By the time you cross the age of 55, your gene pool contributes to aging by about 30%, compared to when you were younger - then the influence of genes was 50%. Everything else now depends on your lifestyle. So says Michael Roizen, MD, head of the wellness department at the Cleveland Clinic.
To find out how many years some healthy habits can add to your life, Dr. Roizen created the "Your Real Age" quiz, which draws data from hundreds of research groups, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics. Based on his research, we have compiled a selection of the most important habits that help prolong life. Take an age test.
- Hiking in the air 30 minutes daily. Add 2.2 years. Walking daily is very important for maintaining weight stability and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but sometimes 30 minutes is not enough. It depends on your walking speed. Therefore, it is very useful to wear a pedometer during the whole working day. This device will help you check if you are moving enough. Research at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that using a pedometer caused many people to increase their walks and take an extra 2,000 steps (about 2 kilometers) a day. Wearing a pedometer will force you to be honest with yourself because you will really know how much you are moving.
- Get up and move! Add 5.6 years. Any movement during the day is just as important as a 30-minute walk, all of which make your daily life more active. Just 100 minutes of movement a day will give you great health benefits. The easiest way to do this is to get up and move at any time, no matter where you are. TV is the main reason for a sedentary lifestyle, so get up from the couch and move at least during commercials. The average duration of an ad is 2 to 3 minutes, which is enough to get your muscles into working order and do things like squats, jumps or planks. Studies show that sedentary people have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Assess your risk for cardiovascular disease.
- Go to bed 15 minutes earlier. Add 3 years. This will help you get an extra 7.5 hours of eye rest during the month. “Sleep is very important,” says David Katz, MD, director of the Prevention Research Center at the Yale School of Medicine. Lack of sleep can adversely affect recovery functions.” Although everyone's sleep needs are different, experts say that regular sleep deprivation, that is, sleeping less than 7 hours a night, has a negative impact on health.
- Do a little strength training. Add 1.8 years. Getting your heart pumping is important, but strength training (weight lifting, resistance band exercises) builds muscle, which boosts your metabolism. In the long run, this will help protect against diabetes and heart disease. Strength training also strengthens bones, which reduces the risk of osteoporosis. One study even showed that after 6 months of strength training twice a week, healthy older men and women (mean age 70 years) reversed signs of cellular aging to levels similar to those seen in people in their 30s. But you should not do a lot of strength exercises without the supervision of a doctor and outside special groups. To get health benefits, it is enough to exercise 2 times a week for 20 minutes.
- Floss daily. Adds 3-5 years. A healthy smile, that is, healthy teeth, is important for maintaining a healthy heart. But for this, it’s not enough just to brush your teeth with paste in the morning and evening, you also need to use dental floss to better clean the interdental space. Numerous studies show that periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease are linked. Ideally, you should floss your teeth twice, but even doing this once a day will improve your health.
- Eat healthy food. Add 14 years."Food has a very big impact on the genes that speed up or slow down the aging process," says Dr. Roizen. But what counts as healthy food? First, give up the "bad" animal fats and choose the "good" - vegetable. "Good" fats are found, for example, in nuts. Such a snack is healthier than sandwiches, which are full of saturated fats in the form of butter and cheese. One study found that eating nuts (of any type) daily reduced total cholesterol by more than 5% and LDL ("bad") cholesterol by almost 7.5%. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily - and vary them. When you eat lots of different fruits and vegetables, you get thousands of different disease-fighting nutrients. One study found that people who regularly ate a variety of vegetables reduced their risk of developing lung cancer by 23%. Eat fish at least 2 times a week. Research shows that the omega-3 fats found in fish like salmon help keep you healthy and fight heart disease, preventing stroke, hypertension, depression, and even Alzheimer's and osteoporosis. Another study of more than 1.5 million people found that those who ate a lot of red meat and red meat products (sausages, smoked meats) were at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death from cancer than those who ate quite a bit of meat. Switch to fiber-rich cereals and whole grain breads. By opting for high-fiber cereal instead of gourmet sweet pastries for breakfast, you reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes by almost 30%.
- Have more sex with your partner. Add 8 years. It is very important for longevity to maintain good relationships with loved ones. This is good for both your heart and soul. Women in healthy monogamous relationships appear significantly healthier and younger than those who are unhappy in their marriage or sexually inactive.
- Don't text while driving. Add 2 years. Studies show that texting on a cell phone while driving increases the risk of serious accidents by 6 times. It may even be more dangerous than drunk driving.
