Proctor believes we only have about 30 years of life before our physical fitness starts to decline. The speed of the decline depends on the exercise we do – or rather , don’t do – so the sooner after 30 years of age that we start the proper amount of exercise, the healthier we’ll be and the more we will reduce and slow the aging process.

Once we hit 30, we get fatter around the middle, less flexible, have higher blood pressure and stiffer blood vessels; our blood sugar and bad cholesterol rises while our muscle mass and strength decrease. If that’s enough to make you feel depressed, cheer up. You can minimize the effects with a good exercise program – and exercise is fun.

What we need is aerobic training plus strength training, the latter being weight lifting with machine weights or light dumbbells and using stretch bands. As we age, the training should progress more slowly, and we should take longer for recovery. We should also avoid those kinds of exercises that are classed as high-impact.

With any workout, you should take time to warm up before the start. Whatever kind of exercise you do, simply do a lighter, shorter version until your body warms up. This will help prevent injury. When you have finished, warm down in the same manner.

If you don’t want to join the ranks of those who can’t even lift their luggage out of the trunk or up onto the overhead racks in train or plane, then do this. Start off flat on the floor (face down), rest on elbows with palms flat on the floor. Lift your body until arms and toes support your weight. Keep your body and head straight and pull in your abs. Maintain for one minute at a time. Your upper body and your core will be strengthened by this exercise.

Other exercises you can do to keep your upper body fit are lifting weights and you don’t have to go to the gym to do it. You can buy weights or use a can of beans to start off with. Lift them above your head and hold for as long as feels comfortable when you first start, then increase the time, as you are able.

If you find it hard to fit in an exercise regime, start by writing it up into your daily diary of chores. Ten minutes two or three times a day will make a big difference to your health.

On other occasions it could be due to bladder problems that make one or more trips to the bathroom every night necessary, or the onset of painful conditions like arthritis. Whatever the cause, lack of sleep is something that most adults try to avoid. While some diseases affect the quality of sleep in the sufferer, the reverse can be true; lack of sleep can actually impact the disease.

For instance, people who suffer from heart failure must sleep with their heads up to counteract shortness of breath. While the symptom of heart disease affects their sleep, this lack certainly contributes to the severe fatigue characteristic of heart patients.

In older people, sleep patterns vary – not just amount of sleep. The usual result of this is that there is less delta or slow-wave sleep. Slow wave sleep is an important part of the sleep pattern as this is when the body manufactures growth hormones, metabolism is reduced by about 40% and both the body and mind are at rest. This is the time of optimum rejuvenation.

The other type of sleep is when there is rapid eye movement (REM). During REM sleep, the body is at total rest, but the mind is still active – almost as much as when we are awake – and we often dream vividly. Everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers doing so. Research tells us that REM sleep allows the brain to practice new skills and do problem solving. It is just as important as slow wave sleep, and usually comes after a time of the deeper sleep.

Good sleep is needed in all age ranges; poor sleeping patterns can make us feel a great deal older than we are. While youngsters need sleep so that the body can grow, older people need it for rejuvenation of worn cells.

Without any sleep at all, people can literally go mad, but for those who suffer poor sleep, their ability to think clearly is affected, thus impacting on their quality of life. Lack of sleep also causes stress that negatively impacts the ability of the body to withstand illness. Sleeping pills are only a band-aid approach to insomnia; the reason for it needs to be addressed. While that is being sorted out, the sufferer may find a little relief in herbal teas, aromatherapy or relaxation techniques.

So fat and sugars should be reduced, but salt is another important ingredient to reduce, as it will help to reduce blood pressure in those who suffer from hypertension. The trouble is that these three – sugar, fat and salt – are often hidden in processed foods. Even those that claim to have low amounts still contain much more than you would get in fresh fruit and vegetables.

It’s a good idea to limit your use of processed foods and one easy way to do this is to eat a wholegrain breakfast cereal like oats. You may have to cook it yourself, but the benefits will outweigh the trouble in doing so. In fact, you can cook a double or triple portion and keep it in the refrigerator to be heated up for the next few days. That means you only need to cook it two or three times a week instead of every morning.

