Five Accelerators That Speed Up The Aging Process

Arthritis, Alzheimer's and Diabetes are considered to be age-related diseases. But these diseases have their beginnings early in life. Well before symptoms begin to show, an unhealthy lifestyle begins to set the stage for a future of ill health. Establishing a healthy lifestyle during the growing years is more likely to lead to a healthier old age.

Today, retarding the aging process is big business. From liposuction to plastic surgery, a whole industry promises eternal youth. Fashion magazines promote blemish-free models while doctors stand ready to prescribe the latest medical breakthroughs to help ease those daily aches and pains, lose weight and eliminate disease. In most cases these are only quick fixes that don't address the underlying cause of age related disease. Just by changing the lifestyle, many people can add productive years during old age.

High Carbohydrates for Faster Aging:

Health and longevity begins with the diet. Today's diet consists of high carbohydrates and high fat foods. Such a diet increases free radicals that damage and accelerate aging in the major organs of the body. A healthy diet excludes highly processed foods in favor of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, nuts and seeds.

Little to No Exercise:

Exercise does not require running a 10K marathon to provide healthy benefits. Any activity is beneficial, whether it's walking, gardening, cleaning house or, for that matter, running a marathon. Activity improves circulation and helps remove the toxins that increase aging.

Negative Impact of Environmental Toxins:

Pollutants are everywhere from the air to the water and the food you eat. Foods on store shelves come laced with pesticides and other unwholesome chemicals. Produce on store shelves lack many of the essential vitamins that were present in the foods fifty years ago. Meats come from cattle and chicken that have been treated with growth hormones and antibiotics. All told, they wreck havoc on the body.

Bad Habits for Poor Health:

Good habits save time and increase efficiency. Unfortunately, many have developed habits that promote disease. Smoking is the number one cause of many cancers today. Others have developed a habit of overeating as a way to cope with stress and anxiety. Alcohol consumption and dependence on drugs are leading causes for many of today's health problems. Lackof sleep can create many physical and mental health problems.

Stress Levels Promote Faster Aging:

Stress is necessary and can be beneficial, but the constant "fight or flight" that many live under creates high blood pressure and reduces the quality of life. Few people really know what it means to relax. They attempt to find it through taking exotic vacations, but find themselves just as stressed out on a beach in Acapulco as in the office. Yoga, meditation, Tai Chi and other forms of relaxation help improve the quality of life.

Pain and disease do not need to be the result of old age. The sooner a healthy lifestyle is adopted, the better the chances that today's diseases will be prevented, no matter what the age.