- Learn to deal with stress. Add 4 years. Of course, you cannot know when work overload or family conflict will arise, but your health and longevity depend on the ability to cope with stress most of all. “A person at the age of 50, under constant stress, can have health indicators like that of a person of 82 years. That is, his real age is close to senile,” says Dr. Roizen. When you're constantly stressed, your blood pressure rises, your heart rate increases, and your levels of the stress hormone cortisol rise. There is a simple exercise that helps relieve stress: go outside and take a walk. Just 15 minutes of brisk walking can help your body increase the production of feel-good chemicals like endorphins. Here are some more stress relief tips: Start your day with 15 minutes of belly breathing. Sit high on the edge of your bed or in a chair. Inhale to the count of four, pause for a moment, then exhale to the count of six. Think of something pleasant, imagine calming pictures of a calm sea, or repeat that simple word “calm” several times. Breathing technique for well-being. Go face to face with good friends more often than talk to them on the phone. “Being friends or participating in a community of interest is as powerful as exercise in preventing heart disease and dementia,” says Henry Lodge, MD, co-author of Getting Younger Every Year. It is very useful to write letters or notes to friends (pencil or pen). Also chew gum. A British study of more than 2,000 office workers found that people who chewed gum regularly experienced significantly less work-related stress and overall stress and depression than those who didn't. Chewing gum can stimulate the vagus nerve, which helps your body relax and increase the production of serotonin, a brain chemical that makes us feel calmer and happier.
- Quit smoking. Add 6‒12 years. This is one of the worst habits, but your health will improve almost immediately once you get rid of it. Between 2 weeks and 3 months after quitting smoking, circulation and lung function improve. Two years later, the risk of heart disease and the risk of lung cancer are halved. And 15 years later, your risk of heart disease will be close to that of non-smokers. What other motivation do you need to
How to prolong your life? Today, it is safe to say that the source of eternal youth has not yet been discovered. Otherwise, everyone would have known about him for a long time (Or not? Maybe they hide him well?).
Okay, let's leave the paranoia alone. In any case, science is now moving by leaps and bounds and who knows what awaits us in 10-20 years. Who wouldn't want to live to see the discovery of immortality? Great, then the following 12 ways to extend your life will bring you closer to this goal.
How to prolong your life?
The key to longevity is good health. And it directly depends on the state of our body and mind. If we keep them healthy, it will have a positive effect on our life expectancy. And, who knows, maybe just by this moment the source of eternal youth will be opened ...
12 ways to help you prolong your life. Get ready for the future!
Lead an active lifestyle
Do not rush to close the article! This is really very important. I will not rant on this subject for too long. Let me just say that if you prefer an active lifestyle, visit the gym or play other sports, then this will positively affect your physical and mental health. Physical exercises strengthen the body, allow, improve balance and coordination.
Plus, the endorphins that are released during exercise will help you relax and improve your mood.
And that's not all, who would have thought, but physical activity has a positive effect on the state of your brain. A study has shown that regular exercise can protect you from dementia, which often manifests itself in old age.
Get rid of stress
How to prolong your life? Get rid of stress. I know what you will say: "easier said than done". But trust me, by eliminating stressful moments from your life, you will live longer. A 2012 study found that stress leads to a 20% increase in the risk of heart attacks and stroke.
It's worth thinking about. Sometimes, we really sweat because of the little things that are not worth it!
Stay hydrated
In the question of how to prolong your life, water plays an important role.
The balance of water in the body has a positive effect on the digestive system, regulates your weight, keeps your kidneys healthy, improves mental capacity and mood, strengthens the heart, etc. It's hard to believe that ordinary water does all this!
The minimum is one and a half liters of water per day. Depending on your performance, lifestyle, season, etc., this figure can reach up to 3.5-4 liters.
It is important to maintain water balance in the body! It is not so difficult, and the results from this are colossal.
Constantly learn
It's never too late to learn. A 2012 report shows that people with a bachelor's degree and above, on average, lived longer. This shows that education plays an important role in your longevity. People with higher education lived, on average, 9 years longer than those who did not have it.
Education, although not always, affects your success, work and living conditions. And they, in turn, will help you prolong your life (of course, I'm talking about your favorite job).
Opt for Whole Grains
Whole grains contain complex carbohydrates that are digested rather slowly. They prevent blood sugar spikes that occur when eating fast carbohydrates (such as white bread). In addition, whole grains are high in fiber, which may reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
In addition, whole grains protect you from overeating by increasing satiety.
