Tai Chi: The Perfect Exercise for Older Adults
When we speak of "exercise," the first thing that comes to mind for most people are heavy weights, treadmills and an intense workout regimen. For some, the word "exercise" would include jogging, running or brisk walking. But one thing is for sure; we can get a lot of benefits from exercising.
It bears stressing that exercise needs to be done in moderation. Well, practically almost everything needs to be done in moderation. Just like eating, moderation is the key to good health and a fit body. Too much of something can be bad for one’s health.
While high-intensity workouts fit best for athletes, the same cannot be said for beginners. That being said, you cannot expect guys with frail bodies to lift heavy weights. All the more if old people would do that. Imagine your 70-year-old grandpa bench presses his way to achieve a heavenly set of abdominal muscles. At the very least, watching him give his everything just to lift a single rep would be a very painful sight to see.
Grandpa needs to stick to low-intensity exercises. Tai Chi is the way to go!
Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that involves slow but precise movements that focus heavily on breathing, balance and harmony. Since it’s mostly slow motion, Tai Chi is perfect for the elderly. More often, Tai Chi is also practiced for health reasons.
In addition, Tai Chi is also regarded as a mind-body exercise that helps promote total body coordination. It helps improve balance, as well as strength and flexibility. It has also been shown that Tai Chi practitioners have improved their immunity for certain diseases. Moreover, they have improved their cardiac functions, and have better sleep qualities.
Overall, Tai Chi greatly contributes to a happy life. It also improves awareness in the surroundings. But what makes Tai Chi more appealing is the fact that it greatly reduces stress. In effect, Tai Chi helps alleviate the burden of stress, which if not addressed could cause ill health.
How to Stay Young
How is it that some people appear to stay younger than others? Are they just lucky or is it a reflection of the work and habits they implemented, or invested, in themselves. I'm not one to believe in luck, rather I like to think that we reap what we harvest. Why not harvest better years from your body and stay younger than those who choose not to bother?
How many times do we meet people who are young in calendar years but whose attitude makes them appear much older. We all have heard it said of someone that they were born old and if they were not, they quickly became old before they turned thirty!
Age is really an attitude of mind, rather than a number on a piece of paper. There is a wonderful child like quality in every one that appreciates a beautiful rainbow or a colourful butterfly. What a shame it is when this quality gives over to materialistic attitudes and worries about our daily needs. Let us define some goals that will help us stay young, both in body and in spirit.
Keep fit! Embark on a lifetime of gentle exercise and keep to the rules that you set for yourself. You know that exercise produces chemicals that help fight disease, keep you relaxed and feeling better. Exercise is the best thing you can do to ward off depression, maintain weight and keep you immunity kicking along.
Have a regular pattern of sleep. This is essential for replenishing your store of energy. Keep to a sensible weight by eating correctly. As you get older, reduce the amount of food that you eat as you will be needing less to maintain a lower metabolic rate.
Avoid alcohol except in small quantities. It ages one rapidly. Avoid smoking completely.
The nicotine hardens the arteries. Drink 6 glasses of water each day. This will help flush out toxins from the body. Did you know that drinking water more often can help keep weight down?
Dress younger than you are. Nothing makes us look and feel older than we are if we wear "old peoples' clothes". The fitter you keep, the younger you'll feel like dressing.
Think young. By this I mean that we must involve ourselves in the language and manners of the younger generation. We will then be able to socialise with people younger than ourselves and not feel that we are slipping behind in the generational gap.
When conversing with people older or younger than ourselves do not act in a condescending manner to them but rather treat them exactly as our equals in age. We will then not give the impression of being out of sync with time.
Be involved in a wide range of activities that involves meeting with people of all age groups.
Be as comfortable with talking to a very old person as with a very young person and encourage them to call you by your first name.
Do not be overly formal. This will place you clearly in a time frame that you do not want to be in. This includes using phrases that are clearly from the past and not in current usage by younger people.
Have regular medical and chiropractic check ups to ensure that your body is able to function at its peak efficiency. It will function well with regular service, just like your car. Your chiropractor can talk to you about nutrition, fitness, stretching and food supplements. Use your chiropractor as a resource to help you stay young, feel young and get the best out of your engine - it only has to keep you running for around 90 years!
Dr David Black is an Australian chiropractor in private practice. After 25 years as a pharmacist, he went back to study in 1980 as a mature aged student and has now practiced chiropractic for 25 years. He is passionate about patient education and giving people the tools to help themselves. Dr Black believes that everyone can enjoy better health and that spinal health and fitness is a key start in this journey. His website at http://blackchiropractic.com.au has many articles and chiropractic resources.
Staying Young
About the biggest factor concerning staying young is to lead a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is not as hard as you might think; it just takes a continual and small effort to change your previous habits into ones that well help you maintain your health and vitality throughout your life.
