Anti-aging Tips that Cost You Nothing!

If you neither afford cosmetic surgery nor nutritional supplements, you can still look years younger by simply choosing a healthier lifestyle.

Anti-aging experts agree that if you could give up 10 unhealthy behaviors, you could really reform the way you look and feel.

1. Stress - Studies have proven that excess stress strains and triggers premature aging of the immune system. It is well known that chronic stress lowers immunity, makes us prone to illness, boosts the risk of heart disease and generally make us feel lousy.
To unwind/distress oneself the first thing to do is to realize that you are under stress – feelings of anxiety, nervousness, feeling that the heart is racing away, and sweaty. The short term way to reduce stress is to do deep breathing (abdominal breathing) exercises.
Other useful methods are to meditate, do chanting, singing, aerobic exercises, practice Tai Chi, Yoga, take a slow leisurely walk, or just get away from the stressful situation. Recognize stress early and take steps to deal with it positively as soon as possible.

2. Alcohol - Alcohol clouds mental discretion and judgment often leading to accidents and arguments. Taken in excess it is injurious to health.
Alcohol is toxic to liver cells causing liver cirrhosis and cancer. Excessive intake may lead to strokes, throat and breast cancer. Women are advised to limit intake to one drink a day, men two as a study has shown that one or two drinks a day can lower the risk of dying from heart disease by a third or so.

3. Physical Inactivity - A physically inactive person suffers from poor blood circulation. This results in sub-optimal oxygenation of tissues, impaired transportation of nutrients to cells and removal of toxins from cells. This sets the stage for aging and disease to occur faster.
Exercise has many anti-aging benefits. It stimulates HGH release, improves the cardiovascular system, improves muscle strength, and strengthens memory and the immune system. Even a little bit of physical activity is helpful to extend life, reduce the chances of being overweight, reduce stress and maybe ward off Alzheimer’s disease. The first step is to make the decision to be more active.

4. Taking Saturated Fats - Saturated fats -- in meats, poultry, milk and butter -- can boost "bad" and total cholesterol. Eating too much saturated fat is bad for cardiovascular health.
Switch to unhydrogenated vegetable oils. Train your palate to prefer monounsaturated fats found in canola, olive and peanut oil and polyunsaturated fats found in palm, safflower, corn and flaxseed oil. Keep saturated fat intake to 10 percent or less of your total calories.

5. Smoking - Cigarette smoke generates a lot of free radicals. These damage the skin giving rise to aged wrinkled skin. More importantly it is the main cause of lung cancer in men and women who smoke or who are passive smokers.
Over the counter nicotine gum may help smokers quit smoking and reduce the risk of cancer and early wrinkling.

6. Breathing Polluted Air - Outdoor air pollution can cause coughing and irritation to eyes and is linked to asthma attacks and respiratory disease.
Avoid outdoor activities as much as possible when pollution levels are high and remember to wear face masks.

7. Too Much of Exposure to the Sun - Ultraviolet rays from the sun cause free radical damage to the skin. This results in accelerated skin aging with wrinkle formation, irregular pigmentation and probable skin cancer changes.
Limiting sun exposure and wearing a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 cut the risk of skin cancer as well as wrinkles.

8. Insufficient Sleep - Upsetting the diurnal rhythm and reducing the hours of sleep is very bad for the health. Sleep deprivation leads to poor secretion of HGH and is related to premature aging, poor immune status, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and memory problems, even in young adults.
The old saying “Early to bed and early to rise, keeps a man healthy and wise” is physiologically good medical advice.

9. Being Overweight - Obesity increases morbidity and decreases life expectancy. It puts extra burden on the heart boosting the chances of heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Worldwide there is an epidemic of obesity and an astounding 64 percent of adult Americans are overweight.
Pick a high fiber, low carbohydrate, low fat diet with regular daily exercise. The latest research suggests the type of diet you choose is less important than your vow to stick with it. The key to success: Pick a diet that fits your lifestyle, and you're more likely to stick with it.

10. Eating too much Sugar - Too much sugar in the blood is bad for health as sugar in high concentrations is toxic to body cells leading to denaturation of proteins through the process of glycosylation. These damaged proteins hamper cellular function. Excess sugar can result in weight gain, diabetes and possibly heart disease.

Nutrition experts advise against "added sugars" and high glycemic index foods. Read labels to minimize your intake of added sugars. Turn to fruits and sweet vegetables to tame the craving for something sweet.