Substitute a fruit snack for bought biscuits and cake. Those packaged snacks that are supposed to be so healthy are no more so than any other bought biscuit or snack. Advertising is usually aimed at our wants, not our needs. Using whole grain or whole wheat breads will be healthier and more filling than white breads even with added vitamins, because the amount added is so very small.

Chips and candies should be limited to the occasional treat, as should fast foods. If the kids want to eat out at fast food places, then encourage them to choose the healthy options that are available these days. Grilled meat and salads are so much healthier, but go easy on the salad dressing that can be high in fat, salt and sugar.

Even excessive protein such as a meal high in red meat will cause a great amount of oxidation (and free radical damage) as the body digests it. When you feel sluggish after a big meal, you know that you’ve had too much of the wrong kind of food. Fish and white meat can be used to replace red meat and then you can gradually change over to nuts and legumes to provide the protein you need. When eating chicken or turkey, remember to avoid those fatty parts like the skin.

While selenium is not an antioxidant itself, but a mineral, it does play a part in destroying free radical activity. Selenium is found in the soil and we usually ingest it through the meat of animals that graze on pastures grown in selenium rich soil.

The foods rich in vitamins A C and E are mostly orange/pink/red colored fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, pink grapefruit, pomegranates, strawberries, tomatoes and avocadoes. Green colored vegetables such as broccoli and Swiss chard or spinach are also important. Add to the list blueberries, soy and wheat germ and you’ll have an extremely good anti-aging diet.

Since our eyes, heart, bones and joints seem to be particularly affected by age, there are some other products that are specifically good for these body areas. Calcium is necessary to prevent loss of bone density causing fractures, while Vitamin A, which has been mentioned already, helps to prevent macular degeneration of the eyes.

Phytonutrients will help to prevent certain kinds of cancer, while extra vitamin B6 aids in preventing insomnia, and decreases the risk of stroke by lowering levels of homocysteine levels. Unsaturated fats/Omega-3 works to prevent certain types of cancer, heart disease and arthritis, while plain old water rids the body of toxins and helps to hydrate our skin to minimize wrinkles and fine lines.

Care should be taken to eat foods that are dense in nutrients rather than

That genetics play a role in aging is more than a theory, since studies and experiments in changing the genes of certain mice have caused them to age much faster than others. What is not known is the percentage that genetics plays in the aging process compared to other factors. Some suggest that it only contributes 30% to aging, while other causes such as environment and hazard factors are the larger percentage.

Mutating certain genes in worms had caused an increase in their lifespan that would translate to about 300 years in humans. It is also known that in Werner’s syndrome, a mutated gene – thought to be involved in DNA maintenance – causes excessive and fast aging in humans. This would seem to point towards the fact that genetics does play a role of some kind in aging.

If those genes that are involved in the aging process are also involved in controlling the damage caused by aging, then such data would support another theory, which is that our lifespan is determined by how much damage is done to our DNA by various body functions like metabolism.

Scientists have found that ingesting fewer calories increases an animal’s lifespan. They think that eating less means there is need for less metabolism and thus less DNA and cellular damage is caused. Most of us have seen those old people who are extremely thin, yet seem to have almost as much energy in their old age as they had in their youth.

While scientists spend billions of dollars trying to find out the causes of aging, we mere mortals simply turn to the Bible and find that the Lord said,

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If our bodies are short of minerals to any great degree, then illness and aging results. For instance, copper helps to make tissue elastic, so a lack of copper causes the body tissues to sag and droop with wrinkles and flabby skin the result. Of course the opposite holds true; if there is no lack, these signs of aging are absent.

Low magnesium and selenium can cause heart disease, which will certainly have an aging result, as those with heart disease cannot be as active as a healthy person. One of the tasks magnesium does is to regulate the amount of calcium in our bodies. It actually guards the cells from retaining a toxic amount by ejecting it from the cell once its work is done.

Zinc is an important mineral since our brain depends on adequate supplies to develop properly. Deficiency at certain times of our development can cause dyslexia while a deficiency – along with copper and magnesium lack – will cause infertility. Zinc is said to lessen the symptoms and duration of colds and influenza, thus playing an important part in keeping us healthy.