Therefore, to prolong life, try adding whole grains to your diet!
Keep Clean
Remember how in childhood our parents told us: “wash your hands before eating”?
Unfortunately, many adults still ignore this simple habit of staying healthy.
And I'm not just talking about washing hands before eating, but also about general hygiene.
Every surface you come in contact with during the day contains germs. Some of them are causative agents of dangerous diseases.
So don't forget to wash your hands before eating!
And stick to the following rules:
- Maintain general hygiene;
- Maintain oral hygiene;
- Keep your home clean.
It's simple, keeping clean, you maintain your health. And good health will help you prolong your life!
Don't Overeat
It's harder than it looks. It's easy to be tempted to overeat.
Therefore, make a meal plan for the whole day, calculate the calorie content and strictly follow the instructions. Give up mindless eating - this is what happens when you sit in front of the TV or computer, and then ... oh, you "accidentally" eat a whole pack of chips.
Eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly. Ideally, if the meal takes you at least 15-20 minutes. That's how long it takes your brain to get the satiety signal.
It is better to eat less than to overeat!
Take care of your health
Don't skip doctor visits. Some diseases are easier to prevent or treat in the early stages.
It is advisable to undergo a medical examination every year. If you have a chronic disease, it is important to keep in touch with your doctor so that he can monitor your condition.
Find out if you are predisposed to any diseases and consult your doctor on these issues.
Don't Forget Herbs and Spices
How to prolong your life? Just make your food taste better by adding various seasonings to it.
The study showed that herbs and spices are able to protect against chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Due to their high antioxidant content, herbs and spices boost your immune system.
Some herbs and spices to include in your diet:
- Basil;
- Parsley;
- Chilli;
- Cinnamon;
- Turmeric;
- Garlic;
- Oregano;
- Thyme;
- Rosemary;
- Ginger;
- Carnation.
So, next time, instead of salt or butter, try adding one of these seasonings to your dishes, and preferably several!
stop sitting
If you're sitting in front of your computer or TV too much, I don't have good news for you. The study showed that because of this lifestyle, the chances of dying young increase.
The study says that every additional hour spent in front of a computer or TV increases the risk of death from heart disease by 18%, and the overall risk of death increases by 11%.
Break away from work more often, do not forget to be in the fresh air and stop constantly being distracted by your mobile phone.
Protect your skin
I think you know why sunscreen is so important. Skin cancer is the most common of all types of cancer.
In addition, sunscreen will help your skin stay young longer! How to prolong your life? Start using sunscreen!
Eat more greens
Green vegetables are incredibly nutritious foods. They can reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
Green vegetables include:
- Spinach;
- Broccoli;
- Leaf salad;
- lettuce;
- mustard greens;
- Kale;
- Chicory;
- Leaf beet.
These leafy green vegetables are high in carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which act as antioxidants to scavenge "free radicals".
Do you want to extend your life? Don't forget to add vegetables to your every meal!
Conclusion
These tips are part of a healthy lifestyle that everyone should strive for. And while scientists have not discovered the source of eternal youth, they will help you prolong your life.
Remember that there are a number of obvious ways to extend your life. For example, quitting smoking is guaranteed to benefit.
And who knows, maybe these tips will help you live long enough to experience immortality! At least science does not stand still!
Secrets of longevity in our time
Love yourself, because love is the strongest of human emotions. To maintain health, not only physical exercises are useful, but also an ordinary shopping trip or just walking in the fresh air. You should not engage in self-digging, accept yourself as you are. At the same time, stick to the golden mean, not downplaying the merits and not looking for flaws. Low self-esteem will not lead to anything good, but you should not overdo it, because overestimated self-esteem also has negative consequences.
It is very important to love what you do.
Pay attention to your thoughts, dreams. As long as there is a place for them in your life, as long as a person is open to new things and is on the move, as long as he has a goal, then the Universe will have no other choice but to realize your wildest fantasies. The advice is applicable at any age, because in the process of dreaming, endorphin is produced, and the body itself turns on spare resources.
If it is not possible to completely eliminate the negativity of life, you must try to minimize it as much as possible. It will be good to develop an easy attitude to everything that happens and look at even the darkest sides through the prism of laughter and humor. Be content and grateful to the world for what you have. Optimists tend to be healthier, but depression, negative emotions, and withdrawal often lead to premature aging.
