Best Anti-Aging Products
 

SKIN
 

M2 Skin Refinish 12% & M2 Skin Refinish 20%

Pros

Contains mandelic acid which is a strong but much less irritating chemical peel than glycolic acid.

Since it is less irritating it does not cause increased pigmentation, as glycolic and other chemical peel products can. This means that a relatively strong product can be used every day. Plus it has antibacterial properties and so is suitable for every skin type.

M2 Skin Refinish 12% & M2 Skin Refinish 20% contain 12% and 20% mandelic acid respectively. They also contain the strong antioxidant ubiquinone, as well as hyaluronic acid.

M2 Skin Refinish 12% & M2 Skin Refinish 20% does not contain any potentially harmful chemicals that are usually to improve texture of products.

For more about M2 Skin Refinish 12% & M2 Skin Refinish 20% see the page M2 Skin Refinish 20% - with Mandelic Acid, the New Wave in Skincare.

Cons

If applied too thickly is rather tacky. Need to use only a thin layer. Since mandelic acid is an acid, it will sting a little bit if applied to an open wound, so avoid scratches.

- List price low (M2 Skin Refinish 12% ) to mid $40’s (M2 Skin Refinish 20%)

 
PCA Skin (pHaze 13) Pigment Gel

Pros

If you want gentle peeling and strong skin lighteners then PCA Skin (pHaze 13) Pigment Gel is a good choice.

PCA Skin (pHaze 13) Pigment Gel contains both Kojic Acid and Hydroquinone (both approved by the American Academy of Dermatologists as effective skin lighteners), and the chemical peels lactic and citric acid. It also includes Witch Hazel which contains at least six antioxidants, tightens pores and is soothing.

PCA Skin (pHaze 13) Pigment Gel does not contain any potentially harmful chemicals that are usually to improve texture of products.

Cons

Some people do not want to use Hydroquinone. PCA Skin (pHaze 13) Pigment Gel is also available in a hydroquinone-free version, PCA Skin (pHaze 13) Pigment Gel HQ free.

- Both versions are in the low $40’s

 

HEALTH
 

GoFit Core Disk and Training DVD

Pros

The GoFit Core Disk and Training DVD is an inexpensive way to improve your balance with the added side benefit of gently using your core muscles.

As described in Balance and Aging, maintaining and/or developing balance is important for being able keep active and go wherever you want, without fear of falling. The loss of the sense of balance with aging makes life very restricted. Fortunately, balance can be maintained or improved.

A relatively cheap tool for working on balance is the GoFit Core Disk and Training DVD. The accompanying DVD gives information about balance exercises as well as other exercises that can be done with the disk.

Cons

None

- List price is less than $20.

 
Exercising with weight/resistance videos

Pros

Every adult, whatever their age, should keep muscle strength or work on strengthening their muscles if they are weak. As we age we lose muscle strength and mass (sarcopenia) and doing some strength training will really help with staying active in later life.

Lack of strength can really restrict life. A major example is the shuffling gait that is associated with the elderly. The main reason for this gait is weak muscles in the legs. Not picking up feet leads to a high risk of falling and narrows horizons by being only able to go where the terrain is flat and easily accessible.

There are a huge range of DVDs and books for different types of strength training, from beginners to advanced. Whatever you enjoy and whatever your level, there are some programs out there that you can do and like.

Cons

None

Here are a few suggestions, all of which are available from Amazon. Pick one and if it is not what you wanted look through the other suggestions that are on that page, to find one that is at your level and looks like you would like doing it.

Here are a few suggestions, all available at Amazon,, these are all suitable for beginners, plus some are good for intermeidiate too. Read the product description and customer reviews.

Strong Body, Ageless Body with Erin O'Brien
Absolute Beginners Fitness: Weight Training with Jules Benson & Phil Ross
Kathy Smith: Lift Weights to Lose Weight, Vol. 1 - 2
Shaping Up With Weights for Dummies, Tracy York
Fabulous Forever Easy Strength - Slow Down Your Aging Clock - Mirabai Holland

 

DIET
 

Avocado Oil

Pros

Avocado oil, like olive oil, is high in monounsaturated fats, so it has some of the same health benefits of olive oil.

Avocado has high levels of beta-sitosterol, which is known to lower cholesterol. Beta-sitosterol has been used for lowering cholesterol in the past, but with the introduction of newer drugs such as statins, fell out of favor. Avocados are also high in vitamin E (an antioxidant vitamin).

Avocado oil has the highest smoke point of any of the commonly available vegetable oils. This makes it good for stir frying and other types of high temperature cooking. It is a great substitute for olive oil, which has a much lower smoke point, and starts to break down at high temperatures.

If you like avocados, you will like the mild rich creamy taste. It can be a nice change from olive oil for dressing salads.

Cons

The price of avocado oil is higher than many other oils and it can be hard to find locally.

- The price can be quite variable. A tremendous deal I found was at Amazon, a twin pack (16.9 oz each) of La Tourangelle Avocado Oil, for $21. Then suddenly it was unavailable. I signed up for an alert for when it is available and will put the link in when it is available again on this web page and in the newsletter. (If you buy more than one container put the container you are not using in the refrigerator.)

 
Recipe Books With Ideas For Incorporating More Vegetables Into Everyday Regular Meals

Pros

Most of us are not looking for a vegetarian lifestyle and main dishes that are vegetarian, but a way to incorporate more vegetables into meals, and expand the number of vegetables and ways of preparing them. We want to add vegetables, in ways that we find tasty, into our current way of eating.

The problem is we eat the same few vegetable dishes over and over again. We all need to increase the range of dishes that contain vegetables and also eat a greater variety of vegetables.

Cons

None

Some suggestions for books that contain recipes for vegetables that you can add to your current diet. My favorites are the first two books.

- Greens Glorious Greens: More than 140 Ways to Prepare All Those Great-Tasting, Super-Healthy, Beautiful Leafy Greens Not vegetarian, some recipes contain meat. This book was a relevation to me.
- The Roasted Vegetable - Roasting vegetable really changes the flavor and is particularly fantastic for root vegetables.
- The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without - Mollie Katzen A whole range of side dishes.
- Chez Panisse Vegetables - Alice Waters

 
BRAIN/MIND
 

Exercises For Your Mind

Pros

A while after we reach adulthood, we all find that our brains are slowly not functioning as well as they used too.

Most of us do not really use our brains that much once we have finished our education (if we even used them that much during our education). Research has shown that those in professions that require a lot of brain activity tend to have a lower risk of dementia in old age. This has led to the idea that the brain needs exercise - "use it or lose it".

The products listed below target different aspects of the mind, such as memory and reasoning. They are all entertaining and appealing, so that they hold the interest.

Cons

Nobody has definitively shown which particular exercises work the best, though challenging the brain certainly improves cognition.

These suggestions below are popular ways to exercise your mind.

Brainfit: 10 Minutes a Day for a Sharper Mind and Memory,by Corinne Gediman
Aerobics of the Mind Cards: 100 Exercises for a Healthy Brain, by Marge Engelman
Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises, by Lawrence Katz.