People are trying to regain youth, beauty and former health, desperately turning to various specialists. But the secret to long life is actually simple: the right lifestyle and working on yourself.
Maria Goman, founder of the Santa Maria integrative medicine health clinic in Mexico, a certified nutritionist, coach and creator of original programs on longevity and youth, told the Lady Mail.ru editors what habits you need to implement in your routine to prevent aging.
Source: Freepik.com
1. Mediterranean diet
The diet of the Mediterranean people is considered to be a cure-all diet. Thanks to it, you can not only lose excess weight, but also significantly improve your health. This type of nutrition first became known in the 1950s, when Ancel Keys, an American physiologist, and his team studied the effect of diet on human health. Then he discovered the relationship between diet and life expectancy.
The main secret of the Mediterranean diet is an abundance of green vegetables, fruits and grains.
It completely excludes the consumption of industrial products: sweets, baked goods, semi-finished products. At the same time, the consumption of food of animal origin is reduced: meat and fish, eggs, dairy products.
This diet has long shown its effectiveness in preventing chronic diseases and improving carbohydrate metabolism. It also has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and the condition of blood vessels, and helps reduce cholesterol levels in the blood.
2. Healthy sleep
Sleep is no less important for health. And you need to find a middle ground: sleep as much as your body needs. If you don’t get enough sleep or, conversely, oversleep, it will negatively affect your brain function.
Moreover, the number of hours of sleep is individual and determined genetically. You’ve probably noticed that some people need at least eight hours to feel refreshed in the morning, while others are content with five hours and do not experience any discomfort.
Source: Freepik.com
The norm for each person is calculated from a certain number of phase changes: fast and slow sleep, each of which lasts from 40 to 60 minutes.
For all people, these phases change differently, so some people sleep little, while others can spend the whole day in bed to regain strength.
During the day, many different biochemical substances accumulate in our brain – these are molecules that are mainly hormones, acids and proteins. When a person falls asleep, after about an hour, cerebrospinal fluid enters his brain, which literally “washes” him of accumulated substances. If you deprive yourself of sleep, then these elements, causing neurotoxicity, lead to various diseases, for example, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
For stable and effective brainwashing, you need proper sleep.
- Try to have dinner no later than 4-5 hours before you go to bed. This will reduce the load on your digestive organs and help you fall asleep faster.
- Don’t skimp on sleep. If you can’t get enough sleep at night, be sure to take a nap in the middle of the day for about an hour. This principle is adhered to by the inhabitants of Italy, famous for their siesta – daytime sleep.
- Get up not by the alarm clock, but on your own. A melody playing loudly in the morning can interrupt the slow phase of sleep, and then you will definitely feel “broken” when you wake up.
3. Activity
Not only our body is susceptible to premature aging, but also our brain, which begins a global “restructuring” after 45 years. This organ can be compared to an entire factory in which various biochemical processes continuously occur. Due to various mutations in DNA and poor functioning of mitochondria (the main source of energy for cells), brain function gradually slows down, and a person may experience problems with memory and concentration.
Activities aimed at developing cognitive functions will help prevent early brain aging. For example, regularly reading books and learning foreign languages allows the brain to build new neural connections, and playing musical instruments develops both hemispheres, increasing concentration.
To keep your brain “toned” for as long as possible, do not forget about replenishing vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
One of the most important compounds, the deficiency of which can be found in every second person, is vitamin D. Its deficiency reduces the mass of gray matter, accelerating the aging process.
2024-04-11 04:02:53
#habits #centenarians #prevent #early #aging