Chromium plays an important process in keeping us feeling youthful and energetic. Lack of chromium means that the glucose needed for energy is not transported to all the parts of the body that need it. Worse still, the glucose is converted to fat and stored, causing us to gain weight. Chromium can be sourced from brewer’s yeast, liver and kidney, but it is difficult to get enough for the body’s needs. A supplement may help you to lose weight and give you more energy, as was the case with a study reported in All Natural Muscular Development (3/99 – pg 31). Supplements of chromium picolinate are safe to take with no build-up in the body.

Potassium plays an important part in nerve function and also helps to regulate other nutrients in our bodies, making sure there is no over-supply or lack. It is necessary for the healthy function of every organ. Potassium helps to prevent disease with even a small lack over time seeing the onset of various diseases.

One theory is that DNA damage is responsible. There is some evidence that damage accumulates in the non-dividing cells of mammals. While much of the damage that occurs continuously in these and other cells is repaired, some is not due to the speed of repair being slower than the speed of damage. Much of this damage is due to oxidizing.

The process of metabolizing oxygen and other essential reactions in the body causes the production of free radicals, also blamed for the aging process. Free radicals do much damage in the body including causing chronic disease, damaging the immune system, and exposing genetic material in the nucleus, thus leaving the DNA open to destruction or mutation.

Free radicals can also come from outside the body by way of the environment (smoke, heavy metals etc) poor quality food and water and even stress. If this sounds like bad news, the body does have a way of dealing with free radicals through molecules called anti-oxidants. Amazingly, anti -oxidants give the free radicals what they were ripping off of our bodies – that is, another electron to pair with their lone one. While this leaves the anti-oxidant one electron short, it does not damage our bodies to find one, but interacts with other anti-oxidants in a way that is harmless to us.

Scientists have actually prolonged the life of mice by increasing their ability to disarm those bad free radicals.

Another theory of aging involves the loss of effectiveness in our mitochondria, the energy-producing elements within our cells, caused by its inability to repair itself when damaged. Observations have confirmed the genomic instability of the mitochondria.

Scientists have also discovered that the natural shortening of the tail end of chromosomes – called telomeres – plays a role in the aging process.

Of course disease has a place to play in our aging, as we can see from observing those around us. Often the sick seem to age very quickly, even if their disease is not terminal. In some cases, skin damage caused by radiation, e.g. too much tanning, or being close to fires for lengthy periods in certain skin types, causes a person to apparently age, but their body is still quite strong. While no one likes to be a mass of wrinkles, it’s better than having a weak, frail body with beautiful skin.

HGH increases muscle mass and strength and helps tired muscles to recover more quickly, which is why an athlete may want to take it. It is said to help those whose sport demands a sudden explosion of energy rather than those who need endurance such as in running marathons.

Isolated by scientists in 1956, HGH was soon used to treat children suffering from stunted growth. Unfortunately, years ago the only source of it was from human cadavers and it was not known for some years that it also contained a substance detrimental to humans and caused Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease. The long incubation period meant that it often did not show up for 30 years or more. This problem was later eliminated with the production of synthetic HGH.

WE can’t just rush out and buy a bottle of HGH to take as a supplement. It is only available by prescription and is approved only for those who have specific medical conditions such as short stature, kidney failure and Prader-Will and Turner’s syndrome in children, and muscle wasting due to HIV and AIDS.

Adults with growth hormone deficiencies who are injected with HGH have shown improved bone density and muscle mass, a decrease in body fat, improved mood and motivation and their heart’s ability to contract improved as well as their ability to exercise. This has led many to believe that healthy humans who are aging will benefit from injections in the same way.

While studies in this area have been limited, a few have shown that while muscle mass did increase, it did not follow that those people became any stronger. Strength training had the same effect as far as muscle mass with the added benefit of increasing strength too, but there were none of those potentially harmful side effects that were present with HGH.

The side effects include such things as swelling in the limbs, carpal-tunnel syndrome, bloating, arthritis-like symptoms, headaches, high blood pressure and other nasties. There is no proof that HGH pills sold as health supplements actually work. A healthy diet is more likely to be of benefit – and a great deal tastier.

