Science tells us that once we arrive at the 40 year mark our bodies start aging faster and faster.
Studies have shown that if we don’t practice very particular daily healthy habits, your body will age about 6 months extra for every year that passes.
Yikes….consider this! If you are 40 now and not eating the right foods, not relaxing enough, not moving your body the proper ways, by the time you get to age 44 you will look and feel 48.
And if you continue eating poorly, not exercising and stay stressed… by the time you get to 60 you will look and feel 70.
But there is good news…. All this damage is reversible. With specific daily habits, you can actually stop this rapid aging process…And it doesn’t involve drugs, equipment or gimmicks.
There are 9 keys to anti-aging
These are the 9 things you must do in order to cease this fast aging process that is happening and even reverse it by restoring your body’s natural youth hormones.
- Include healthy fats in your diet. I’ve written about this in my article The Wonders of Healthy Fats so you can go read more. The low fat craze we all were told would help us lose weight is actually working against us at this stage in life. Healthy fats ingested do NOT make you fat. They actually help your body generate hormones that work against aging. I do promote a TEMPORARY reduction of fats and an elimination of all unhealthy fats with a cleanse now and then just to allow the body a chance to rest and rejuvenate. But I have seen first-hand how a low fat diet wreaked havoc for several of my clients.
- Against the grain. If you eat a variety of nutrient-dense sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, zucchini, broccoli, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, apples, papaya, berries, melon, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, cauliflower, pears, lean/clean fish and poultry, avocado, coconut oil– just for starters – you are getting all the carbohydrates, fat and protein your body needs to THRIVE. You do not need grains. In fact, there is much expert opinion that says eating grains is aging you. You can find reams of articles on the problems with gluten. If you must eat grain, opt for sprouted grains and eat in very small portions.
- Exercise efficiently and with resistance. Low impact cardio regularly is good for keeping the heart strong and the lungs in good operation but running and biking for miles and miles is not helping the anti-aging process, according to fitness experts Steve and Becky Holman of Old School New Body. It’s hard on the joints and long cardio sessions are considered by many cutting edge fitness experts to do more damage than good. You are much better off doing an efficient resistance training exercise program according to Dr. Doug McGuff author of Body by Science. You can read more about this theory and specifics here.
- Get your head in the game. Stop talking about how old you are and blaming your weight, aches and pains on your age. You CAN turn this around, feel and look younger the natural way! You must surround yourself with people who are on the same page, think positively, speak optimistically and take action to practice these steps. If you find your thoughts and beliefs are stuck in negative patterns, personal coaching or counseling can help.
- Hydrate daily. Water helps your body to burn fat, suppresses hunger and moisturizes your skin from the inside out smoothing away signs of aging. Drinking enough water flushes your kidneys allowing your liver to process toxins and aid in the fat burning process with ease.When your kidneys are taxed from too little water, your liver has to do the job of your kidneys AND your liver. Your liver is needed to burn fat. Make it a point to drink at least ½ gallon of water daily and after one week you will see the benefit in the mirror. Read more about the importance of water here.
- Bye-bye cocktails. In my work with women over 40 this might just be the toughest part because so much of our society is centered around drinking wine and cocktails at social gatherings. Many women have become dependent on the relaxing effect of a drink in the evenings and even more women have become addicted to the sugar in the drinks. If you want to reverse the aging process, you need to stop drinking. There’s just no way around it. I am the first one to admit to my clients that this has been a tough one for me because I truly love wine. I love the ritual, I love the aroma, I love the whole culture of fine wine. But nightly sipping wreaked havoc on my health. I’ve discovered, you can avoid alcohol 95% of the time and then very carefully enjoy a special wine or a special cocktail on special occasions once every few months and not do damage to your body. Drinking more often than that frankly works against the goal of anti-aging.
- Kick the sugar habit. I recently had a nutrition expert guest blog for me on this subject and you can read all the details here. I will just tell you now that sugar is a drug and a highly addictive one. It is responsible for inflammation in the joints, weight gain, puffy eyes, bloated belly, over-growth of yeast (candida albicans) in the gut, eczema, acne, and sleep interruption. And sugar is lurking in places you might not realize. It’s in salad dressings and sauces used in restaurants. It’s in many spice blends. And by the way, drinking alcohol is like injecting sugar right into your veins. Eating white pasta, bread and rice is just like eating sugar right out of the sugar bowl. Get the sugar OUT of your daily diet and your aging process will slow down immediately.
- Get some sleep. When I was having this website designed I told my web designer I wanted a “night sky” in the background and she asked me why. I said, “Because for women over 40 going through menopause and aging, night time is often the hardest time and if I can help them improve their sleep and embrace the night again, I will have done my job here.” You must take action to create a sleep routine that allows you to sleep well and get enough good sleep every night to reverse the aging process. Grab my free e-guidebook called Sleep Tight here.
- Master stress – teach your brain and body to relax. Maybe the most important of all these points. You must actively train your brain and body to soften and relax. You must learn through dedicated practice how to manage your reactions to stressors. It requires ongoing practice using guided meditations to relax, a seated meditation practice, a gentle-easy yoga practice to do it. If you can learn this, all the other steps will come more easily and when life hits you with those stressful curve-balls you will be prepared. Stress is literally killing us rapidly. Take the reigns, and decide today you will learn how to relax. Grab my free 20 minute guided meditation here.
Feel overwhelmed by all of this? Never fear.
I have some suggestions for you…
If you’re just starting out and don’t have much extra money in the bank, go order my $12 program that provides you one new habit to implement each week over 10 weeks. It’s called 10 Healthy Habits: One Step at a Time.
Want to dig in deeper? Ready to totally transform your body, mind and spirit in 12 weeks? Go check out 12 Weeks to Total Transformation. You can order the program to do on your own at your own pace OR you can sign up to be part of the LIVE version with personalized group coaching with me starting in September.
Want to whittle your waist and get healthier in 45 days? Go take a look at 45 Days to Fabulous Over 40. It’s only $45 and it addresses all 9 of the points above.
Finally, if you want a deeply personalized program, consider signing up for my 3 month coaching program called Redesign Your Life. I will help you create a very personalized program customized just for you with one on one coaching for 3 months.
Here’s to turning back the clock!
