By Jelena Petkovic PAC MMS,
Clinical Director of Antiaging Medicine
Hochstein MedSpa and Wellness Clinic
Want to age like a pro?
As much as I love youth promising products and treatments, the most important things we can do to promote quality longevity are simple lifestyle modifications. What we eat, how we act and think, are what will ultimately dictate our biological age. How you age is really up to you genetics aside, we have the power to incorporate life-enhancing acts to ward off the illnesses most commonly associated with our physical, mental and health decline.
1. Make sure getting your vitamins and antioxidants
These are your primary defenses against cancer causing free radicals and stress related aging and disease
How-to-tip: Make fruits and veggies your go-to food.
Try Juicing in the morning, snack on veggies and include a variety of colored foods in your diet
The stronger in color, the higher vitamin and antioxidant power
If you don’t trust you are getting in enough antioxidants, come in for a wellness consult and we will discuss overall health, IV nutrition and our high quality line of supplements.
2. Drink purified water
Municipal water has been reported with potentially toxic amounts of Chlorine and Fluorine. These chemicals have been associated with health hazards and urinary tract cancers. Other toxic substances commonly found in tap water include lead, pesticides, benzene and heavy metals. Taking into account we need 8-10 glasses daily to stay healthy, we should be wary of the quality of the water we drink.
How-to-tip: Pass on sugary, artificially flavored, caffeinated and alcoholic drinks and drink filtered water.
Buy a filtration system. There have been numerous reviews stating ” the reverse osmosis types using a thin film composite membrane” are best Readers Digest recommends the Aquasana brand.
If you’re interested in learning about the reverse osmosis filtration process and a thin film composite membrane.
To give flavor kick to your filtered water try adding a bit of vitamin and antioxidant goodness with citrus fruits
If you feel you have not been taking care of the quality of water you have been drinking, and drinking daily from plastic bottles, you may want to come in a get a toxin screening and undergo a medically supervised detoxification. Plastics remnants and metals could play a large role in your symptoms of fatigue, pain, headaches, poor skin, poor memory and digestive health.
If you want to take your filtered water to go, look into reusable aluminum or stainless steel types. These materials don’t interact with water in any way or leach harmful BPA (see my post on the effects of BPA here). A popular brand is Klean Kanteen and you can buy it online at Reuseit.com
Lastly, if you’re going to go for store-bottled water, beware that not all are created equal. Bottled water seems to be less often screened or controlled than we might think. Also, mineral contents vary and could mean different health implications. Do your research on your favorite brands.
3. Meditate
Daily meditation has been cited to be more effective than any other relaxation technique to lower long-term anxiety, ultimately, improving mental function and preventing premature aging. According to a Study conducted by Dr R Keith Wallce, those who meditated for more than 5 years averaged 12 years younger biologically than non-meditating counterparts.
How-to-tip: Set aside 5-15 minutes a day to recharge and unwind.
If you find sitting quietly too stressing, try a walking meditation or listen to meditation guidance tapes.
If you would like to learn to mediate, come take a course at our clinic or at a signature workshop.
4. Squeeze in 30 minutes of daily cardio
Cardiovascular activity helps prevent heart disease (hence the name), decreases stress and improves metabolism All of this helps cut your chances of developing the most common diseases related to a decreased quality of life and premature disease.
How-to-tip: Cardiovascular exercise has meant any activity which raises your heart rate and makes you sweat a bit. The gym is a great place for motivation and a wide variety of aerobic classes and “cardio machines”. Power walking sessions, jogging, bicycling, gardening and even certain types of house cleaning can also serve as great ways to activate the body, exercise the heart and increase metabolism.
If you just can’t seem to make time during your hectic day, take the stairs and walk every chance you get.
Avoid couch potato-ing at all costs I guarantee a fresh walk will feel so much better or your mind and body than ingesting both extra calories and exogenous TV anxieties.
5. Include Omega 3s in your diet
Increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis have been shown in those consuming diets low in Omega 3s. Poor cognitive function, depression, fatigue, memory, attention deficit issues, inflammatory conditions and even Alzheimer’s can all be warded off with regular consumption. Omega 3s can be used in protools to manage pain, hormone balance, detoxification, heart health and weight loss.
How-to-tip: Try incorporating cold water fish, walnuts, flaxseed or eggs from hens fed on greens to your daily diet. Get your Omega 3s & add flaxseeds to your smoothie.
To find out how much Omega Fatty Acids you need to stay healthy refer to this chart provided by the Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board.
If you don’t think you can ingest the correct amount through your diet, find a trusted supplement. Those Omega 3 supplements allowing you to get a minimum daily DHA of 600 mg. For best guidance come and speak to us at the Hochstein Medspa and Wellness Clinic for supplementation and optimization of levels based on your needs.
