A recent quote that is very appropriate is
Think about it. We are always going to do good things in the future, but today we don’t exercise, we eat junk, don’t get enough sleep etc.
Be kind to yourself today. Start by making a step towards aging more slowly with a healthier lifestyle.
Judith Airey, a biomedical researcher, has a PhD in Cell & Molecular Biology and is a faculty member at a Medical School.
Like most of us, Judith wants to know what will keep her healthy and young looking as she ages. With her science background and knowledge she is able to research what works and what is hype.
There is a lot of evidence that having an active brain slows the rate of mental decline.
Think of your brain as being the mental muscle. If you did not walk for a few years, then your muscles would be too weak to walk. Not use your brain for long enough, and you won’t be able to use it.
Keeping your mind agile now, will pay big benefits when you are older. Don’t wait until you are starting to lose it. Find some activities that you enjoy that challenge your brain.
Stress responses in both the brain and body are important for a short lived (acute) stress, like getting away from a charging bull, but have negative impacts if the stress is long term (chronic).
One of the effects of long term stress is that it can cause damage to the part of the brain known as the hippocampus, which is one of the first areas of the brain to have detectable damage in Alzheimer’s disease. This area of the brain is involved in short term memory and spatial memory and navigation.
Chronic stress has many other major negative effects such as higher blood pressure, and weakening the immune system.
One in three adults in the US has high blood pressure. For those 45 and older two thirds have an unhealthy level of blood pressure.
High blood pressure has no symptom. Unless you are tested you do not know whether you have it. Blood pressure that is not controlled starts to damage the body.
There are now a number of non-drug options that can lower blood pressure.
