5 “Healthy” Choices That Actually Age You

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5 "Healthy" Mistakes That Age You

5 “Healthy” Choices That Actually Age You

(WellnessPursuits.com) – We try to eat right. We try to exercise. We live in a remarkable age of information where we have a real chance of helping our genes give us a long, healthy run at life. We have access to abundant fresh food, and hopefully we can also make time to get in some healthy exercise.

So, considering that we are blessed with many, many choices of foods as well as exercise in our quest to slow the effects of aging, it’s no wonder we can make some mistakes in our choices. Below are well-meaning mistakes that many of us make that can sabotage the good that we’re trying to do… and worse yet, they can actually age us!

1. Too much strenuous exercise – Repetitive motion such as spinning, and running on treadmill can be good for us as long as we balance the stress buildup from this type of exercise with other more relaxing types such as yoga or swimming. Truly fit bodies don’t accompany faces that look tight and drawn. You need a balance of mind and body to maintain and/or achieve the vibrant, youthful appearance of true health.

2. Too much sugar – According to Harvard Health Too much added sugar can be one of the greatest threats to cardiovascular disease. And, it’s not just sugar from a candy bar… this same effect happens when we eat or drink soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavored yogurts, cereals, cookies, cakes, candy, and most processed foods. But added sugar is also present in items that you may not think of as sweetened, like soups, bread, cured meats, and ketchup.

3. Too much alcohol – According to Dr. Amy Spizuoco of Greenwich Village Dermatology in NYC., The body metabolizes alcohol from an enzyme in the liver, which releases a byproduct called acetaldehyde. This byproduct is toxic to body tissues. In turn, body tissues and skin are dehydrated, which Spizuoco says cause premature aging of the skin (like wrinkles). Dry skin is also a stepping stone to post-bingeing breakouts.

4. Too much acidic foods and not enough alkaline – This is a tough one for most of us. Again, it’s a matter of balance. According to Dr. Elson Haas, M.D. in his book, Staying Healthy with Nutrition, he recommends a diet consisting of 70 – 80% alkaline and balanced foods in spring and summer and decreasing this to 65 to 70% of alkaline and balanced foods in the winter. So what are these Alkaline and Acid rich foods? The following chart is thanks to bodytruthbar.com in the Article: Is Acid Overload Causing Your Eczema or Acne Issues

ACID-ALKALINE-FOODS

5. Too little downtime – We live in a Go, Go, Go world. How else do we get it all done? One of the most common aging practices is not allowing our tired body and mind to recharge. Ever heard of naps, quiet time, yoga, chilling out, or random low paced strolls? Crazy as it sounds, those activities are not just for “now and then.” They need to be brought into our daily life as a requirement… they need to become “must do’s” for us to slow down and even reverse the aging process.

You’re probably all pretty tired of hearing that we need balance to maintain healthy minds and bodies. Well, we do, and it’s not always easy to know when we’re out of balance.

The best way to check is to ask yourself 3 things: “What food types do I eat more than others?” “What type of exercise do I do more than others?” and “What do I do to relax?” This should give you a pretty clear picture of some of the stuff you’re leaving out that you may want to consider adding to the habits of your day.

To your most vibrant health!

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