Leading a healthy lifestyle is dependent at least in part on eating a good diet, and getting physical activity.
A balanced diet should consist of one third fruit and vegetables, one third protein and one third carbohydrates as the basic building block of life we need come from a variety of meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy and grain products. This is why your daily diet is one of the most influential factors of your bodies health.
When you're physically fit, you have the strength, flexibility, and endurance needed for your daily activities. Being physically active helps you feel better physically and mentally. It also reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke, relieves stress, and strengthens your heart, muscles, and bones. Exercising on a bicycle or a treadmill just 25 to 30 minutes, 3 days of the week is enough to lower your risk of hospitalization for lots of age related diseases.
Anti aging supplements are available to help us get the added boost and extra nutrition that we need to function properly.
Basic categories of nutritional health supplements are vitamins, minerals, anti-aging supplements etc. They all contain different elements that can help us to live our lives to their fullest healthy potential.
Stay away from fast foods and non-fresh foods is almost impossible. If your life's and work conditions stop you from having a nutritious diet, then your only hope for better illness and pain free health is to add to your diet with some good health supplements.
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Surfboard or Botox. What Really Keep You Looking Young
Pack up your lethargy, fatigue and weariness. Put them in the suitcase with your bikini and sunscreen. When your surfing vacation is over, the bikini will probably be faded. You, however, will be looking and feeling years younger. Your fatigue will be a thing of the past. You will have a spring in your step and a zest for life that you had thought long gone.
Pack away those "old lady" hobbies. Unearth your bikini, sunscreen and surf wax. Join a sporting craze that unites everyone of all age groups, from tiny children to the elderly.
There is nothing more aging than a woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Go on a women surfer's vacation and rejuvenate yourself. The sport of surfing will have you energised and looking and feeling more youthful in no time.
Feel your responsibilities and burdens start to slide away after the invigorating surfing sessions in the glorious ocean. There can be nothing more rejuvenating than splashing around in the crystal water waiting for that next wave. The feeling of successfully sliding down the face of the wave is just the best in the world. Every surfer comes out of the water after a session with a big grin on her face. Your endorphins (those feel good hormones produced by exercise) will be pumping.
The extra exercise will have the blood pumping around your body, resulting in a beautiful healthy glow to your skin. Allow your true beauty to shine from within. Those endorphins will take years off your face. A truly happy and contented woman has a much more youthful appearance. Just look around your own friends and colleagues to see living evidence of this.
Enjoying time in the great outdoors is a fine way to stay young at heart. However, while out there surfing it is important to remember to apply your sunscreen. Organic ones are best as they contain less harmful chemicals, and often have added natural moisturizers in them. There is no point going on a surfing vacation and frying your skin. You do not want to come home with wrinkles or a bad case of sunburn as your holiday souvenir.
Another great piece of advice to halt the aging process is to indulge in your surfing in the less damaging times of the sun. Have you heard the phrase "10-3, beneath a tree"? Use the middle of the day for resting, shopping and massages. Smart women surfer's hit the waves first thing in the morning, before the wind comes up, and in the late afternoon. The late afternoon surfing session can be a great way to banish the frustrations of the day.
Catching a little sun through the sunscreen is an excellent way to help halt the process of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a nasty part of aging for all females involving the loss of the calcium in the bones, resulting in more fragile bones. "Dowager's humps" are an excellent example of osteoporosis in its more dramatic form. The calcium that you consume during the day actually needs the Vitamin D from the sun to be metabolized into a substance your body can utilize. Another great reason to start surfing and turn back the hands of time.
The physical activity of the surfing will have your upper arms toned in no time. Your whole body will be more supple and youthful looking. Use muscles that have been almost forgotten. Surfing is a great form of exercise for burning off any excess pounds. Which would you rather, the sweaty Stairmaster and the arm weights, or a glorious session in the crystal water with the waves?
There is nothing quite like the fresh ocean air to dispel all sad and negative thoughts. It is actually extremely difficult to remain depressed when on the beach. In fact, many people claim that the seaside is a cheaper and more effective alternative to therapy.
Why go on a plastic surgery holiday? Go on a women surfer's vacation instead. Learn, or perfect, a new sport and come home looking and feeling years younger. Return home from your vacation with extra life experience in your soul, not as a blank canvas with all life erased. Go home smiling, not with a paralyzed face full of toxic nasties.
Your job, your partner, your children and the housework can all wait. Leave the aging burdens of the daily grind at home. Reinvigorate yourself now. Botox or a surfboard? The answer to a more youthful appearance is obvious. Say "No" to injecting chemicals into your body. Say "Yes" to organic sunscreen, waves and surfboards.
