Yoga and its effects on aging

Lots of people practice Yoga for anti-aging because it keeps their bodies toned and their mind focused and is one of the main weapons in fighting aging. This ancient form of exercise that originated in India has become a popular form of antiaging exercise all over the world because of its beneficial effects on the human body. You could say that people become “addicted to their yoga classes and cannot survive without them. What many people do not consider the fact that it is also very beneficial to people dealing with the effects of aging.

Anti-aging Yoga is not necessarily a strenuous exercise but it does help to improve one’s blood circulation. More advanced classes of yoga can become strenuous to the novice, but as one shapes up and progresses through a yoga program, it can become quite strengthening indeed. It can also help to increase a person’s immunity levels, thereby giving a person freedom from many common ailments. It also stimulates the brain as well as the pituitary thyroid, adrenal and sex glands to function better, thereby ensuring that the effects of aging are kept at bay.

Another benefit of this ancient form of exercise is that it gives a person excellent posture thanks to increased muscular strength. Apart from making the person look younger and better, this also ensures that the person breathes properly and from deep within the lungs, thereby leading to improved bodily functions. A practitioner of yoga will experience improvement to the digestive process and as a result of this, the process of elimination of waste and toxins from the body also improves.

Yoga also involves a lot of meditation and breathing exercises. A person who practices it regularly will be emotionally well balanced and will also have a more positive outlook on life. The reason for this is that through exercise – the body experiences an increase of endorphins and serotonin hormones – both hormones which make a person experience a great sense of well being. This optimistic attitude has a good effect on the body as well and the person will retain a more youthful look in the face and body. People who are having a hard time dealing with the onset of aging will definitely benefit from following these exercises. A person would require an instructor’s help at the outset but you can switch to practicing it at home once you’ve gained enough expertise and experience which comes from knowing the positions, the moves and the breathing.

This is a very inexpensive form of exercise to do once a person gains enough knowledge and expertise to do yoga alone at home. Although yoga classes can get expensive, taking the occasional yoga class and then running a DVD on your TV can cost you less and help you to manage the cost of yoga. The nice thing about owning your own yoga DVD and doing yoga at home is that you don’t have to run out to the yoga studio or the gym, it can be done at any convenient time.

I can recommend some of the best DVDs on yoga and anti-aging seen in the images in this article. You can purchase them here from the popular Amazon website – the most trusted online shopping site on the web. It's kind of nice when a new book or DVD arrives, just for you, right at your door.

Suzanne Somers Interviewed About Ageism in Hollywood

Suzanne Somers was interviewed on TV on The Insider show about ageism in Hollywood and her views on celebrity infidelity. Although some stars in Hollywood such as Jane Fonda, Sharon Stone, Juliette Binoche and Julian Moore do find good roles, generally, there are not a lot of interesting roles for female actors in Hollywood. It seems that once an actress hits 30 - 35 years of age, the good acting roles dry up. Male actors find acting roles, no matter what their age. They are often paired up in relationships with female stars almost half their age or less.

Hollywood stars have to undergo botox, plastic and cosmetic surgery and starve themselves just to remain "young looking" as the roles become less available.

Not only does ageism exist in Hollywood, ageism is very present in the workforce. It is more difficult for older women to find work in the workforce. Ageism, like any other prejudice pre-judges a human being.

What can you do to fight ageism? If you are in a position to hire, don't hire a person just based on their looks or youth. Hire the best person for the role and let their qualifications and experience guide your hiring decision. If you are in Hollywood, hire actors in the appropriate age group to play opposite the male star.

The ironic news about ageism in the workforce is that with declining population levels, corporations will have to rely on and hire older workers who want to work because there will be too many people collecting pensions and not enough young workers to support the pension system.

Looking your best as you grow older can be helped by using good antiaging creams, eat a healthy diet, exercise to keep yourself in the best shape. Get a great haircut and don't dress in old fuddy clothes. Dress professionally for the workplace, not trying to be a 22 year old, but wear classy, nice styled clothes. If you need it, see your cosmetic surgery doctor for some collagen injections, but don't overdo it. The final advice is, get rid of your stress and keep a happy and optimistic mood. Let your happiness spread around.

