Sweeten Your Home And Feel Good

Sweeten Your Home And Feel Good

Tough routine brings about stress. Stress brings about (say it!) aging. While the rest of the world is turning out of your hand, you are most likely at home, savoring what’s left of your weekend after a looooong week of work. You feel tired, almost suicidal, and then, when you look at the mirror, you stare in horror. You just got hold of the worst news since Hurricane Katrina; you got wrinkles.

Be more than a boarder on your home! Beautify it! In this way, you won’t be dreading every waking moment in it. Add some spice in your routine. Trust me, it will bring out the young punk in you and you will forget you’re not getting any younger (well, physiologically).

FILL YOUR HOME WITH GOOD MEMORIES

Remember your pre-school picture where you are smothered in dirt and you still managed to flash a toothy grin? Remember your prom picture where you wore make-up even if it’s against your will? They actually represent very good memories that can make you feel both nostalgic and cheerful at the same time. Seeing these memories triggers a part of the brain that recalls that memory and connects it with good moods.

Everybody knows that good moods bring out the best in us. It helps us become more optimistic through life and become more productive. Come on, you know there’s a lot more to think about than having a Botox injection or not.

You might have heard a lot of times that to stay young, you must smile all the time. With a lot of good memories haunting your home, what’s not to smile about?

HAVE AN ARTSY HOME

Old = boring. That’s how 90% of the world sees it and you can’t help but agree. Look around your home. If the dominant color is anything neutral (gray, brown, black or white) then it’s about time that you redirect your creativity. Neutral is boring. Pastels, neon linings and bold designs spell F-U-N!

If you can’t remember the last time that you’ve been fun then you’ve really aged. Recollect the atmosphere of fun. However, do not mix a lot of colors at the same time. Consult with someone who is good in interior design or read interior design books to have a guide. This is important because you don’t want your home looking like a day care center gone wrong.

Next, you can also consider filling your home with really good art. Put up bold paintings of local artists (local is cheaper but not necessarily of less quality). Frame good poetry on a fine quality paper with professional calligraphy. Even 10,000-piece puzzles and sophisticated cross-stitch pieces make good aesthetic treats. Choose carefully the quality of art that you put in your home. If you must, consult someone who finished a fine arts degree or even a college student of fine arts. Lastly, choose the art that you fall in love with. It should be something you can stand (and be happy) to see every single day.

HAVE A STOCK OF FEEL-GOOD FOOD

There are certain foods that don’t feel right when eaten every day. There are also certain foods which have the marvelous capability to make you feel better after eating it. Examples of feel-good food are those which are usually eaten after a break-up, a termination and after failing a subject.

Foods such as chocolate, ice cream, cakes are also connected with feel-good memories. Consider stocking up on these foods so whenever you feel like pigging out, do so in your own home and more importantly, do not apologize for it. That’s one of the best features of youth. Hmm. Alcohol is optional too.

You may not be getting younger, but hey, you can “retire” in your own home every day. Stay young, stay fun and stay passionate about life.

Places Where People Live Young In Their Old Age

Places Where People Live Young In Their Old Age

A long life is one of man’s greatest dreams. But this dream can never be pulled off by chance. A long and healthy one starts with having good genes, but definitely, it is not your genes alone that can determine if you’ll live past the 100 mark. What you take and what you do is a huge factor. But many age-conscious people in the world find very notable places where many inhabitants live long and healthy lives. What then can we learn from these distinct communities? 

Okinawa, Japan

With over a million inhabitants in this southern Japanese island, more than 900 of them have already lived more than a century. There are five more Okinawans who live to be 100 years old or so compared to other places in Japan. And the number of their centenarians is four times as many in America and in Britain. 

One distinct characteristic of the Okinawans is the ability to be healthy even until their end. Researchers observed that these people tend to age slower than others. They even work as long as they can which grants these people ikigai, a sense of purpose.

Okinawans eat low-salt, low-fat, anti-oxidant rich foods such as fish, tofu, soya products, and seaweeds. A wide range of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are also included in their rainbow diet. Not to mention, the age-defying tea is a mainstay in any meal.

