Unhealthy Accelerators That Speed Up The Aging Process
by The belief that pain and disease is a natural process of aging is false. The elderly are often recognized in medical circles as being convenient cash cows for an industry that relies more on profits than in keeping the general population healthy. But you don’t need to fall prey to the diseases associated with aging. Getting older does not need to be a curse and a life of misery.
In some parts of the world, senior citizens work alongside their grandsons and granddaughters planting and harvesting. Okinawa is famed for its active centenarians. While their bodies have slowed down, their quality of life has not deteriorated significantly. Few of them suffer from the ailments of today’s modern life.
Our modern lifestyle makes it possible to age a lot faster than our chronological ages. Diseases such as diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s are all on the rise and even today’s children exhibit some form of insulin resistance as they start to live sedentary lifestyles. These diseases don’t come from the invasion of viruses or bacteria like the flu. Today’s common diseases can be eliminated by addressing the factors that cause them.
An Unhealthy Diet
Convenient and fast foods have wormed their way into the average person’s diet. As hectic as life is for the go. Preparing dinner and having the family sitting down for a meal is an impossibility. Everyone needs to rush to keep appointments and get to work on time. Slowing down or stopping is unthinkable when so many bills must be paid. But the modern diet of high carbohydrate, high fat and salty foods are taking a toll on the waistlines and the health of those who eat foods not designed for the body. The wrong foods increase the free radicals that cause the body to age faster.
Lack of Physical Activity
Exercise is not something anyone looks forward to. It appears to interfere with a rushed lifestyle and few people feel they can squeeze in an exercise program into a busy day. Many are under the impression that exercise must become a sweaty activity to do any good. Exercise does not have to cut into a daily routine. While few people feel they can set aside 20 minutes for a walk, they can get as much healthy benefit by simply increasing their activity levels, none of which require lifting weights or running a marathon.
Environmental Toxins
No one can escape the toxins in the environment and the chemicals that are added to food and the products we use to freshen our homes and our bodies. But you don’t have to surrender your life to them. You can start now to reduce your exposure to them.
Poor Personal Habits
Healthy habits make life more efficient. Unfortunately, many have developed habits that encourage sickness. Habits such as smoking and alcohol abuse ages the liver. Overeating leads to obesity and eventually diabetes. A lack of sleep creates sluggish and poor performance. The immune system becomes weak so viruses and bacteria have a chance to cause the body damage. While you’re not likely to hear it from your doctor, many of the prescription drugs you take create more physical problems. Their unnatural chemical content only adds to the chemical overload already in the body.
The Damaging Effects of Stress
Stress can be a motivator to achieve a better life. But today, most people live under constant stress. The demands of a hectic life eventually leads to high blood pressure, poor mental performance and physical breakdown. Relaxation is something most people don’t know how to do. Yet practices such as yoga, meditation and Tai Chi can often lower blood pressure and improve the quality of life.
Pain and disease do not need to be old age partners. The sooner you make the necessary changes, the longer you will live and the better the quality of your life.
Author Bio: The author lives and works near Ottawa, Canada. He loves writing subjects dealing with business, self-improvement and health. He has had a number of articles published on such sites as Helium, Suite 101 and Triond. He sells his work through Constant Content and can write articles for your blog and newsletter. You can further read articles and see some of his digital art posted on his weblog. As he is interested in business, he is also a member of the Global Information Network, a private club that offers up information and can tutor anyone interested in starting their own business. To join the club, you must be invited in. Contact the author if you wish to become a member.
Liked it