Dream. The body needs proper rest to restore the energy expended during the day. Healthy sleep is simply necessary, everyone has a different need for its duration.
Proper nutrition. Each country has its own traditions in nutrition, but analyzing the secrets of youth and longevity, it can be noted that the diet of centenarians includes a large amount of fresh vegetables and dairy products. You need to eat according to your age, if at a young age meat is necessary for the growth of a young organism, then it is better for an adult to replace it with fish.
Doctors say that the state of your blood vessels affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system, and therefore the health of the whole organism. Eating large amounts of animal fats can cause cholesterol to clog blood vessels, leading to plaque formation. That is why control over the state of blood vessels in many peoples is an item that is necessarily included in the secrets of longevity.
Again, according to doctors, physical exercise does not necessarily mean any complex daily workouts. You need to walk more, climb the stairs, if possible, try to carry your purchases yourself, take out the trash to the trash can ... - all this will strengthen you.
Dr. Eric Rakov believes that not only physical, but also mental training can help you live to be 100 years old and ... One of the ways to train the brain is crossword puzzles. And if you start doing crossword puzzles at a young age, you will be in a much better position in old age.
After retiring, many people spend most of their time at home. This means that they do not get enough vitamin D. It is his lack, according to researchers, that leads to serious diseases.
Studies have shown that married people live longer. This is probably due to the fact that the spouses support each other, make them go to the doctor. Close friendships are just as important as romantic relationships.
Secrets of longevity in different countries
If we turn to the recipes for longevity in our day and see what people in different countries think about this, we will be amazed at the extent to which the rules for long life differ in different peoples.
For example, let's take the "Island of Freedom", as Cuba was called under the Union. According to all statistical indicators, this is a country of centenarians: for 11 million Cubans there are about 3,000 people who have reached the age of 100, and the average life expectancy on the island is 76 years. This is all the more striking that the standard of living there (in material terms) is quite low, but, as they say, happiness is not in money, but in health!
The main thing is that the mood in the morning is good. And for this, you must first of all drink a cup of coffee, smoke a cigar and chat with a pretty mulatto. And then you will have a long life. Well, if there is no mulatto nearby, it is not so important. Any woman will do - the main thing: do everything with pleasure. English scientists in 2006 tried to give a scientific explanation for this Cuban phenomenon - and retreated!
For several months, they studied the life of a hundred inhabitants of the province of Villa Clara, who crossed the century boundary. And they could not give any logical (and even more so - scientific) explanation of the phenomenon of Cuban longevity. Yes, centenarians do not drink alcohol at all ... but on the other hand, they consume coffee in incredible quantities, do not remove cigars from their teeth and, at any opportunity, go after women.
We are all under the strong influence of various restrictions that we impose on ourselves.
The gray-bearded Chinese have their own recipe. In the province of Guangxi-Zhu-an, separated from the rest of China by a mountain range, out of 300,000 inhabitants, 100 people have passed the centennial milestone. The secret of the long-livers of this region is rice wine and hemp seed soup (!), which is traditionally eaten here twice a day. In addition, many here constantly use the "elixir of life" - an infusion on a poisonous snake that has been completely alcoholized. At least 104-year-old Xiao Yuan-Yong claims that it was this remedy that allowed her to live so long and at the same time work for many hours in the rice fields until the age of 91.
The simplest and, moreover, the recipe for longevity from the Japanese, which also corresponds to the canons of medical science. They eat vegetables daily, do exercises, sleep a lot and drink green tea, several cups a day. And the Japanese are a rather optimistic and unpretentious people - it is not customary for them to complain about life, and humor and optimism are the price. In addition, they use olive oil for food, refuse butter and do not use salt at all. Instead of salt, they add soy sauce to their food.
However, the ban on salt is not the rule of all centenarians. In northern countries, salt is traditionally consumed in large quantities, and yet they live long. An example of such "violators" of medical recommendations is a resident of the UK, 100-year-old Constance Brown, who has been eating exclusively fried fish and french fries for the past 80 years.
In an interview with newspapers, she said:
“I don’t recognize vegetables at all. So I'm kind of living proof that you can safely skip those stupid diets and still be perfectly healthy."
Over the past decades, she has run a small restaurant Brown's Cafe in Pembroke and, despite her rather advanced age, she opens the doors of her establishment every morning.
