Let’s face it, majority of us women start to be mindful of our physical looks, regardless of our status in life , as we reach the age of 30’s  or even earlier. Not only that, the adolescent girls of today in fact are much even image obsessed and stressed to hell, if they don’t approve of what they see of themselves in the mirror. My take on this is that this outlook may be normal and could be attributed to our human nature – that preferably we would want as much as possible to look good , stay young and live forever happily. This is quite true! I myself would want to have this gift from our Creator if only it is possible. However, we are faced with the dreadful truth that we are mortals, that human beings go through a life course process , i.e. from childhood to adulthood.  Adulthood is the stage where we tend to be more conscious of ourselves not only mentally and spiritually but also physically, and that we have to go through a maturation period. While we can not control the meter of life course process from running, various studies conducted depict that we can actually turn back the clock of aging   if we  desire to stay young. How can this be possible? Is this too good to be true? You can’t blame me for being a skeptic at times! But I do fairly believe that a healthy lifestyle and a positive outlook in life are the best natural therapies for staying young and prolonging one’s life. Note that I use the conjunction “and” as opposed to “or” . It is better to have these two than just one of them.

I remember one time one of my sisters told us that when she accompanied our Mom to her doctor for a physical check up, the doctor was amazed and exclaimed to her how my mother’s skin can relatively look so young at her age of 80 years old! I am sure our Mom was flattered at that time – trying to hide her frugal smiles! We should know her, she’s our Mom. That I think can be attributed to her self strategies on how to cope stresses and hardships and her strong spiritual beliefs.

We have also heard in the news about oldest people ever lived on earth. I understand the current oldest person in the world is Kama Chinen of Japan at age 114 years, 301 days and another one an American , Neva Morries of Iowa, at age 114 years, 216 days. And guess what, another woman (Mary Josephine Ray) who just died two days ago was also 114 yrs, 294 days.  Incidentally, the oldest person who died just last year was Gertrude Baines at the age of 115. My biggest and loudest clap to these people! Notice that they are 114 yrs. old and some days older! Is this a coincidence? Is it all right to conclude that people born somewhere in 1895 to 1896 were more or less endowed with the gift of longevity and the privilege to witness the major world events that happened more than a century ago? Quite strange, isn’t it? But I would say, let’s leave it at that since it would require an in-depth analysis to come up with a literature on why these people born in those years lived longer!  

Let me give you first the definition of aging (or ageing under the British dictionary), as defined in the web: – “growing old or giving the appearance of advancing age”-“process of growing old or maturing”-“process of becoming older, a process that is genetically determined and environmentally modulated”.These are pretty straightforward definitions, with no qualifications.

I am not a medical practitioner, neither a plastic surgeon nor a dermalatologist, to claim that “this and that” would provide answers to retard aging. What I would like to put emphasis here are the helpful and sensible tips on how to stay young and live happily, based on personal experience and research from various studies conducted, particularly on food and lifestyle that would boost our morale to stay fit, feel and look young, live longer and be happy.

There are various ways and means on how to do it as espoused by other researchers . Several factors could be considered: physical, emotional, spiritual, medical and so on and so forth. As I am not an expert on anti aging vitamins (pills, etc.) , products (creams, etc.) and services (injections, surgical procedures, etc.) proliferating in the market today, I would limit my discussion on the following three aspects:

Physical

1. Water – This is my first in the list. As mentioned in my other blog, we have to drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday and we already know the significance of this. Once again, soda and alcohol are not considered as water under this category. Green tea or black tea is one very good option because it contains antioxidants which were proven to have healthy  benefits for our body .

2. Cereals – Oatmeals, rice (brown variety as much as possible), and barley – Based on research, these are foods high in fiber which lowers bad cholesterol and consequently  other related diseases. 

3. Vegetables – Leafy green and cruciferous veggies are likewise very essential to our body. Examples of leafy greens are spinach, kale and collard greens. Perhaps the green leafy vegetables that grow in tropical places may serve as an alternative. Cruciferous veggies include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and radish. I remember one funny poem by R. Pottle about veggies, here’s the excerpt: “I haven’t lost faith in my veggies, they do make you healthy and bright , their powers are truly amazing , but they cant make your brother polite”! Want to know why, just read the poem “My Brother Will Not Eat His Veggies”.

4. Fish – While there are not much enough choices of fresh fish in the supermarkets, we need to find them as it is recommended by reputable institutions such as the American Heart Association. It is said that adults eat two servings of fish a week for the omega-3 fatty acids that is good for the heart and brain. Examples are  salmon   and sardines.

5. Fruits – Scientists proved that certain fruits contain a healthy amount of antioxidants, carotenoids, beta carotene, monounsaturated fatty acids, phytochemicals and lycopene, which protects our body from diseases. Examples o f these are   apples, avocados, berries (esp. black and blue) , black grapes, carrots, tomatoes, oranges, olives, watermelon and the like. Note that avocadoes are a good source of Vitamin E and can help to maintain healthy skin.

6. Low fat Dairy Products or Fortified Soy Milk – These are good source of calcium and Vitamin D.

7. Spices such as Ginger, Garlic – These spices are useful for the body.

8. Nuts –  Examples are walnuts and brazil nuts. It has been found out that most of these are good sources of minerals.

Apart from these foods, there are other things to do in order to maintain a healthy body and a younger looking skin. These  are:

1. Adequate sleep – at least 8 hours a day

2. Embrace Exercise – at least 45 minutes

3. Quit Smoking

4. Quit Drinking Alcohol

5. Avoid Too Much Exposure to Sunlight – these last three can damage your health, especially the skin.

Emotional

Typically, we encounter stresses in our lives, be it short (e.g. not so good events that we face everyday) or long term (family problems, sick, death, etc.). These stresses can have adverse effects   on our bodily health, our lifestyle and are considered as one of the major factors why people age quickly. In order to slow down aging due to stress, we need to know how to manage it.  There are professionals and therapists who can help, especially for serious stress related cases. However, there are practical ways to handle stress in healthy ways.

1. Relax for a while (e.g. listening to music)

2. Take three deep breaths

3. Talk to, help or make friends

4. Get a hobby

5. Go out and have a short walk

Spiritual

This is the most soothing and cheapest therapy to forget worries and problems. Talking to your God through prayers or meditation  and lifting up all your burdens and sorrows in life can have calming effect in your body. It takes a ton of faith –simply learn to reach out and believe in yourself that you can overcome whatever miseries may have come your way with the aid of a Divine intervention. Didn’t He say to us, “Come to me and I will give you rest”? Surrender everything to Him and for sure everything will turn out right! Haven’t you notice that after praying or meditating, you have this unexplainable peace within you? That is precisely the benefits that you get from praying – you get refreshed, energized and well.

With all these things in mind, I hope I was able to help in the humblest way I can. Remember, “life is not at all that bad my friend”! ENJOY, STAY YOUNG AND LIVE LONGER!