But what they don’t eat may also be their secret to long life. Hara hachibu is a distinct cultural practice in this place wherein they eat until they are 80% full, consuming around 1, 200 calories in a day. Why this practice makes them young is still not understood that much. 

Loma Linda, California

In this Californian city populated by the Seventh-day Adventists, citizens observe the healthy lifestyle the church promotes –having a vegetarian diet, and abstinence from smoking or drinking. That is why a lot from this city are living five or ten years longer than their neighboring areas.

That practice can well-explain that. However, scientist discovered that this practice is not done by everyone in this area, yet, they still live longer than the average. 

As many claim, this community’s secret is their faith. It really does raise a question if there is something about being spiritual that makes their life longer.

Researchers don’t fully understand but there’s this remarkable fact that makes everyone curious. It’s been known for a couple of decades already that people who regularly go to the church, whatever their religion is, live more than those who don’t. Some say that those who go to church on a regular basis have considerably lower levels of stress, and perhaps, because of this, these people are able to deal with stress better. 

Ovvoda, Sardinia 

This small town in Italy boasts many centenarians among its 1, 700 residents. Even more notably, there are as many men who live longer as women, kicking the trend in the world. Their secret is not only the Mediterranean diet, but also their genes.  

For centuries, the families in this place lived in isolation, and married only their fellow Sardinian. So, from a genetic point of view, marriage among relatives provides positive results like centenarians.

With that said, interbreeding in this place seems to have caused their people to live a longer life. This phenomenon even made some scientist discover specific genes that are associated with long life. 

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Where To Go To Delay The Aging Clock

Where To Go To Delay The Aging Clock

We don’t actually have to mention, but for many, staying young is almost an obsession. But who really cares? Well, these are the avenues where your obsession can best benefit you. And you’d really love to care. 

First Stop: Hair Salon

Alright, we all know that this establishment is a must-stop to look younger. But if it happens that you will go here, would you know what to instruct the stylist for you to look young? 

Tell your favorite hair artist to give you a shorter do. A long hair for an experienced lady would more or less make her look like a witch.  Trimming on the shoulder or shorter boosts up one’s vitality. This takes the attention away from a sagging face. You may also have some bangs and layers. Bangs brushed on the side softens the wrinkles on the forehead. Layers make hair more lively and youthful. 

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Or try telling your hairstylist to add some colors on your crown of glory. This increases the volume of the thinning hair brought about by hormonal changes. Not to mention, this also covers up gray hair preventing them from looking ashy.

Hairstylists also recommend soft, tender brushes after a shower of emollient shampoo to give bulk to the thinning hair. 

Next stop: Derma’s space

Yes, you can look good by yourself, but going to the skin specialist once in a while spells a huge difference. Take the celebrities for an example. 

Dermatologists give benefits that our bare hands alone can’t bring into fruition. Dermatologists may apply some cosmetics like alpha hydroxy acid. This is used to reduce the lines and folds on the face, as a chemical peel, and enhance skin’s overall look and feel.  When used as a chemical peel, dermas explain that alpha hydroxy acids can change the pH level of the skin to spawn collagen that enhances tonicity of the skin. Collagen, as we age, diminishes in itself, developing wrinkles and pores. 

Dermatologists may also recommend topical treatments and broad-spectrum sun block lotion that would prevent you from sun exposure. Too much revealing of skin to sunlight causes the largest percentage of sagging, dark spots, and fine lines. We do not notice this effect because it’s not an instantaneous one. Best topical prevention includes those that have antioxidants and retinol. 

Third stop: Spa

From massage to facials to jacuzzi, a treatment spa is absolutely a perfect haven for those who’d like to stay young. Visiting it can be the most enjoyable trip ever.

A worthwhile massage provides comforting relaxation to treatment to more specific physical problems. It can also relieve stress and improve the blood supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. It can also aid in the recovery of some muscular problems. And at least in part, an hour of it can compensate for lack of workout and muscular contraction. 

A facial in the spa provides cosmetic therapy of the face. It involves a multiplicity of skin treatments like exfoliation, peels, steam, extraction, and masks. Not only is it soothing but an age-defying remedy as well.