The Germans have their own idea of how to prolong life. If you think a little, then it is probably not difficult to guess what kind of drink the Germans drink in order to live longer. Right! This is beer. And it doesn't matter that the doctors in unison warn against it, citing rather convincing data. Germany's oldest resident, 111-year-old Hermann Dernemann, is hard of hearing, so he doesn't listen to doctors' advice.
Dernemann claims that his secret to longevity is that he drinks a bottle of good beer every day. According to his 64-year-old daughter, the already blind and almost deaf father, in his more than advanced years, still thinks perfectly. Moreover, until he was 100 years old, Herman Dernemann himself went to the nearest kiosk for his favorite drink, and only then entrusted this duty to his loved ones.
Candidate of Medical Sciences Viktor Sturov believes that the “cleansing” of the body, which some of our fellow citizens are so fond of, can do more harm than good. He says:
“No matter how trite it sounds, you only need to clean what is dirty. In our body, everything is arranged so proportionately that any interference is a very gross intrusion. The body "cleanses" itself: day and night, our kidneys, liver, lungs, large intestine, skin work ...
It is usually suggested to cleanse the liver and gallbladder. At the same time, the "cleaners" assure that even stones come out. In fact, clots of bile are thrown out, sometimes they are mistaken for stones. As a rule, neither the one who pours in the oil, nor the one who drinks it, knows for sure whether these procedures are within the power of the pancreas. The result is an attack of biliary colic. And if there is pancreatitis, the case can generally end in necrosis.
Fashionable in certain circles, "cleansing the intestines" is achieved through frequent enemas, but they are generally unnatural for the body. If you "wash" the intestines several times a week or 10 days in a row, the natural peristalsis is disturbed, the intestine is lazy and stops working. In addition, it is possible to get serious complications up to intestinal perforation or severe dysbacteriosis - when beneficial microflora is washed out.
Secrets of longevity - from the past to the present
The recipe for "eternal youth" of ancient Tibetan medicine says:
“Eat a lot of herbs and little meat. Cleanse the body from external and internal dirt, and the soul from gloomy thoughts and psychic poisons of evil, envy, greed. Two are one essence: receive joy and pleasure in love. Following this, you will live long, happily and wisely.
It should be agreed that these are simple and quite effective recommendations - but why do we use them so rarely?
In Russian mythology, apples were a symbol of giving youth. Of course - not simple, but rejuvenating. In the fairy tale, the main character followed them on a long journey, fraught with many dangers, and then with their help he returned youth to his parents. It is curious that apples are considered a means of maintaining health among the British. In the UK, there is a proverb "Apple a day keep a doctor away", which can be translated something like this: "An apple a day - a doctor's side."
Christopher Hufeland, who founded scientific gerontology, believed that the ancient Greeks achieved greater perfection in the art of intelligent life, who were able to achieve excellent results in prolonging life by simple means. In the main work of his life, he wrote:
“The ancient Greeks were convinced that the surest way to intensify vital activity and delay the limit of life is in the prudent use of everything that surrounds us, and in the constant exercise of bodily forces. Hippocrates, like all philosophers and doctors at that time, preached moderation, clean air, baths, and especially daily massage, rubbing the whole body and gymnastic exercises.
The greatest of the ancient Greeks never forgot that physical movements and mental exercises should go hand in hand. The art of gymnastics, which we have almost lost, the Greeks brought to perfection. It was adapted to any temperament, state, circumstances of life; he was directed mainly to ensure that all internal organs work correctly, not only to make them less accessible to diseases, but even to ensure that diseases heal themselves.
The famous historian and philosopher Plutarch lived a long and fruitful life, adhered to simple and effective rules:
“Keep your head cold, your feet warm. It is better to be hungry all day than to take medicine at the slightest disturbance. The soul should never forget the body."
Later, in ancient Greece, and eventually in Rome, the old and proven methods of maintaining health and longevity began to fall into disuse, firstly, because of laziness, and, secondly, due to the increase in wealth among part of the population. A wealthy person was no longer interested in limiting himself to food and tiring himself with gymnastic exercises. Therefore, occult and exotic methods of prolonging life began to develop more and more, for example, gerocomics.
In order for a person emaciated by years to rejuvenate or, in extreme cases, to survive, he was placed in the atmosphere of another - a healthy and very young person. For example, it was prescribed for an old man to sleep between two young girls, and it was said that this remedy greatly strengthened and revived the old man.
These days, rich people among us, too, are easily led to esoteric treatments and treat gymnastics with disdain. After all, it is much easier to take a miraculous pill or conduct a “magic” ritual than to change your usual way of life for a long time and systematically. Only now the effect of this kind of "magic" and dubious "pills" is unlikely to be.
