Excess sugar gets stored as fat in your
body, which spells in weight gain—a sure path to
cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and
diabetes. You truly are what you eat, so eat
well!
2. Unhappiness
Unhappiness does not only depress your mood, it
also negatively affects your health. In fact,
depressed, unhappy people are twice as likely to
develop heart disease. And it has been confirmed
that personality profile Type C—people that tend
towards melancholy, depression, and excessive
worry—are prone to develop cancer. Do not
underestimate the power of your mind. Your
experience is determined by the energy you
embody, and in the end, it is your choice to
have a negative perception or a positive
attitude in reaction to life's breakdowns.
Years ago, I had the pleasure of working with
the late Norman Cousins. His research showed
that the mind has a powerful influence on many
physiological functions, including the immune
system. He found that an increase in immune
killer cells that attack cancer occurred in
cancer patients who experienced 30 minutes of
deep belly laughter every day for twelve weeks.
Laughter also increases the release of
endorphins, compounds that give you a sense of
well-being. Undoubtedly, joyful people liver
longer and healthier lives.
3. Lack of Exercise
I have never met a healthy person or centenarian
that lived a physically inactive life. Exercise
is essential for a healthy metabolism, proper
energy circulation, and the expelling of
cellular wastes. Being overweight and inactive
is a surefire path to rapid aging and a host of
diseases. Cardiovascular exercise is the key to
speeding up your metabolism, burning excess
calories, and fighting body fat. Brisk walking,
hiking, jogging, swimming, bicycling, stair
climbing-the options are endless for cardio
health! Exercise for 30 minutes at 60-80% of
your MHR (You can find this number by
subtracting your age from 220.) Regular exercise
is also the key to preventing
non-insulin-dependent diabetes, which is the
fastest growing disease in industrialized
countries throughout the world.
You can stave off rapid aging to your muscles,
joints, and tendons by practicing exercises that
extend your range of motion; some options
include tai chi, qigong and yoga. Also, moderate
load-bearing exercises are essential for bone
density and muscle strength. Don't forget when
you are exercising to always warm up and cool
down properly to avoid injury.
4. Stress
Stress is a huge byproduct of our busy lives and
it takes a tremendous toll on our health. Our
body's "survival mode" gets turned on all too
often these days. When you are experiencing
stress, your body is programmed to go into
fight-or-flight mode, a state that requires a
lot of energy. Adrenaline is released from the
adrenal gland, and it tells the body to convert
stored sugar from the liver to glucose because
the energy needs of the body increase
substantially during the supposed
fight-or-flight scenario.
Unfortnately, this scenario almost never plays
out and the excess blood sugar that never got
used ends up being stored as fat—inevitably
resulting in weight gain. What's more, all of
this stress continually depletes your body of
its energy resources until it crumples under the
overload, leading to adrenal exhaustion, a
nervous breakdown, or a broken-down immune
system.
To stay stress-free, remember to breathe deeply
all day. And give yourself a break! You are a
human, not a machine. Try taking a 15-minute
powernap during your lunch break. If you only
have 5 minutes to spare, just closing your eyes
will release tension. Better still, consider
taking up meditation, a great way to dissolve
stress.
5. Lack of Sleep
There's no way around it: the average adult
needs seven to eight hours of quality sleep
every night to maintain health. Consider that
your immune system drops by an average of 60%
after just three nights of poor sleep. Without
sufficient "recovery time" each night, you will
run your body down and wear out your life force,
paving the way for disharmony and disease.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
By Dr. Maoshing Ni
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