Slowly, attitudes will change in the workplace and hopefully Hollywood will make movies that reflect real life more closely. I mean, how often do you see a 67 year old man who's all saggy and baggy, married or falling in love with a 22 year old hot thing? It doesn't happen very often unless the old man has stacks of cash.

Staying Fit After Forty: A Guide to Midlife Health with Antiaging Exercise

It should be no surprise that exercise at any age is beneficial, but it might come as a bit of a shock to find out that leading a sedentary life is as dangerous when it comes to heart disease as smoking. Study after study proves that even the smallest amounts of daily antiaging exercise can lower the risk of death even if you don’t start until after you're forty.


So what's the real deal behind antiaging exercise? We know that it's good for us and even that some sort of exercise program is being followed by millions of people worldwide, but we might not know exactly why. Of course it's all about the heart and how it pumps blood, but it's a proven fact that the heart that exercises has less strain that one that doesn’t. So it stands to reason that some kind of antiaging exercise program leads to a longer life. With that out of the way, it becomes important to know what kinds of exercise is appropriate for people over forty.


Backs And Abdomens


One of the first things that we need to do is define what manner of antiaging exercise is best for people in this age bracket. There are several areas that each age group needs to focus on, and with those over forty the experts suggest that they keep their backs and abdomens strong. Therefore, sit up and crunches are a great way for these people to maintain their health.


Another area that they might not be familiar with is balance. As people age, they lose part of this sense but a little practice can keep this important characteristic sharp. Remember too that the focus for the mid lifer should be moderation. There's no need to push too hard anymore; in fact, some of the more strenuous activities can be harmful rather than beneficial.


Biking

You might need to change a few activities as well. Some mid lifers that are particularly concerned with their health give up the more strenuous sports like tennis and take up something a little more mellow like mountain biking. It's important to remember that no matter what you decide to do as part of your routine at this age, the preparation work at the beginning becomes important. Stretching is one of the things that you'll need to take more seriously so that you don’t wind up hurting yourself no matter what low impact antiaging exercise you decide on.

Collagen 101

Mankind has always been in search of a remedy to stop or reverse aging. While we still do not have the magic bullet, there are some who believe that collagen may be the molecule to help us look young. What is collagen you may ask?



Well, collagen is natural substance in our body and is vital for maintaining support and integrity of the tissues. Collagen also plays an important role in wound healing. If collagen is absent, wound healing can never occur. Further collagen is vital for bleeding to stop after a cut on the skin. The collagen molecule is also a good absorbent of water and maintains hydration.


When collagen levels decrease for whatever reason, the underlying tissues will shrink, the skin will sag, fine lines and wrinkles will develop. Collagen does disappear with age but why collagen levels shrink prematurely in some individuals is not known. Smoking is known to cause a premature decrease in collagen levels and this results in the appearance of wrinkles much early in life. So how does one increase the levels of collagen in the body?


Collagen Creams

There are many collagen creams and lotions available today which contain collagen. These collagen based creams are said to be effective moisturizers and supposed to reverse aging. Anecdotal reports indicate these collagen containing creams – antiaging creams can erase stretch marks, smoothen out the fine lines and help the skin recover after an injury. The internet is inundated with website that make exorbitant claims about such collagen containing creams and helping you fight the signs of an aged skin. The big question remain how effective are these collagen creams? One has to remember that aging is not only dependent on levels of collagen but there are many other substances like hyaluronic acid, glycosaminoglycans, elastin, copper, vitamin C and so on. The other problem is that not all the collagen in the creams can penetrate the skin and enter the deep layers. Most experimental work reveals that collagen containing creams have little effect in reversing signs of an aged skin. Further, these collagen creams are relatively expensive, the majority have never ever been tested and there is no clinical evidence to back up the claims made by the dealers of these antiaging creams.



So what is the other option?

Collagen Injections

For about 3 decades, collagen injections have been used as dermal fillers to erase wrinkles, lines and even plump up the lips. The injections of collagen do work but of course, they are much more expensive than the creams. There are many types of collagen injectables available today. Because of the possibility of an allergic reaction, all individuals have to undergo allergy testing before the injections can be done. This takes about 4 weeks and the injections are only done if there are no signs of an allergic response. The collagen injections lips are done with a very fine needle and can help make you look young and have sexy luscious lips.