If there is not two, then the bond is broken and the atom will seek out another electron to become stable,

Certain vitamins are water-soluble and are lost from the body when we sweat or pass water. The main one is Vitamin C, but the B complex vitamins are also water-soluble. They are all vital for health, but also for anti aging as they give hair its shine, skin its youthfulness and the body vitality.

While these vitamins can be sourced from fruit and vegetables, they are easily destroyed through storage, cooking and soaking in water. Eating fruit as fresh as possible is recommended, while steaming vegetables reduces vitamin loss. Eating vegetables raw when possible will ensure maximum intake of vitamins. If your diet is inadequate, or you suffer from poor health and get lots of colds, then a nutritional supplement may be necessary.

Other vital vitamins are fat-soluble and so can be stored in the body because they dissolve in the fats and are absorbed into the bloodstream, from whence they can be stored by the liver ready for when we need them. These are the vitamins A, D, E and K.

While the body needs many vitamins and minerals, experts suggest that the top five are: -

* Vitamin C helps to repair all cells of the body, especially the connective tissues and collagen for a more youthful looking skin. It works in conjunction with Vitamin E.
* Vitamin E is also an antioxidant that will protect body and skin against free radical damage.
* Omega 3 to protect against wrinkles and moisturize the skin.
* Selenium helps break down harmful toxins that have accumulated and is also an antioxidant.
* Calcium keeps your bones healthy and strong. As we age our bones will become porous and prone the breakage if we don’t have enough calcium.

If we want to think in terms of the top five things to eat for health and anti-aging, then experts suggest eating: –
* Brightly colored berries which aid in brain health and function;
* Cherries to relieve the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis;
* Cruciferous vegetables to remove the aggressive estrogen that causes cancer;
* Nuts as rich source of minerals, and
* Tomatoes that contain cancer fighting nutrients, antioxidants, immune system boosters and skin health nutrients.

We can do this by choosing hobbies and interests that stimulate our thought processes. Crossword puzzles, sudoku, and games like chess are all good fun and stimulate our cognitive ability. Varying the mental challenges we set ourselves is also good. Just as our bodies need a variety of exercises to promote good health, so do our brains. A variety of mental challenges will keep it stimulated and active.

Physical exercise is great for our brains as it stimulates the blood flow. No part of our body can live and be healthy without adequate blood as that is what takes nutrients into the tissues. It’s the same for the brain. A brisk walk will blow away the cobwebs and make us feel more alert and refreshed. Your exercise level will need to be determined by your age and health. Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program to make sure it is right for you.

Social interaction is as important as exercise in stimulating our brain. The more people we talk with the better. Emotional ties with family make us feel loved, wanted and boost our self-esteem. When this happens we are flooded with positive emotions that stimulate us and reduce unhealthy stress levels. Hugs from our children are one of life’s best de-stressors.

Reducing stress prevents aging damage by free radicals. Take a few minutes each day or several times a day to reduce your stress levels by chatting to friends, listening to nice music or meditating. A walk around the garden to admire the flowers is a great stress reducer. Having coffee with a friend is too, so long as your friend doesn’t dump all her problems on you.

What we eat also affects our brains. Make sure omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants; unsaturated fats, fruit and vegetables are all a part of your daily diet. Even very moderate alcohol consumption has been linked with a beneficial affect on the brain.

That old adage,

During stressful times, our bodies form a great deal more than usual of the hormone called Cortisol. In fact this hormone has become known as the stress hormone. It causes changes such as premature aging and middle torso weight gain to occur. So if you see someone with a paunch the cause could be stress rather than over-eating.

Want to stay younger, longer? If we lower our stress levels, not only will we feel happier, but also our bodies will maintain a normal level of Cortisol and thus prevent this cause of aging. It is well worthwhile learning techniques to relax our bodies physically, because this will also help us to combat emotional stress. Eastern mystics have always taught that the body cannot be separated from the mind; now western medics agree.. The two are inextricably interwoven and what affects one will affect the other.