More than 22 centuries before the discovery of the microscope, the Greek scientist Democritus made a brilliant guess about the existence of microorganisms that penetrate the human body and cause serious illness. In addition, in his treatise On the Nature of Man, he advised people to always eat honey and its products. Democritus lived for more than 100 years a healthy and fruitful life, and when his contemporaries asked him how he managed to prolong his life so much while maintaining good health, he replied that he achieved this by always eating honey and rubbing his body with oil.
In the Middle Ages, many of the achievements of antiquity were forgotten, and instead of maintaining life in simple and natural ways, people began to look for the secrets of longevity in witchcraft. At that time, it was believed that only magic could provide life extension or even immortality, and this required the intervention of supernatural forces, often evil. Therefore, the task of extending life was reduced to the search for contacts, which, of course, did not give any effect.
The same doctors who trusted science more than religious nonsense were captured by alchemists, who assured that they were able to turn lead into gold and own the recipe for the "philosopher's stone" that bestows on a person.
One of the scientists of that era, who assured that he had a recipe for immortality, was a famous doctor. It should be noted that he actually made a certain contribution to medicine and was one of the founders of chemotherapy, but his ambitions and conceit clearly exceeded his real possibilities. He posed as the greatest philosopher and the first physician in the world, loudly proclaiming that there was no disease that he could not cure and no life that he could not prolong.
He had the gift to talk about his discoveries so vaguely and mysteriously that people believed that marvelous mysteries were hidden under these words. The speeches and chemical experiments of Paracelsus made a strong impression on his contemporaries, and students and patients flocked to him from all parts of Europe, but unexpectedly Paracelsus died at the age of 50, although he boasted that he possessed the stone of immortality.
In addition to complex, sophisticated or fantastic ways to prolong life, people in those days also tried simple tricks, which, oddly enough, often had a more effective effect than miraculous elixirs obtained as a result of alchemical or magical experience.
An example of such “simple methods” is the life experiment of the Italian Cornaro, who until the age of 40 lived so carelessly and dissolutely that his health was completely upset. His many illnesses progressed to such an extent that the doctors pronounced a severe sentence on him: he had no more than two months to live, medicines were useless, and only strict moderation could save him. Frightened, Cornaro obeyed, sharply reduced the amount of food and began to lead a rather moderate lifestyle, trying to avoid any unrest. It's funny, but in the end he lived for almost 100 years.
As specific recommendations for maintaining the balance of vitality, Christopher Hufeland recommended paying special attention to the purity and health of everything that our body borrows from external nature, especially air, food, and drink. In addition, he believed that it was necessary to maintain the health of those organs that process substances entering a person and remove metabolic products from the body. Therefore, for longevity, the state of the digestive, respiratory and excretory systems of the body is very important, since tons of different products pass through them throughout a person’s life.
Hufeland believed that for longevity, not only a certain level of "life force" is important, but also its uniform distribution in all parts of the body. In his opinion, the lack or excess of vitality in various organs equally disturbs the harmony, which is the main foundation of health. For an even distribution of vitality throughout the body, he recommended gymnastics, warm baths and massage. At the same time, he urged not to be limited to exercises of voluntary muscles, but to try to train and maintain in the necessary tone the involuntary muscles that form the basis of internal organs.
It should be noted that Hufeland was a supporter of moderation in everything. In this, his concept is absolutely at odds with the views of Academician Nikolai Amosov, who, on the contrary, considered extreme loads to be the best way to achieve longevity and maintain high performance in old age. The famous surgeon, at the age of 70, constantly did intensive exercises in the morning, which included tens and hundreds of push-ups, sit-ups and weight lifting. However, it is difficult to say which of them won this correspondence dispute. On the one hand, Amosov lived longer than Hufeland, but at the end of his life he admitted that his system of excessive loads, in the end, led to premature wear and destruction of his body.
Most modern authors believe that sports exercises of moderate strength and duration should be regularly performed at any age, but their intensity in the elderly should not reach the limit values. Since each person has his own optimal level of stress, it is very important to develop the ability to listen sensitively to the “inner voice of the body”, which will tell you where to reduce the load, and where you can add it.
