It's been said often that getting old is no picnic -- but it's better than the alternative.
But getting older doesn't have to mean feeling old. You can start feeling younger right now. This "A-ha" experience happens every day at Canyon Ranch, where people get younger before my eyes. A week of eating the right food, doing the exercise, breathing, meditating, stretching, dancing, laughing and learning causes a transformation that you can see.
First, there's a shift in someone's attitude -- they become more positive; their outlook and their facial expression brightens. Suspicion and anxiety are replaced by a feeling of safety and hopefulness. The brighter attitude is accompanied by a lighter sense of being; a lighter step with a more graceful movement. Range of motion of joints, spine, head and neck is noticeably improved and the nagging pains of a stressful life are replaced by a satisfying mild soreness that follows the exercise of muscles that haven't been used for a while.
Energy and mental focus improve noticeably as sleep comes easily and ends restfully. Circulation improves as well as blood pressure drops and your hands become warmer. Digestion eases as symptoms of heartburn or indigestion disappear. Muscles get stronger as weight naturally trends toward a new healthier level. These are the signs of someone getting noticeably "younger".
The longer someone is able to stay immersed in this healthy lifestyle, the better they feel and the better they look. Invariably, people express the desire to move in and dread having to go home to the stressful grind of their day-to-day "normal" lives.
The re-experience of youth is an epiphany for many, and borders on addictive. This, I'm sure, is the reason so many people keep coming back to Canyon Ranch - to re-experience youth over again. It often makes me wonder what would happen if someone never had to leave the cocoon of health and youthfulness.
It's taken me fourteen years to come to a full understanding of what causes this transformation, and science is finally able to explain what is actually going on inside our bodies and why this youthful transformation occurs.
The mechanism for this youthful transformation involves the immune system. In a stressful day-to-day life, your immune system is constantly activated in the "defense mode", trying to protect you from the threats and potential dangers that abound in your environment.The army of your immune system becomes overactive -- using its weapons indiscriminately and unintentionally aging you in the process.
Your immune system travels throughout every inch of your body through your bloodstream and lymphatic system. It has the ability to wage war as well as to keep the peace, and a peaceful immune system is the key mechanism to youthfulness and successful aging.
You can control your immune system. It takes its signals from its environment -- what's going on inside of you and around you. There are seven ways that you can control of your immune system, create peace in your body and have your own experience of youthfulness. Here's a brief overview that we'll review in more detail in our next posts:
1. Breathe: Proper breathing is the way to access the automatic functions of your body and send a peaceful message to your immune system.
2. Eat: There are three important ways to change your eating habits to help reduce the overactivity of your immune system.
3. Sleep: Your immune system requires quality sleep for repairing and recharging itself. Sleep is a learned behavior, not a birthright, so we'll cover how to improve the quality of your sleep.
4. Dance:The best way to exercise your immune system is with dancing, rhythmic movement. Salsa, swing, tango or boogie-woogie are great, but you can also add music to your usual workouts to improve their effect on your immune system and aging.
5. Love: Humans are social creatures that require deep emotional connections for optimal health. Touch, loving, laughing and connectedness foster a feeling of peace in your immune system that improves your health and youthfulness.
6. Soothe: Create a soothing environment around yourself by adding cut flowers, soft lighting, photographs of loved ones and your favorite art. Play soothing music and have beautiful smells surrounding you.
7. Enhance: There are many natural herbs and vitamins that have the ability to enhance your immune function.
Next post we'll begin to get into detail about the specifics of each of these seven steps and how you can experience youthfulness again, yourself!
Yours in health,
Dr. Mark