While you can learn specific techniques to relax both muscles and ligaments, listening to soothing music can have the same effect. Yoga, meditation and breathing exercises are also helpful. Moderate exercise is great for easing tense muscles and reducing emotional and mental tension. Our grandparents often pulled weeds from the garden as an antidote to anger or being upset.

If stress is caused by being in demand for every minute of the day, such as when you have young children, then it is necessary – but not easy – to set aside a few minutes each day just for yourself. This time should be filled with happy thoughts, not making a mental list of everything that still needs to be done.

It’s a good idea to start a happiness journal and write down all the things that make you happy each day. Just reading it when you feel down will help you to feel better. If you are stressed out by a heavy workload, whether at work or at home, see if some tasks can be delegated or simply left undone. Making the time to take up a hobby or sport of some kind can also relieve stress.

Skin has three layers. The outer layer which is indeed a protection from the rain and pollutants in the atmosphere; the middle layer or dermis, that contains pores, blood vessels, collagen and elastin fibers that gives structure and flexibility. And the inner layer or hypodermis that is responsible for storing the fat layer – everyone needs a certain amount of fat.

It seems that the middle layer is the one that does the most work. When the dermis is damaged by excessive exposure to sun – and yes, it is the middle layer that is damaged – UV rays from the sun reach deep down into the collagen and elastin, break it down and prevent it from reproducing. That is why people who tanned deeply when young will have loads more wrinkles as they age, than someone who kept their skin protected from the sun. That’s why those people who live in cold countries where they must remain rugged up have smoother, young looking skin even when they are older.

If, as you get older, you notice that the pores of your skin seem to be getting larger, then this is also due to the damage sustained by the sun when you were younger. It is also a genetic problem, but as the sun damages the edges of the pores and you lose elasticity, then the pores become enlarged. This can be largely prevented by the use of a good sunscreen when you are out in the sun.

Sun damage to hands can occur whilst driving as the sun beats down onto the steering wheel of your car. You can wear cotton gloves to prevent this, or keep a sunscreen handy to apply before you start off. Other sun damage can cause brown spots and freckles to appear on arms and hands, or any part of the skin that is regularly exposed to the sun.

Most of us have heard of the dangers of melanoma caused by too much sunlight on the skin. If you have any suspicious looking spot on your skin, always get it checked out by a doctor.

Alcohol damages the blood vessels and causes untold damage to the liver, not to mention having other negative impacts on our lifestyle.

You wouldn’t think food could cause aging, but eating the wrong kind of food all the time will fill our bodies with harmful free radicals and deprive them of the antidote – those all-important antioxidants. Fast foods will clog up our arteries with harmful fats and cause obesity. Even our children, who should be the healthiest people around, suffer from obesity. It causes them to become lethargic and unwilling to exercise, which compounds the problem.

Heredity does seem to have a part to play in aging. We often see members of one family suffer from the same degenerative diseases that cause them to age faster than others. But is this truly caused by genetics, or is lifestyle the main culprit? Usually members of the same family eat similar foods and exercise – or not – in a similar manner.

For instance if the parents are into sports and healthy eating, their children will seldom be obese or fast-food eaters. Or one person in a family may become ill and even die from eating, smoking or drinking the wrong things, while a sibling may prevent the same thing happening by sticking to a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise.

Lack of exercise is said to be one of the most important factors in aging. Exercise can keep you fit, strong and healthy – partly because sweat drains the toxins from your body, thus assisting kidney and liver function. It also keeps muscles, ligaments and tendons flexible and in good shape.

Over-work especially, combined with a poor diet can also cause aging as we have seen in the past, with women who did a man’s task on the farm or in logging communities while still bearing children and doing other housework. They seldom reached a ripe old age, especially if their diets lacked the proper nutrition. Even harsh weather conditions can lead to aging as the body battles to keep us warm.

Excessive exposure to the sun’s rays can also cause our skin to age quickly and wrinkles to form, while some diseases like Down’s syndrome causes premature aging.

The thyroid is a gland at the base of the neck that is shaped like a small butterfly. It produces hormones that regulate body temperature and do a great many other good things to our bodies. In many cases, the lack of these things has been confused with the symptoms of menopause, since the main age for thyroid-problems to begin seems to be similar to that of menopause or perimenopause – that is, the time leading up menopause.