If we return to the views of Hufeland, then moderation was his credo. In his works, he called for the avoidance of any excess: excitation of the heart and circulatory system in response to too irritating food, passions and feverish diseases. However, Hufeland was not limited to warnings and prohibitions. He also had positive recommendations, in which he talked about what a person needs to strive for in his life in order to prolong his life. Hufeland attributed healthy food, fresh air, and moderate or cool ambient temperatures to such environmental factors. In addition to external factors, internal factors that depend on the person himself are also important for longevity.
Christopher Hufeland considered new impressions and positive emotions to be a prerequisite for a long and healthy life, which he wrote about in his book. The scientist believed that a pleasant state of mind, gaiety, lofty ideas, ingenuity, etc., high pleasures inherent in man, are an important means of prolonging life. He called hope, love and joy "sweet passions" that should be cultivated in oneself in order to achieve longevity, and according to Hufeland, there is no better means of prolonging life and preserving health than to always be cheerful and have peace of mind.
XIX century - I. Mechnikov discovered his elixir of longevity, who developed a special lactic acid whey, taken daily at night. This serum, according to the great scientist, was supposed to prevent putrefactive processes in the body, stimulate the activity of intestinal cells and, thereby, rejuvenate the body. Nowadays, it is difficult to determine the exact composition of Mechnikov's serum, but most microbiologists believe that it was ordinary yogurt containing bacteria of the so-called "Bulgarian stick".
Further development of the ideas of prolonging human life with the help of natural agents of nature and reason is associated with the name of Paul Bragg (America), who not only developed an effective program on how to prolong life, but was also able to prove its effectiveness from his own life experience. Bragg in his books talks about 9 "doctors" who help maintain and increase health. These are sunlight, fresh air, clean water, healthy, natural nutrition, fasting (fasting), exercise, rest, good posture, and the human spirit. A special role in this list, according to Bragg's concept, was assigned to fasting. But it should be noted that the way out of therapeutic fasting should be thoughtful and restrained.
Unfortunately, some people after fasting are prone to "zhor" and gain excess weight in a very short time. In this case, an important role is played by the internal psychological attitude. If a person has an attitude to fasting not as a punishment and an unpleasant procedure, but as a long-awaited act of cleansing and healing the body, then it will be beneficial. Breg wrote:
“I am not a healer and I don’t believe in any cure other than nature. All we can do is raise the body's vitality so that healing becomes the body's natural inner concern. I teach you to starve in order to raise your vitality more and more to overcome weakness and impotence. Bad habits lead to a decline in strength and illness, because energy drops and there is no strength to cleanse your body. This is nature's signal that you need to take care of yourself urgently. People suffering from many diseases, prematurely aged, must earn their health. Natural nutrition, cleansing the body by fasting, exercise - all this prolongs life.
Recent studies have shown that people born in the 80s of the XX century may well live up to 120 years!
If you dream up, it is quite possible that a 105-year-old cashier will count the change in the nearest supermarket. And the coach for your favorite national team at the age of 95 will be a boy at all. How real is all this? Quite realistic, experts say.
Achieving Progress
Medicine, like any other science and industry, does not stand still. Moreover, it is developing quite rapidly - the life expectancy of the population around the world is increasing, the number of incurable diseases is decreasing every year, but this, in turn, causes the number of elderly people to increase in the world. Also, women began to give birth to children more often, being at a fairly mature age - at 40 and even 50 years old. There are a huge number of examples both in domestic show business and in foreign ones. However, simply giving birth is not enough. After all, the child still needs to be brought up, and also try to be not only a parent, but also a friend, that is, to stay on the same wavelength with him.And this means that modern people need to maintain their youth and health longer. Moreover, you need to prepare your body for this youth right now, without putting it off indefinitely. Experts recommend in the process of preparation to take into account when and how the body can fail, what unpleasant surprises can be expected from it at a given age. This will allow timely and competently to carry out preventive measures.
We work with the head
The brain is one of the key organs of the human body, the main organ of the central nervous system, which is responsible for many functions. And often it is he who begins to fail, leading to serious violations and failures. In old age, such failures can turn into dementia - a serious pathology leading to disability. Moreover, deep disability, when a person forgets who he is, who is next to him, what he does, etc. The cause of dementia is often Alzheimer's disease, a neurological disorder that almost completely deprives a person of his personality. At the same time, the pathology is incurable, and it accounts for 60-70% of all cases of dementia.Here it is worth understanding that memory deterioration can be prevented, and it is also possible to restore the former performance of the central nervous system. The main thing is not to ignore the symptoms. So, for example, if there is an unusual forgetfulness for which there is no reason, you should think about it and start taking action.