The warming and freshening comfort of jacuzzi can transfer your soul to another dimension. A jacuzzi uses colors to further healing not only in the body but also in the mind. Each of these colors has a particular wavelength that affects the release of hormones and other organic materials within the body.

This positively changes one’s mood, feelings, or emotions.

How To Look Younger

How To Look Younger

The first thing you should do to look younger is to acknowledge that there are good things in store for you, and you deserve to have those. So it’s all about setting your mind to get to your end. You must value the thought that almost all good things in life are brought into fruition with the right attitude and positive thinking. 

So now, are you set to defy aging and look young? If you are, then these age-defying tips will surely help you look youthful easily.

Tip 1

No matter what you do, whether you have a demanding schedule or just being lazy in your cozy home, make sure you are getting enough sleep- and a good one at that. Your eyes will first tell if you have had enough sleep. A pair of eye-bug-free and sparkling eyes definitely makes you look younger. But how many is the suggested sleeping duration?

Perhaps you were brought up thinking that you should sleep at least 8 hours a day. Well, you should not. A new study says that those who sleep 6-7 hours live longer and healthier. Too much slumber is not good for you. In fact, sleeping for five hours is better than sleeping three hours more than that. 

To have a good sleep, take some natural soporifics.  These are substances that can induce sleeping. Milk is a very good example. Sex and a little aerobic may also help you sleep well.

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Tip 2

Keep you hair short. A long hair puts in more years to your appearance, actually making you look like a tired and worn-down witch. Trying a shorter do can improve your youthfulness. Tell your hairdresser to give you side swept bangs to expose your beautiful face. Adding layers can also make our hair look lively and shinier. A little highlight may also do. Putting on a darker hair (dark brown or black) does not only make you younger, but also coats up those grey hair.  

Tip 3 

Live in a clean environment. People who live older like the centenarians have some surrounding things in common: little stress, unpolluted air, good water, and unspoiled nature. Planting more trees in your area and planting more plants in your garden can help you provide cleaner air. More plants in the area mean more oxygen to breathe. Remember that what we breathe is the exact thing they exhale, and vice versa.

Tip 4

Do not put a lot of makeup. Yes, makeup can make you look pretty. But its amount, composition, and its style can make or break you. Keeping makeup light won’t make you look like a villain. Use more pastel colors and those with lighter tones instead of the dark antagonistic-like colors. Also try lipsticks with brown shade. These would make you look more natural and a lot of ears younger 

Tip 5

Take care of your teeth. Ever notice there are a lot of old people who only have false teeth? This is because as we age, our body absorbs and stores less calcium (which also explains why old women are prone to osteoporosis).

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So avoid losing your teeth permanently. Brushing every after meal is the most basic yet the most helpful habit for a good-looking set of teeth. Use teeth whitening products that can make you teeth white and shiny. Coffee and tea can stain your teeth instantly so a brush after is really helpful.

Going to the dentist at least twice a year is very important. And never forget to drink at least two glasses of milk a day, like what we teach to the real young ones.

Anti-Aging Effects of Blueberries

Anti-Aging Effects of Blueberries

Blueberry season is almost coming. But this sweet, flare-crowned, indigo superfruit is more than just a mouth-watering delight to your craving senses. Would you believe that this favourite has a wide range of micronutrients that do not only protect the body from diseases, but also aging?

High Antioxidant Value

Blueberries, along with blackberries, strawberries, and plums, have the highest total antioxidant capacity of any food. It is being regarded as one of the “superfuits” having the promising combination of nutrient value, emerging research evidence for health benefits, versatility for manufacturing popular consumer products, and antioxidant strength. 

Antioxidants are thought to aid in guarding the body against the detrimental effects of free radicals to cells and the chronic diseases associated with the course of aging. The antioxidants present in this fruit can protect the cell, so there is less chance for aging. Blueberries contain 14 mg of Vitamin C and 0.8 mg Vitamin E per 1 cup of blueberries.  Blueberries also contain anthocyanins and phenolics that can also act as antioxidants.  With this, the effects of blueberries to the skin are copious.