The hormonal changes that occur during perimenopause often exacerbate the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Since many women put their symptoms down to menopause, they go largely untreated for their hypothyroidism. Traditionally, (in fact, as late as 1996) it was believed that this did not matter, as treatment was unnecessary if the symptoms were few and didn’t impact on quality of life. This belief was based on the fact that when treatment was given, it did not significantly alter the serum lipid parameters or alter the quality of life.

Yet experts now know that when left untreated, even mild cases of hypothyroidism place the suffer at a higher risk of developing those diseases that beset older age groups. For instance, in 2000 studies were done that show an increased risk of developing severe heart disease, heart attack, and blood vessel disease. However, the debate still seems to be raging, as an opposing group believed there was still not enough strong evidence for treating sub clinical hypothyroidism.

Whatever the experts do or don’t believe, if you are having problems with fuzzy thinking, fatigue, memory loss or depression, it would be wise to see your health care provider and discuss the matter. A simple blood test can tell if you are suffering these aging affects needlessly. This will measure the levels of a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in your blood. If your thyroid is under active, levels will be high.

Treatment is simple and effective with a synthetic thyroid hormone administered orally. It is without any bad side effects and you may realize that your symptoms were not due to aging at all.

Unfortunately, wrinkles are harder to deal with. We can have surgery to remove them, but this is costly and not without some risk. All surgery carries a certain degree of risk. If we get onto the problem before it shows up at all, there is a better chance of preventing wrinkles. But often what is not seen is not worried about and young people love to get out in the sun – which causes skin damage leading to wrinkles.

Fortunately, with all the advertising that warns about skin cancer, mothers are more careful in applying sunscreen to their children. It is the teenage years and early adult age that is most at risk. Many times people in these age groups simply choose not to apply sunscreen, and so damage that they cannot even see is done to their skin and will cause wrinkles in later years.

Still, one of the ways we can reduce the sign of aging in our skin is to eat a healthy diet. With a large variety of fruit and vegetables, berries and nuts, the antioxidants needed to fight free radical damage will not be in short supply. If we choose foods that remain in their natural state, then the health benefits increase. A few extra vitamins and minerals will make sure that we are not short on the necessary nutrients.

Drinking water is said to be the best-kept anti-aging secret there is. Water will hydrate the skin and flush out toxins. It helps the skin to remain soft, clear and supple. If we reduce our alcohol intake, we will be healthier and our skin will benefit. We’ve all seen the broken, red capillaries across the nose and cheeks of those who drink to excess. Alcohol also affects the liver, an organ vital in filtering waste from the body.

Cigarettes also contain many substances apart from nicotine that are harmful to the body and cause premature signs of aging. The skin of smokers is often an unhealthy gray color, caused by lack of oxygen. It also impedes natural healing, so that we take much longer to recover from illness. Besides, just think how many outfits you could buy at the end of the month, with the money you spent on cigarettes.

The sun’s rays are also a major cause of skin aging. Staying out of the sun between 10am and 4pm will reduce the damage a great deal. Sunscreen applied regularly will take care of those times you cannot remain indoors.

On the other hand if you have physical symptoms such as irritability, sluggishness, or fatigue, you could need a more in-depth detox. The liver is responsible for filtering many toxins from the body and in the process gets to the stage where it could use a little help itself.

Studies have shown that poor detoxification of the body contributes to some diseases such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, Parkinson’s disease and various cancers. We need to help our livers get the right nutrients by eating a good diet that includes cruciferous vegetables, Vitamin C and E, and the minerals it needs. You can also steer clear of toxic chemicals from pesticides, plastics and smoke.

To help your liver detox, you may consider going off tea and coffee, cigarettes, saturated fats and refined sugars. Many personal health-care products also contain chemicals that are harmful to the body. Try using pure soap instead of shampoo and a natural alternative to toothpaste. Don’t touch household cleaners that contain toxic chemicals.

A sluggish liver may cause allergies, constipation, obesity, and sensitivity to chemicals. You may get discomfort on the right side after eating, or have intolerance to fatty foods. You may also retain fluids and be obese.

