Every single one of us begins ageing the moment we are born -
If you’re alive, you’re ageing - you can’t avoid it. But
there are a number of things that you can do to keep yourself healthy and
active, and to eliminate or at least slow down many of the factors that
contribute to ageing.
Ever since Ponce de Leon went searching for the Fountain of
Youth, people have been looking for ways to slow down the ageing process.
Medical science has made great advances in keeping people alive longer by
preventing and curing diseases, and helping people to live healthier, happier
lives. Average life expectancy keeps increasing and most of us can look forward
to a much longer life than our ancestors.
Our bodies were actually designed with the ability to fix
themselves, as long as you take care of yourself properly. Your body is made up
of about 100 trillion (100,000,000,000,000) living cells, which keep themselves
strong and healthy with the proper food. Each and every one of those trillions
of cells dies off and is replaced with a new cell at regular intervals. Your
entire body is literally completely replaced every few years – you really
aren’t the same person you used to be!
What happens with your cells is the key to anti-ageing -
When a cell dies, one of three possible things must happen:
A) If the cell has
not been receiving proper nutrition, its replacement will be a weaker version
of the cell. In this scenario, your body is degenerating.
B) The replacement
cell may have the same strength as its predecessor. In this case, your body essentially
remains in the same place.
C) The third
possibility is that the new cell is stronger than the previous one. Now you’re
actually regenerating the body and reversing the ageing process. This can only
happen if you give your cells plenty of the right kind of food energy to work
with.
Sometimes, usually in our late twenties or early thirties,
many of us start noticing those first signs that we aren’t kids anymore – a few
grey hairs appearing, facial wrinkles, skin starts sagging. As more time goes
by, other signs gradually appear – it’s a little harder getting up in the
morning, our vision and hearing aren’t what they used to be, our sex life isn’t
as lively as we remember. As we look around, we see the same things happening
to our friends and family. Most of us generally accept what we see as an
inevitable process of nature.
You’re only as old as you feel -
And if you feel and think that you’re getting older – well,
then you are! Your mindset does influence what goes on in your body. Meanwhile,
you see your body getting older, so you feel older, which reinforces the ageing
processes in your body. It becomes a vicious circle.
You can turn things around -
As you notice your body looking and feeling younger, your
mindset will improve, which motivates you to continue your anti-ageing
practices, which sets up a positive feedback loop, instead of a negative one.
And so, the process accelerates.
People are living longer than ever nowadays, due to advanced
medical breakthroughs increased awareness of the importance of a healthy
lifestyle, and other related factors.
The human body can take an awful lot of abuse and neglect -
We don’t always think about our bad habits, since it may
take years or decades for the effects to become apparent. But neglect yourself
long enough and you may one day find yourself suffering through the late period
of your life with a wide range of ailments and complaints - from difficulty
seeing and hearing to cancer, heart disease, brittle bones, and many other
problems.
Yet it only takes knowledge and a little bit of work to
prevent most, if not all, of these common old-age problems from manifesting.
There’s no magic pill or instant cure, and it will take some effort on your
part. But the results will be well worth it. How much would it be worth to you
to enjoy your final years as a healthy, active adult, able to continue doing
many of the things you most love?
Disclaimer:
This article is presented solely as an example and is not meant to replace personalized
medical or dietitian prescription. No content on this site should ever be used
as a substitute for direct medical or dietitian advice from your doctor or
other qualified clinicians.
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