The majority of individuals who undergo collagen injections lips procedures are in their middle ages and would like to erase the wrinkles, fine lines and frown lines. The injections are done in a spa or a clinic and have some downtime. All individuals get some degree bruising and swelling which subside in 4-9 days. Most individuals get a decent result but there are many who do not. The collagen injections lips process are not entirely pain free and they are expensive. And finally, collagen injections do not maintain the cosmetic changes forever. Most of the cosmetic benefits of collagen injections disappear anywhere from 3-6 months. Collagen, today, is not a commonly used dermal filler as there much better and safer fillers available.


So is there a way to stimulate collage synthesis in the body?

Yes, there are some ingredients that can promote synthesis of collagen. The most commonly used agents include the following:

Vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of collagen. In the old days, deficiency of vitamin C was known to cause severe depletion in collagen, bleeding gums and sagging skin. Augmentation of the diet with vitamin C in these individuals rapidly led to reversal of these skin ailments. Thus, if you are going to buy any skincare product to increase your collagen, make sure it has vitamin C.


The other key ingredients which are also important in the synthesis of collagen is
Copper. In the past decade, there has been a lot of data indicating that copper peptides can stimulate the synthesis of collagen and erase some of the signs of aging. Formulations containing copper peptides are available but they are also expensive.


Collagen supplements

There is a lot of hype about collagen supplements and their role in treating aging and many other medical disorders. Today supplements containing collagen such as collagen pills, antiaging creams – collagen creams are widely sold in many spas and health stores. When it comes to skin care, there is a lot of controversy about collagen supplements. The vast majority of collagen taken as a supplement is immediately broken down in the stomach and very little is absorbed in the body. Plus, no scientific data has ever shown that taking supplements of collagen can reverse aging. The majority of supplements containing collagen sold in spas do only one thing- clean your pocket.


Conclusion

For those of you who are looking for something to fight nature, just remember that collagen is only component among the myriad molecules which are involved in aging. All the collagen pills, collagen creams – antiaging creams ,lotions, potions and injections have one thing in common- they cost money and a lot of it.


If you plan to look young and remain beautiful, this involves a more comprehensive multistep approach. Besides taking vitamin C and eating a healthy diet, stop smoking and walk or do antiaging exercise regularly. Adopting this simple cost free method of skin care will keep you young and beautiful, and of course, praying a little every now and then would not be a bad idea. God may listen, but whether he/she will make you look young is another story.

Doesn't she look happy and healthy in this photograph?

Exercise - The Best Natural AntiAging Weapon

The best natural anti-aging tactic to fight aging and the diseases associated with aging is exercise. You will look better on the outside and be able to keep an ideal body weight, but on the inside, exercise does a lot more for your body.

Chronic diseases like cancer, arthritis, and heart disease can be traced to an improper diet and a lack of exercise. To keep your heart healthy, in order to combat the risk of strokes and heart attacks and high blood pressure, one needs to exercise regularly. Habitual exercise will help prevent obesity and also assists in maintaining hormonal balance which is so important as we grow older for both men and women.

For women, estrogen is created and stored in the fatty tissues; therefore, women with excess body fat suffer from insulin resistance and estrogen dominance. The problem with insulin resistance is that sugar is not used by the body properly. Insulin has been found in many studies to play an important role in the aging process. Insulin resistance causes problems with the adrenal glands which affects hormone levels and the reproductive organs. What happens eventually is that the body becomes completely imbalanced which leads to premature aging and the diseases that come with aging.


Regular exercise also assists in fighting certain cancers such as breast, colon, and rectal cancers. Endorphins are produced in the body as a result of exercise. Endorphins are the “feel good” hormones which relieve stress and contribute to our sense of wellbeing. In this way, exercise can also help treat depression and insomnia. The long term benefits of exercise in relieving stress symptoms is that over a long period of time, cortisol levels will be lowered. High cortisol levels are a dangerous situation to have existing in the body. How else can exercise assist? By strengthening the bones and muscles, osteoporosis will be prevented. Osteoporosis is another problem that faces men and women as they age.

How much exercise is needed? Our best natural antiaging tip is that we recommend about 20 to 30 minutes a day, for five days a week. Antiaging exercise can take the form brisk walking, yoga, bike riding or working out with light weights. Find the exercise you love and have fun doing and then stay with it!