Our body actually produces a peptide called glutathione that is a great aid in detoxifying the liver. Vitamin C, whey protein and selenium support the production of glutathione. Amino acids such as taurine, methionine, glutamine and glycine are also necessary to support liver detox.

Many detox programs last for a full week. This is because it takes some time for the blood to clear impurities out of the system. Sometimes you’ll need to start off slowly to minimize discomfort and then go back onto normal food and drink slowly so there are no harsh reactions.

Herbs or supplements that are used to help the liver detox can also cause discomfort such as flatulence, bloating or diarrhea. If you are sensitive in any way, reduce the dosage until the discomfort stops. A health care professional may be needed to administer the proper dosage. Those who are pregnant or nursing should not detox their bodies as it could have a negative impact on the baby.

Since smoke – whether we inhale in from the environment or from cigarettes – causes the action of free radicals in our bodies, and since free radicals ultimately cause the death of cells, it’s no wonder that an unhealthy environment causes an unhealthy body. If we are strong and lucky – and are able to have a healthy diet – the damage caused may be minimal, or it may take years to show up, but it is there.

Of course smog is only a small part of our environment. There is noise, physical hazards and mental and emotional stress to be considered. Many people work in a noisy environment. This not only causes deafness if the proper care is not taken, but fatigue, which in turn causes our bodies to work harder than perhaps they would in an ideal environment. Although exercise in moderation is beneficial – even necessary to health, the harder we work the sooner we wear out, especially if that work is carried out in a stressful environment.

We may even have a smog-free place to live and work, but if our relationships at home or in the workplace are stressful, then fatigue and certain diseases are often the result. Modern food is part of our environment too. Nowadays so many products come in plastics where once it was paper or glass. Plastics are carcinogenic. If you don’t believe it, try this experiment: –

Take a new garbage bag and half fill it with potting mix. Immediately plant a few flower seedlings, water them and watch how they grow. If they don’t die within a week, their growth will be severely stunted. This is due to the fumes that come from the plastic. Once the bags have been aired out in the environment for a few weeks, you will be able to grow fresh seedlings in them successfully, but guess where the fumes went? And guess how many more fumes poison our environment from the factories where those garbage bags and other plastics are made?

Emotional stress is caused by your perception of a problem. For instance, one high school teacher may find that a rowdy class is extremely stressful to teach, causing anger, anxiety or even depression, while another rises to the occasion and enjoys the challenge. The problem (the rowdy class) remains the same; the perception of the problem for each teacher is different.

The amount of actual stress that illness and other traumas have on the body depends on the nature of the person. While one person may accept illness with equanimity, another may be extremely upset or anxious, depressed or even terrified. The first person will be most likely to recover more quickly from the same illness or trauma than the second, because his or her stress levels are lower and so his body does not have to deal with the stress factor as well as the illness.

Stress causes the body to be depleted of essential vitamins, minerals and other elements that are so necessary for health. Basically, it doesn’t really matter which kind of stress the body has to deal with, the end result is the same. That is, stress of both kinds causes a similar depletion of nutrients.

The body has an inbuilt reaction to stress. We often sweat when we are nervous about something; our hearts may start to pound or our knees feel weak or start to tremble. One study found that students had an increase of acne when exam time approached, regardless of what they ate or what their sleeping patterns were.

When stress must be endured for prolonged times, such as in caring for a disabled child or enduring a poor relationship, then the immune system is affected. Thus stress can be said to cause age-related conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes and other aging diseases. People are more prone to heart disease and even arthritis if they are constantly angry and hostile.

Studies have shown that stress also impedes the ability of the brain to block certain toxins and potentially harmful molecules as in Alzheimer’s disease. Excessive stress plays a major part in worsening hypertension and high cholesterol levels. Swedish studies have shown that a woman who is under emotional stress takes longer to recover from a heart attack.

To get from point A point B they can simply sit in a car or train; food can be bought already prepared instead of hunting the house cow into the yard and digging the potatoes up – after having planted and weeded them. So the older generation may not realize just how beneficial exercise was to them. They simply did it in their daily lives with no scientific data or health-care professional to tell them it would keep them younger and healthier as they aged.