help yourself
To improve memory function, doctors suggest taking special drugs - nootropics. They contribute to the prevention of diseases and reduce the risk of complications. It is advisable to use substances with proven effectiveness and a new generation, such as Noopept. Such funds contribute to the establishment of connections between the neurons of the brain and contribute to the restoration of cerebral circulation. All this, of course, has a good effect on the state of memory and activity of the brain.Often, herbal preparations are prescribed to prevent cerebrovascular disorders and to improve memory. But here it is worth understanding that they are not suitable for everyone, and the elderly should use such options very carefully, carefully analyzing all the consequences of their intake. Doctors believe that herbal remedies require quite a lot of additional research.
Joint treatment
Elderly people also have such a problem as joint diseases. Such cases are especially pronounced in people over the age of 70 years. Most often it is about arthritis. The risk group includes those who have had joint injuries, have extra pounds, and who do not move much. If hereditary cases of the disease have already been recorded in the family, you should also pay close attention to your health. Doctors are sure that such sports as swimming, yoga, walking, cycling are perfect for the prevention of arthrosis.There is another muscle pathology that occurs quite often - this is muscle atrophy. In this case, doctors talk about a decrease in muscle volume. Such a disease can lead to the fact that independent walking will become almost impossible for a person. This pathology develops due to injuries, various types of infections and genetic predisposition. Moreover, if you include more movement in your life and give a uniform load on all muscle groups, you can significantly delay your meeting with this pathology, or even completely eliminate it.
To be in good physical shape and prolong your life for a longer period, it is enough just to use the achievements of medicine and take very good care of yourself.
We learn to hide our age earlier than we would like. Let's try to add years to ourselves, shall we? Of course, not to look older than you are, but to increase life expectancy. Often, this does not require expensive pills and injections.
It used to be thought that longevity depended on genes. However, the facts are becoming more and the opinion is changing. After deciphering the human genome, scientists came to the conclusion that genes determine lifespan by only 50%(according to some researchers - only 35-45%). In other words, genes are only half the reason why some people live long and look young, while others age at 35. Half or even more of the factors of youth depends on ourselves. According to anti-aging medicine, anyone can add 4 to 15 years to themselves compared to the average life expectancy. Which, by the way, is regularly demonstrated by the Japanese and Icelanders, who in recent years have been fighting for the longest life expectancy. To prolong youth, you have to give up something, but, on the contrary, introduce something into your life. At the same time, such a step will work at any age. However, the sooner you start changing your habits, the more years you will benefit. So, to prolong your life will help ...
1. Good sleep - plus 5-6 years
It prolongs life by 5-6 years and helps to look 5-10 years younger. "Good" means you wake up refreshed, not a victim of sleep deprivation. It is believed that the most important sleep is between midnight and 4 o'clock in the morning. At this time, the hormone melatonin is most actively produced, which protects the body from many age-related diseases.
2. Quitting smoking - plus 15 years
A habitual pack of cigarettes a day for 5 years takes 7 years of life. 1 to 2 packs per day - 10 years. More than two packs - minus 20. Quit smoking - in a year you get plus 3 years of healthy active existence. In general, a non-smoker will live 15 years longer.
3. Physical activity - plus 3-6 years
5 half-hour walks, runs or other aerobic workouts per week add 10 years of healthy longevity! Daily morning exercises for 10-15 minutes plus 3-6 years.
4. Daily laughter - plus 5 years
Feel free to enjoy every little thing - it makes you more resilient to stress and returns the years he took away.
5. Increase fluid in the diet - plus 5 years
Water makes up 75 to 45% of our body. With age, its share falls, so you should try to drink clean water, which will improve metabolism. 2 liters of water a day will add you 5 years.
6. Decreased sugar intake - plus 4-6 years
Excessive passion for sweets shortens our life by 4 years. Switch to vegetables and light fruits that are rich in fiber and other beneficial substances! 25 g of fiber per day - and plus 4 years of life you have in stock!
7. Reducing fatty foods in the diet and increasing protein - plus 4 years
Exceeding fat intake by 10% takes us 4 years of life: such a diet is a sure way to atherosclerosis. And there and before a heart attack / stroke close. Consumption of protein foods, on the contrary, is very useful. It is from protein that building material is taken, for example, for bones and skin. True, with age, it is better to switch from meat to dairy products and fish - and plus 4 years of life are provided to you!
