Most people just move through their lives neglecting and abusing their bodies by eating unhealthy foods, living a sedentary life, and not managing the stress in their lives and then as soon as those first signs of declining health begin to show themselves they take steps to undo what years of bad habits has caused.
The concept of youthful aging, or growing older in years without the breakdown and degeneration of the body, has a foundation in prevention. It has to begin when you are young by maintaining a healthy diet abundant in fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean meats and plenty of water.
Exercise is a critical component to maintaining the health and vigor of your body. The key is consistency. The secret is to find a sport or form of exercise that you enjoy and do it on a regular basis. Make exercise a part of your daily routine so that you won’t skip it. Doing rigorous cardio-vascular exercise such as power walking, running, tennis, bicycling is good for your heart and your brain, burns fat and gives you energy. Weight training builds lean muscle mass, which burns fat and strengthens the body and maintains bone density. Building lean muscle also increases your metabolism, which is your body’s ability to burn calories at rest.
More gentle exercise regimens such as Yoga and Pilates are good for the body because doing them helps you to develop long, lean muscles. They also help you learn to manage the stress in your life, and increase your mental focus and concentration and sense of well being.
Maintaining mental sharpness is another key component of youthful aging. You must realize that you’ve got to use your brain—give it new challenges to solve, and keep it engaged with exciting activities in order to keep it sharp. Remain a perpetual student. Read challenging books on a wide variety of topics. Play challenging games that force you to use your thinking and strategic skills. Being engaged in helping others is a rewarding way to keep the brain young and sharp.
While prevention is not a sexy concept, it is the foundation of youthful aging. Guard the health and vitality you have when you are young by caring for your body and feeding it quality fuel and doing regular exercise, managing stress and keeping your brain sharp will ensure that you enjoy your golden years.
