You don't need to look at the cycle of life as inevitable, that it's all doom and gloom at the end. We don't only want to add years or our life, but also add life to our years. And while our genes load the gun, the environment we create for ourselves, pulls the trigger. It's estimated that around 80% of your health and how long you live, is not genetic. You can change the rate at how you are ageing, how fast, by focusing on doing the right things. And on a high level, it's important to:
Eat healthy foods
Drink enough water
Incorporate regular physical movement
Actively manage your stress levels
Get adequate amount of quality sleep
Make sure you stay social and foster good friendships throughout your life
How can you support longevity and slow down ageing?
Intermittent fasting, time restricted eating, fasting
Fasting turns on longevity pathways. Practising intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, fasting can all support the cell regeneration. You can learn more about intermittent fasting from this post. Women should take their hormones into consideration when fasting- read more here. I typically tell my clients, that everyone benefit from going without food 12h a night, for example from 7pm till 7am next morning.
Physical movement
As we age, we start to loose muscle and gain fat. It's important to do regular exercise to keep muscles engaged. The choices are wide and it's important to have fun and enjoy what you are doing.
Prioritise sleep
When we sleep, our body and mind, detoxifies and regenerates itself. Learning ways to improve your sleep, if you are struggling with it, is paramount for health, strong immune system. Learn more about the tools for better sleep here.
Keep your blood sugar levels balanced
Any food we eat raises our blood sugar, but some foods like sugar, starches affect our blood sugar much more than other foods. An easy way to help to keep your blood sugar in balance and avoid steep blood sugar spikes is to eat your foods during your meals in the right order:
1. vegetables
2. protein
3. fats
4. starches and sugars
Focus on lowering your stress levels
Whether it's by practicing deep breathing, meditation, spending more time with your family and friends, spending more time in the nature, incorporating fun and revitalising activities in your life. Whatever floats your boat, as they say.
Expose yourself to a extreme temperatures- hot and cold
One of the activities to include in your daily or weekly regimen is to either have cold showers, do ice-baths, practice cold-water swimming, go to sauna and jump into snow or ice-hole etc. Exposing your body to extreme temperatures creates hormesis, where body feels uncomfortable, so it needs to fight back, making it more resilient.
Eat the right foods
Certain food groups are inflammatory for the body, such as sugar, processed carbohydrates, processed cooking oils, gluten. Focus on eating the fresh whole foods, specifically vegetables, berries, fruits, beans, lentils, fish, nuts and seeds. Below are some of the more specific foods and drinks that are studied to support cardiovascular health, bone health, gut health, skin health and cognitive function, which you can incorporate into your diet to improve health and longevity:
Blueberries (for their cognitive benefits and reducing cellular damage)
Bone broth- important for digestion, bone health
Turmeric
Dark chocolate- rich is flavonoids and polyphenols
Avocado- contains phytochemicals, keeping your arteries healthy and young
Figs
Nuts (slow cognitive decline and great for improved heart health and reduction of type 2 diabetes)
Salmon- helps to increase HDL cholesterol and decrease triglycerides
Maca (balances hormones like testosterone, oestrogen, progesterone)
Green tea (like matcha)
Below is a list of anti-aging supplements, which you can also get either from food, from herbs, through exercising, through fasting:
CoQ10 (organ meats, fatty fish (herring, sardine, mackerel, trout), sesame seeds, pistachios, strawberries, oranges, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, beef, chicken, lentils)
Omega 3 Fatty Acids (fish and seafood, nuts and seeds (flaxseeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds)
Resveratrol (found in grape skins, red wine, cocoa, berries (blueberries, cranberries)
Quercetin (citrus fruits, apples, onions, sage, parsley, red wine, tea, grapes, dark cherries, blueberries, blackberries)
Vitamin D (salmon, trout, mushrooms, egg yolk, canned tuna, sardines, Swiss cheese, cod liver oil)
Vitamin K2 (egg yolk, beef liver, butter, sauerkraut, hard cheese, eel, natto, chicken, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, Swiss chard, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, prunes, kiwi)
Vitamin C (Acerola cherries, Camu camu berries, Amla berries, rose hip, chili peppers, , sweet yellow peppers, blackcurrants, cantaloupe, parsley, kale, kiwis, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lemons, papayas, strawberries etc)
Magnesium (spinach, kale, chard, black beans, almonds, cashews, potatoes, pumpkin seeds, avocados, bananas, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, dark chocolate, tofu, salmon, mackerel etc)
Selenium (Brazil nuts, fish, pork, beef, turkey, chicken, cottage cheese, eggs, brown rice, sunflower seeds, baked beans, mushrooms, oatmeal, spinach, lentils, bananas etc)
Zinc (oysters, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, red meat, legumes, cashews, cheese, eggs, quinoa, oats, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, dark chocolate etc)
Vitamin B12 (meat, fish, eggs, cheese, liver, kidneys etc)
Curcumin (turmeric)
Berberine (goldenseal, barberry, Oregon grape)
Sulforaphane (broccoli, pak choy, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower)
Astralagus
NAD+ (also through exercise and fasting)
Though we can't outrun the time, as you have learnt above, there are things we can do to support our longevity and slow down our ageing.
If you are looking to achieve a better health and nutrition and need a coach who can be your support and guide on the side, don't hesitate to reach out to me at info@katrinpeo.com.
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