Ladies, the fountain of youth awaits you.
While we all inevitably will age, it doesn't necessarily mean we can't do so gracefully. In fact, the anti-aging industry is a billion dollar industry—we Baby Boomers just want to stay young.
Ye,t while many seek quick fixes including Botox, plastic surgery, and bioidentical hormones, there is a free and plentiful source of youthfulness. Exercise and a healthy lifestyle can erase years off your appearance and will make you feel healthy and dynamic. Why don't more of us take advantage of this free drink of youth?
Weight management and cardiovascular health alone should be compelling enough reasons to exercise. Yet, there is a host of other benefits, especially to the aging individual.
Regular exercise helps improve one's moods, thanks to endorphins, those wonderful "feel good" hormones. Especially if you are a woman in the throes of peri-menopause or menopause, this is better than any happy pill. We know how our moods seem like they are on a roller coaster. Exercising daily, however, helps moderate your emotions and just make you feel good. So if you are feeling cranky or crying for no reason, just go for a walk or run—you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Studies show that moderate to intense exercise, performed five or more days per week, is optimal. Personally, I have found that exercising for a 60-minute period is ideal.
Exercise helps to keep our joints lubricated by aiding in the circulation of essential nutrients and fluids. Participating in a regular yoga class, such as an athletic class like Vinyasa Flow at Yoga Among Friends, 4949 Forest Ave., can improve your flexibility and posture.
Although weight gain and a general shifting of our body is a natural side effect of aging, we don't have to accept it. We'll likely never have our 16-year-old bodies back. By weight training, however, we can sculpt our bodies and kick start our slowing metabolisms. Regular cardio and weight training will also alleviate the bloating that seems to occur frequently during our middle years.
Good Samaritan Health & Wellness Center, 3551 Highland Ave., offers a Strength Training class several times during the week. During the class, you'll utilize hand weights, bands, bosus, tubing, and more to work all of your muscles and keep them strong and sculpted.
We are what we eat. If we fill our diet with an abundance of fresh vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fish and lean protein, we will not only lose weight but we will glow with radiance. Wild salmon, for example, contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which help us age well. Vegetables are full of antioxidants that fight cancer, keep us healthy, and beautify our skin.
Make a resolution to banish unhealthy processed foods and fast food from your diet as much as possible. Believe me, all of that sugar, chemicals, and saturated fat is showing up on your face.
The Lemon Tree Grocer, 5101 Mochel Drive, specializes in locally grown produce and organic foods. Trader Joe's, 122 Ogden Ave., also has a wide selection of frozen fish, such as wild salmon and halibut.
An easy and fun way to eat healthier is to have "theme" days during the week. For example, on "meatless Monday", cook recipes that are all vegetarian, using a protein sources such as beans. Super Tuesday is not just a political primary day; instead you'll dine only on superfoods such as salmon, spinach, sweet potatoes and more.
Sure, there are easy and more expensive fixes than exercise and good eating. But they just don't provide all the benefits you'll get from living healthy. Exercise and good food will help you sleep better, empower you emotionally, and even help with your sex life. And don't we all want more of that vitality?