These days it is a well-known fact that physical fitness not only helps to slow down the process of aging, it enhances quality of life. Older people who are physically fit find that their balance is better, thus reducing the risk of falls that account for 60% of emergency room visits. They are more alert, and more flexible and so are able to enjoy many leisure activities and playing with the grandchildren.

The right kind of physical exercise supports or increases muscle strength and mass as we age. While aerobic exercise and stretches are great for maintaining flexibility, it is progressive strength training that supports or increases muscle mass and bone strength and density. The latter is particularly effective in the prevention and ongoing treatment of osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, which many elderly people are afflicted with. Even seniors who are considered to be in a frail condition can benefit from strength training.

Walking is considered to be one of the best forms of exercise. Most muscles in the body are exercised when we walk, with the added benefit that joints and ligaments are not adversely affected by jolting. For the same reason, aerobic exercise or a gently regime such as Pilates exercises can be considered beneficial for the older age group.

Physical fitness has also been proven to have an additional benefit of keeping the brain more active in older people as it stimulates the circulation. This also helps a variety of diseases such as cardiovascular and heart problems to be less severe.

Studies have shown that when melatonin is taken, oxidative damage is neutralized and the neurodegenerative process of aging is delayed. While these studies were performed on mice, scientists believe that the same holds true for humans. In these studies, it was proven that aging in animal tissues was due the oxidative damage (caused by free radical activity) that resulted in inflammatory reactions.

The small amount of melatonin administered to the mice was seen to prevent a great deal of oxidative damage and delay its effect, plus having a positive affect on other aging related causes, thus increasing the lifespan of the mice. Professor Acuna Castroviejo from the University of Granada declares that additional melatonin in humans over the age of 30 could certainly delay the onset of age-related diseases and considerably slow down the aging process.

While it might be supposed that since the pineal gland produces melatonin there would be no need for supplementation, it must be remembered that it is only produced during the hours that the body actually spends in darkness. Dim light such as streetlights penetrating the bedroom window and even the time spent under artificial light actually decreases the amount of melatonin made by the body.

When there is less melatonin in the body than there should be, some of the most dangerous free radicals are left free to do their damage. While many antioxidants are limited to certain parts of the body, melatonin can work as a free radical scavenger in all parts of the body – cells, blood and brain. This is what makes it such a powerful ally in the anti aging battle.

As we age, our bodies produce less melatonin – just when we really need it most. Melatonin has been seen to help those people suffering from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease; it also gives protection from the ravages of stroke as it helps to protect the brain tissue from cell damage and death and lessens behavioral deficits. At least, this is what happened when given to animals that had suffered a stroke. Experts see no reason why the same benefits would not apply to humans.

To find out if you are aging faster than you need to, look first at your body weight. If you are overweight, you’ll be aging faster than a person who remains at his or her ideal weight for height and age ratio. Excess weight puts strain on the heart muscle and other vital organs of the body. It stresses our bones as they strain to carry weight they were not built for, and it can cause our ligaments and muscles to wear out faster than they should.

Next take a look at your habits. Do you smoke? Smoking causes aging as it over-stimulates the immune system, clogs up arteries and triggers the white blood cells to multiply and kill. It predisposes us to cancer of the lungs and emphysema, so if early aging doesn’t get you, they will.

Do you drink alcohol? The effects of it on the liver are well known. It also causes obesity. Even antibiotics age the immune system when taken excessively. Antibiotics have been linked to heart disease, allergies, asthma, and breast cancer.

Do you have a sedentary job and hobbies? Lack of exercise is the fastest way to age. Your muscles need to move in a brisk way to remain at maximum efficiency – this includes your heart muscle. Exercise helps to unclog arteries blocked by plaque and it helps to de-activate the immune system when it is over-stimulated.

Now you need to examine your environment. It may be smoke-filled – and that is almost as damaging as smoking – but it could also be stressful. If you live a stressful life, then you are more at risk of aging quickly.

Another important thing that has an aging effect on the human body are your emotions. If you are lonely, bitter, unforgiving or depressed, you will age a great deal faster than a person who is the opposite.