Neuron Protection

The compound anthocyanin, found in blueberries, is thought to slow down age-related loss in the mental capacity of humans. Those who eat more blueberries are thought to have better functioning in motor behavioral learning and memory. Anthocyanin also gives blueberries their colour and might be the key factor of the blueberry’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. While it is thought that aging can decrease cognitive and motor functions, blueberries can be of huge help to improve mental functioning.

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Better balance and coordination

Blueberries also have positive effects to balance and coordination. In a study by Dr. James Joseph of Tufts University, it was found that a diet loaded with blueberries counteracted poor balance and coordination associated with aging. In this study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Joseph fed four groups of rats a normal diet. But among these groups were given blueberries, spinach, or strawberries. 

For 18 weeks, the rats were tested for mental functioning, muscle strength, coordination, and balance. The two groups which were fed with strawberry and blueberry extracts performed well on these tests, but the group fed with blueberries executed the most improvement. 

Not only that, findings also showed that blueberries improved the neuronal functioning of the rats. Dr. Joseph suspects the findings are a result of blueberries' rich store of flavonoids -- phytochemicals that have an effect on cell membranes. These findings suggest that nutritional intervention can offer hope to those suffering poor balance and coordination related to aging.

Prevention of diseases

A serving of blueberries provides a relatively low glycemic load while providing a diverse range of nutrients, which also means there are fewer calories (good news for calorie-watchers) in a serving full of phytochemicals and nutrients such as iron, vitamins C and E. Because of the phytochemicals present, the risk of acquiring some deadly diseases may also be prevented.

Anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, flavonols, and tannins found in this wonderful fruit may help prevent cancer by inhibiting some cancer mechanisms. These components protect the DNA from damage and disintegration caused by free radicals. 

At a symposium on berry health benefits, there have been reports that eating blueberries and other similar fruits like cranberries may improve the cognitive deterioration occurring in Alzheimer's disease and other conditions of aging. Blueberries may help lower the damages of stroke.

Researches have also shown that blueberries may help prevent urinary tract infections (UTI), hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia that can also lead to potentially fatal heart disease. 

With blueberries, your tongue, and more importantly your health would get the best out of it. Well, even without all these benefits in mind, who wouldn’t die for a serving of blueberries? Hmmmm… Anyone?

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Say Hello To A Forever Young You

Say Hello To A Forever Young You

As you grow older, your priorities become redirected. Before, the greatest problem you could possibly have is what to wear on your school/ office wash day. Fast forward, the hurdle you’re facing is a 2-year old child. Fast forward again, you look in the mirror and realize that all those worrying and “problematizing” finally took their toll on your skin.

It’s about time that you know yourself more and pay less attention to your outside appearance. After all, what really matters is how you feel inside. A rich man can feel that he still needs to get richer; so in principle, he is not rich at all. However, a poor man can be more contented than a millionaire and at the end of the day, the poor man becomes happier.  Let’s cruise through what keeps one young by not applying a wonder cream or doing a wonder work-out.

MEDITATE

The day-in, day-out stress will make you feel like “slipping away” from the things which used to make you happy and things which used to make you feel like a child again. Rekindle these good memories by meditating at least ten minutes a day. Take some time to detach yourself from the world and think. You don’t need to philosophize deeply or to draft your next blog entry. Just enjoy some silence and a piece of world peace.

Choose a ten- to fifteen-minute break in your day. Just a short while. You have twenty four hours a day. Surely you can find or MAKE time for some productive self-healing.

KEEP A DIARY

A diary is a very important tool for a writer. However, even if you’re not a writer or even if you are not a grammar expert, it is also advisable to keep a diary. A diary is an outlet. It is a friend which will listen, will not judge and handy also. A diary is a tool of letting-go of the bad things that have happened to you which pull you back from moving forward.

You need to pass on some of your worries somewhere so you can focus to more important things like the relationships around you and the smallest get-happy detail of your everyday life. Keeping a diary also is like keeping a record of your psychological states. There are people who freak out when they realize that they’re starting to age and surely you don’t want to be one of them.

Don’t look at it as a task. Just write whenever you want to. Even in the middle of the night. Isn’t it just neat that someone will listen to every detail of your nightmare and not brand you a lunatic?