Sunscreen, a bikini, a surfboard. Answer the call. Feel younger. Look younger. Surfing. The natural and healthy way to take 10 years off your face.
BlueWaterArticles.com: - Surfboard or Botox. What Really Keep You Looking Young
Me-Shell Mijangos, an ex-professional snowboarder, left the corporate world of NYC to follow her bliss in Maui, Hawaii. She is the founder of an all inclusive women's surf camp called SwellWomen. Two years ago, she started SwellCo-ed, a Surf and Yoga Experience for women, men and couples. She hopes to surf with you in paradise soon! Visit her SwellBlog!
Top Tips For Staying Healthy All Year Round
It is getting harder than ever to stay feeling good and healthy these days, with all of the stress and pollution. But there are a few things that you can do in order to keep life going smoothly, all you have to do is know what they are. This article is going to help you learn what is the most important factors in your good health.
Here are the most important things for you to consider when trying to stay healthy:
Sleep
Good sleep each night is essential to your good health. During sleep your body will recharge itself and your immune system will get built back up to where it should be. Getting a good nights sleep will also help you to fight depression and anxiety. When you sleep you look better and feel better so start trying to devote a solid 8 hours to sleep each and every night.
Healthy eating
Healthy eating is another important part of good health. Remember that old saying, you are what you eat? Well, it is true, you really are what you eat. The better you eat each day the better you are going to look and the better you are going to feel. Healthy eating will keep you looking young and fresh faced. Your skin will be smoother and softer and you will start to have that healthy glow that people talk about. Banish that sallow complexion starting today by eating healthy once and for all.
Exercise
There are all kinds of great ways to exercise and no matter who you are or how fit you are at this time. If you are not into the hard core aerobic workout then consider walking. Walking every day is a great way to stay healthy and feeling good and young. You can get a treadmill or you can walk around the block. You should even consider taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator. Every little bit of exercise each day will help you to stay in tip top shape.
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Resist The Force Of Aging
If you’re the type of person who would rather watch TV and eat all day long than giving you’re muscles a little more stretch, better think twice. Here’s the deal: this lifestyle speeds up aging. How? Well, inactivity accelerates aging in two ways: it decreases our muscle strength and gives us extra pounds.
Muscle meltdown
As we age, the quantity and strength of our muscle fibers diminish. Truth to the matter is, we lose two to four pounds of muscles every ten years. Decreased number and strength of muscles causes our muscles to lose flexibility, losing our usual range of motion and optimal strength.
Lack of exercise is to blame. It was found out that not exercising for even just a week weakens our muscles significantly. In fact, if you don’t exercise for a month, you will lose almost 50% of your original muscle strength. Some people may not even notice their atrophied muscles because of the fatty buildup in their body. Blame that too to lack of exercise.
Gaining extra pounds
The simple logic here is that if you are inactive, you gain extra pounds, and extra pounds can age you. But hey, there’s a missing link. How does an increase in weight speed up aging?
Researchers have recently found out that as people become heavier and became more insulin resistant (a common side effect of being fat and heavy), their telomeres (strands of DNA at the end of a chromosome that protect the tip from destruction and classically shorten with age) shrank more than those of people who didn't increase their weight and developed more insulin resistance, an apparent sign that the aging process was speeding up among overweight. Researchers suppose that the stress caused by increased weight and insulin resistance spawn inflammation and free radicals that damage cells. Simply put, a heavier body ages its own DNA.
The Solution
But the good news is, you can recover what you have lost and slice off what you have gained. Research clearly shows that a healthy lifestyle and exercise can help keep your DNA younger.
In studies, regular exercise has been proven to keep you from diabetes, muscle atrophy, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and heart diseases. Regular workout helps prevent hypertension, reduces body fat, raises High Density Lipoprotein (good cholesterol), lowers Low-Density Lipoprotein (bad cholesterol), improves circulation, keeps the bowel healthy, and regulates key hormones.
An anti-aging workout is best for you! This includes consistent cardio, yoga, and weight training.
You can do jogging, cycling, walking, and swimming for thirty minutes a day for about five times a week. Doing these of higher intensity everyday can be helpful in bringing more blood and oxygen to our brain. These activities also guard your heart by lowering blood pressure, reducing LDL, and keeping arteries flexible to improve circulation.
Lifting weights should also be part of your roster of activities. Weightlifting for 20 minutes a day, twice a week can be of great help in having strong bones, and muscles, which of course includes the heart. For beginners, 3-5 pound dumbbells will do.
Doing yoga is one of the best activities to fight stress. It relaxes the body, thereby, keeping stress from burning you out. It also protects the body against free radicals that break down the elasticity of the skin.
More Benefits
Exercise does not only keep you young, it also helps you sleep, firms you up, improves your mood, keeps you slim, and take note of this, charges up your sex life :D