The early 40s are the years to make significant changes to head off accelerated aging. It's a "make or break it" time of life. You can tailspin into aging, or you can revamp and renew yourself.
Week One
Love yourself. Every morning tell yourself how great you are. Really lay it on thick. Say, "I love you," out loud in the mirror while smiling.
Week Two
Switch to eating only real food. Yes, factory food is everywhere, but I have been in the most horribly toxic food environments and have managed to find something real, or close to it. Many diet books such as mine, Weight Loss Made Easy, have several weeks of breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes. Cook a bunch of things at once. Pick the recipes you like and can whip together.
Week Three
Start exercising. All you have to do is break a sweat every day. You can exercise for 10 minutes before you take a shower. If you can do more, great, but if that's all you can do then be consistent. You can jump rope, do sit-ups, get some free weights and learn how to use them. Do a little yoga.
Week Four
Commit to getting enough sleep. Don't stay up till all hours. Your body needs repair time.
Week Five
Be mindful. If you can't formally meditate, then tie a red string around your wrist. Every time you notice it, remind yourself to be in the present moment.
Week Six
Find and an enlightened hormone doctor and make an appointment to see where you are hormonally. I believe bioidentical hormones have saved me. I have been on them for 16 years and would never, ever give them up.
Week Seven
Now it's time to start weeding toxins out of your life. Get rid of all chemical self and home care products. Buy chemical-free cosmetics. Toss out weirdly coated pots and pans (you can buy affordably-priced stainless steel at TJ Maxx), get rid of your microwave, have a water purification system put in (reverse osmosis, not the cheapie counter ones -- they don't filter much). Be mindful of the toxins you expose yourself too. Toxins age you!
Week Eight
Face off with your addictions: smoking and caffeine (sodas, coffee, tea, energy drinks) are two biggies.
Throughout your transformation, express gratitude. Research has demonstrated that gratitude is a powerful force that can radically alter your life in a good way. Be sure to direct some of that gratitude to your physical self for all of your efforts. You deserve it!
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EatingWell: Foods That Reduce Your Risk of Allergies and Asthma
Brant Secunda and Mark Allen: 8 Ways To Be Great This Spring
Mark Hyman, MD: How to Rewire Your Brain to End Food Cravings
Michael Feigin, M.S., C.S.C.S.: Massage at Home: On the Cheap
http://blogs.plos.org/obesitypanacea/2012/05/23/when-you-eat-may-be-as-important-as-what-you-eat/
When I turned fifty my curmudgeonly old French doctor sat me down and asked me if I wanted to go on drugs or stay healthy? Huh? He said that at fifty doctors start doping their patients - it's what Americans want. "It's completely unnecessary," he said, "if you will commit to being healthy but one in a thousand ever do it." I was fairly fit at the time and turned his offer down politely and have remained consistently conscience about my health ever since. Another doctor - a friend - told me that if I'm an American over fifty who isn't on drugs I'm some kind of miracle man. No miracles! I enjoy eating according to the "Eat food. Less of it. Mostly plants." mantra and I love working out like a dog. I have young twin girls who keep me social with a good career to keep my mind fresh. Life is good and I intend to keep it that way.
Thanks again.
My plaque is reversing less than a year after my quadruple bypass surgery.
I have outlined some of the pitfalls of filling our guts with guts; how the sun will shine brighter and the water will taste better if we eat lots of plants.
I am due for my next checkup at the Cardiologist in the next month. This is from my last visit in November. Here are my results from my carotid artery sonogram:
http://wholefed.org/2012/05/03/reversing-plaque-maybe-its-the-aluminium-foil-hat-i-made/
Anyone can pick apart how long humans have been eating meat or how or brains would be the size of peas without animal protein. There are thousands of studies and experts that will refute any effort that promotes focusing your diet on grains, vegetables & fruits.
I take 10mg of Crestor a day. Maybe that is the cause of the Plaque reversal? Maybe it is the baby aspirin? Maybe it is the 30 mile run I ran on Sunday?
I say: try it. Try eating nothing but Plants & Grains for a week. Two weeks. One month. Don’t tell anyone, do it for yourself.
There is no downside… only upside.
I wonder what this means? Should I limit my regimen to olive oil to moisturise my skin and eggs to wash my hair? Is it 1500 B.C. again? O_o
EVERYTHING is a chemical, unless it's a pure element.
However, apparently she meant synthesized chemicals, like, I don't know, some emollients or conservatives for example.
Turn off the electronics and sleep. Do that every night.
Day 1- clean out the fridge & pantry, eliminating chips, other processed prepackaged food & colas.
Day 2- Buy groceries. Get a water filter and a bottle. Lean cuts. Fish. Protein powder. Eggs. Berries and greens. Coconut cooking oil. Beans. Herbs, onions, garlic. Then cook & freeze/store 2-3 days of supplies.
Day 3 - Start training. All you need is floor space. Burpees, squats, lunges, pushups, leg raise and stretch. Add 10 reps per week - 2 per day for 5 days.
Eat small, 5 times a day. Drink mostly water, or tea/coffee without sugar. In the evening, run flights of steps. Have some carbs after exercise, abstain otherwise.
By the time you can do 100 of each exercise, go buy weights. I like barbells and Stronglifts program. Some prefer dumbells, or kettlebells. A simple sandbag is a great accessory. Switch to resistance, cardio & stretching.
By 10 weeks, you can alternatively start looking for a suitable gym/dance studio/dojo/boxing ring/whatever.
My issue with the suggestions in the article are that they are rather slowly implemented, and several are of dubious benefit. So, I got carried away by specifics :(