HAVE A DATE WITH YOURSELF

The most important person in your life should still be yourself EVEN IF you have aged. Remember when you were younger, when all you wanted was the latest gadget and the in pair of jeans? That’s exactly how you should still feel, albeit being more mature. Try not going into the selfish path; that’s too much.

Watch a movie alone; save yourself from the pains of having to explain to someone how the plot should have gone. Devour your favorite cake alone, go shoe-shopping alone, brim in front of the mirror and say “I’m the king/queen of the world”! Err, please remember to do the last thing alone too. Please. It’s for your own good.

When you were young, it was all about you. Now that you’re older, let it still be all about you. The secret to staying young is all in the mind. You don’t even need to get out of your home right? There’s no use studying what certain chemicals can do to save your skin while not learning to know, love and embrace your self. Your beautiful, ethereal self.

Combat Aging Wisely

Combat Aging Wisely

Suddenly, looking in the mirror is a burden. Suddenly, you don’t go out that much. The sight of crow’s feet haunts you even if you don’t have them. Face it, you’re aging.

Technically, aging means a process that includes changes in the structure and elasticity of the skin over time. Usually, it starts as early as your late teenage years and may start as late as in your late twenties. Our skin does a lot of things. It analyzes sensations such as pressure, pain and touch. It also protects us from the environment, helps balance fluid and electrolytes and most of all, helps in the regulation of our body temperature. With that said, our skin is clearly overworked. The least we can do is protect it from further harm.

Aging is majorly caused by either of these two: normal physiological aging (no matter what we do, we will wrinkle in time) and UV exposure (accounts for 95% of the wrinkles that you might have now).  The enemy that we have to combat is the UV exposure. How can we beat it?

Life is not a journey to the grave arriving in a well preserved attractive body Skid in sideways screaming whoo hoo what a ride. 

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

There are three kinds of UV rays: the UVA, UVB and UVC. These are graded according to their wavelength. The longest wavelength rage are UVA rays and the shortest, UVC rays. 

UVA wavelengths are almost harmless. The hazard is not non-existing but it’s highly negligible. Sunlight, when passing through ordinary glass contains UVA wavelengths. Short UVA wavelengths are those used for sun/UV tanning. However, this form of tanning is not completely safe. It still exposes your skin to UV rays and hastens its aging. Also, around 50% of skin cancer is acquired through sun tanning.

UVA does not damage DNA directly, unlike UVB and UVC. It doesn’t cause sunburn but it can penetrate deeply. UVA can produce reactive chemical intermediates which can harm the DNA such as hydroxyl and oxygen radicals. UVA rays damage the collagen fibers of your skin.

Next, let’s talk about UVB. Your skin can only take small amounts of UVB rarely. Meaning, no matter how small the exposure is, it is dangerous if it’s every day.  UVB, like UVA, can deplete the Vitamin A in your skin. Unlike UVA, UVB light causes DNA damage directly. It awakens the DNA molecules in the skin cells, causing a modification on the DNA’s growing strand. This is a mutation that is commonly found in most skin cancer cases.  UVB also causes collagen damage, albeit slower than UVA.

UVC is the least penetrating since the outermost portion of your skin, the epidermis, is made of dead cells. This portion protects you from UVC. UVC is quite damaging to living cells and has burning effects.

ARM YOURSELF

The best that you can do to combat these culprits is to wear sun block/sunscreen every day. The higher the SPF (Sun Protection Factor), the better. Experts suggest wearing sun block/ sunscreen with at least SPF 15 for everyday use. However, if you are at the beach, or biking, or hiking, your sun block should have a minimum of SPF 30. It’s like having 15 layers of skin every day or 30 layers of skin when you are heavily exposed to the sun. 

Don’t think that if there’s no sun you can steer clear from UV damage. Wear sunblock EVEN IF there is no sun. Remember that the stronger UV rays can penetrate through the clouds and these can still damage your skin. These are the rays that you should protect yourself from. Also, some bulbs contain UV rays, albeit weaker. So even if you’re just indoors, it’s still advised to wear sunblock.

There. That is just everything you need to fight aging. Remember to keep the principles handy. First, learn about your enemy and then arm yourself. It’s the “art of war”…of beauty war.