6. Wear Sunglasses
Not only do large chic sunglasses give you a few points on the fashion scale…. They can also help protect your from wrinkles, cataracts and growths such as pinguecula or pterygiums The amount you squint is directly proportional to the stress you are implementing on the ultra sensitive skin around the eyes…Sunglasses minimize the need to squint. A pair of groovy shades also works to protect the peri-orbital skin from UV exposure and associated increased risk for skin cancer and signs of aging…
Lastly, sunglasses help protect the eyes from the above eye diseases which could affect your sight. Cataract formation is many times genetic and, for many, considered a normal part of aging (50 % of those over 80 have signs of cataracts). We can, however, slow their insidious onset by protecting ourselves when outdoors with UV protective lenses. Studies have shown those who protect themselves in early life with sunglasses are less likely to develop cataracts and other disturbing eye growths.
7. Add fibrous foods to every meal
The benefits of a high fiber diet include decreasing risk of heart disease, aiding in excretion of cholesterol, maintaining digestive health, preventing diverticular disease, helping manage healthy blood sugar levels and diabetes, removing cancer-causing toxins from the gut and helping you control hunger and fight obesity.
By maintaining digestive health, high fiber diets also help stabilize feelings overall wellbeing. Furthermore, the fact that those who eat diets high in fiber tend to be able to control their appetite and weight better means less risk of eating foods containing unhealthy fats and sugar. Proper nutrition further protects you from heart disease and diabetes.
Anti aging gurus from around the globe have one unified message in mind…longevity is strongly linked to diets with high fiber: Sugar-Ratio More fiber and less sugar is the definite formula to wellness.
How-to-tip: To find out how much fiber you need and some high fiber suggestions see Mayo Clinics site.
If you can’t seem to get enough dietary fiber in your diet…..take a trusted supplementary source. You can shop in the clinic for a great tasting Paleo Fiber to add to your daily smoothies, call and ask for details or an appointment for Metabolism and Health Optimization at our medspa office.
8. If you have to drive….don’t forget your seat belt
Wearing your seat belt can assure quality life. Ok so this may not be directly anti-aging but its life prolonging. The number one cause of non-disease related death is car accidents. That said, you can decrease your risk in three ways…
1) DON’T DRIVE
2) IF YOU DRIVE, DRIVE A BIG CAR (increases your chances of survival but at the cost of the environment)
3) WEAR A SEATBELT.
Embracing alternative transportation is anti aging.
How-to-tip: At the least, fasten your seatbelt.
If you can avoid driving, do it Live in a community, which is accessible on foot or with use of alternative transportation. Choose to live close to your work and children’s school.
Wear SEAT BELTS, please!
9. Shave
Great news girls…Men’s graceful aging secret’s out… Apart from the fact that men have better structured collagen, more active fibroblast activity (those cells which make collagen and elastin), their smooth, wrinkle-free skin is partially due to the fact THEY SHAVE Shaving is an amazing way to stimulate healthy cellular turnover and keep skin looking and acting young The less dead skin we have the better we absorb those nourishing anti again skin elixirs we are constantly investing in… I’m not telling the ladies to start shaving to keep their faces looking youthful, but I am advocating for facials including microblading or therapies that promote cellular turnover like Hydrafacial or the HALO laser. We may consider these skin removing therapies as anti again.
10. Protect your skin from UV radiation
UV radiation and smoking are probably the 2 factors most strongly linked to premature skin aging. UV radiation is also our strongest correlating factor to skin cancer. Those desiring a skin aging prevention technique need to start with the basics of UV prevention. Since most sun damage is occurred prior to the age of 18, it is vital to educate our children and loved ones to take precautions.
How-to-tips: Use antioxidant products daily. Daily Vitamin C serum under your sunscreen is a great anti again skin therapy.
Wear Sunscreen with SPF 30+ with UVA and UVB Protection.
Place tinted UV-protective film to your car’s side and rear windows as well as to house and business windows. According to Skincancer.org, these can block up to 99% of harmful UV radiation while letting in 80% of light.
Wear special UV protective clothing when outside. Look for the Ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), the higher the better. I love CabanaLife, Mott50, and Coolibar for kids.
Protect yourself with UPF Clothing
Invest in a Laundry UPF additives. These will potentiate clothing’s ability to protect you from the sun. SunGuard is one example, using a sunscreen chemical called Tinosorb FD. One wash with SunGaurd gives you a new UPF of 30 for up to 20 washes thereafter.
Add to your laundry wash for extra UV protection
Choose dark, tightly woven and loose-fitting clothing to provide the best barrier for skin from the sun.
Hope you enjoyed my recommendations and hope you find a way to apply them to your daily life If you need help on making better choices, come in an have an anti again Consultation for all your age management concerns and be prepared to enter a life-changing transformational journey.
Contact the clinic today and be PRO-active about looking and feeling your best at any age and activating your beauty potential. Have questions or need more ideas? Call us at (786) 802-6699 and book a free consultation for you and your family today.