Managing Stress

Stress has got to be the number 1 ager there is! Not only does stress have a major impact on the quality of our lives, it can also lead to serious health problems. It wasn’t so long ago that people wouldn’t even have considered that a physical problem could be due to a mental problem.However, more and more scientific evidence is showing that the mind and body are more closely linked than originally thought.You can’t deal with stress by using the mind alone because the chemical activity of the brain is not just the product of thought.

When confronted with a stressor, a number of things happen. Adrenaline is pumped into the body via the adrenal glands and both blood pressure and heart rate increase. Fat and sugar enter the bloodstream to prepare for a ‘fight or flight’ response and the stress hormone cortisol is released.In modern man this is a big problem. Our response to stress will often far exceed that required of the situation having severe consequences for our long term health.

All that fat left in the bloodstream following a stressful situation makes the blood thicker and less able to flow, putting more strain on the heart. Very often the fat is not burned off and plaque will develop in the arteries. The risk of hypertension and stroke increases. This is why exercise is great for alleviating the signs of stress. Excess fat and sugar in the bloodstream is used up by the muscles ensuring the blood flows more freely.

By keeping an eye on what we eat and drink we can do a lot to alleviate stress.The difficulty is stressed people often turn to the wrong types of food. This type of stress eating is actually making the problem worse because it plays havoc with our blood-glucose levels, having a direct impact on the brain. What we eat and drink has a direct effect on stress which in turn determines what we eat and drink. A very hard loop to break – one reason diets never work.

A stress management program designed to restore the balance in life is what most people need. The serious study and practice of anti aging technqiques should never underestimate the power of stress management.

Calorie Restriction

There is little question that reducing one’s calorie intake has a positive impact on longevity.Not just any calorie restriction based diet but one based on complex carbohydrates.A low calorie diet is possible with simple carbohydrates but this idea would surely lead to premature death.The body requires nutrition and this is not found in refined sugar, flour and fat so common to the western diet.

Mice fed a calorie reduced diet while maintaining essential nutrient levels lived much longer than those fed a normal diet. The calorie restricted mice maintained their youthful appearance and stayed active for much longer.

In trials at Washington University adults with an average age of 55 kept their blood pressure as low as a 20 year old. Studies have also shown that calorie restriction reduces the bad cholesterol (LDL) while boosting the good cholesterol (HDL), lowers inflammation and reduces body mass index. Further, a reduction in insulin levels can both help prevent diebetes and improve memory. In other words calorie restriction coupled with a balance of vital nutrients is key to the fight against aging.

But why does a calorie restriction diet work?

The body goes into survival mode when calories are restricted. It does this by lowering metabolic rate. Damage to cellular structure is lessened because less free radicals are produced. The added benefit of a diet based on complex carbohydrates is the increased consumption of anti-oxidants. Complex carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods – they help to fight the free radicals and therefore prevent further cellular damage.

The key to calorie restriction is of course maintaining the right balance of nutrients by sticking to a mainly plant food diet. There have been many studies showing that a diet rich in plant foods will keep the diseases (cancer, heart disease, diebetes, alzheimers etc) associated with affluent societies at bay. There is also plenty of evidence that people who mainly eat plant foods maintain their youthful looks for much longer. A close study of nutrition will reveal the power of plant foods to promote great skin, hair and nails. In our quest for life extension nutrition should always override our wish to consume fewer calories.

Present moment living

Probably the best indirect anti ager of all is the ability to remain present. It has so much positive impact on everything else we do that it should be everyones priority! Leaving the past behind and letting the future take care of itself allows no room for the negative emotions that are so damaging to our health. In fact, living in the moment is the antidote for all negative emotions.

Living in this moment means all our awareness is focused on the current situation. We don’t dwell on the past, neither do we dwell on the consequences of our actions – we can’t know what the future holds so why waste our energy. It doesn’t mean we can do anything we please or that we should not plan. Awareness in the moment ensures the right thing to do is made clear to us, even if that means planning ahead! If someone makes the wrong choice it is generally because of the power time has over us and how the mind has been conditioned to think and act. If a person is trapped by mental time a person will base their decision on past experience and personal gain – with total disregard for what is happening now! Behavioural patterns are repeated over and over again as are the mistakes we make. Our mind constantly shifts between the past and future and thinks it normal. It clearly is not. After all, is there anything but the current moment?

Just a little examination will reveal that all negative emotions are a product of the mind. When you have the power to still the mind you become aware of the what the current moment holds – love, beauty and peace. Only action based on these realities keeps you from prematurely aging. All the spiritual leaders of the past were aware of this truth and so can we be, by learning to be present.

By practising forgiveness and being grateful for what you have now, you let the past go. By accepting the current moment and letting the future take care of itself you free yourself from frustration and stress. The more you live in the present the less you will age – time will have lost its grip on your life.