Six Strategies to Delay Aging: Anti-Aging Tools!
Anti-aging Day cream, Anti-aging Night cream, Eye cream for removing wrinkles and dark circles under the eyes …, you can see all these in my dressing table! I was introduced to these products when I crossed 45 by my cousin who gifted me those creams when he came to India for a vacation. If you go to any fancy and cosmetic shops you can see a variety of such anti-aging creams in colourful packing and these are more expensive than regular beauty products!
Now, I get a question: Aging, is it only the problem of the skin? Is it only the physical changes of the body?
Are we not the coexistence of Self(Mind) and Body? Both self and body should be healthy, as the health of the one does have an impact on that of the other, for us to be healthy! Can you see this?
If we look at the people of Japan, who are people not just living longer but also not suffering from more of chronic illnesses, we can understand the secret of their enviable level of vitality and health is eating until their stomach is 80% full and not more than that! This habit keeps them young even when they grow older. They repeat saying “Hara hachi bu”, meaning fill your stomach only 80%. Not like as we say there is a separate path for the deserts and eating over and above the full stomach!!
Our ancient people also advised us the same saying, “Eat less to eat more”. You might wonder, how do I know when my stomach is 80% full? The learning is to stop eating when we are starting to feel full. The extra sweet, snacks when we know we really do not need them (our inner mind will tell us not to eat!) might give us pleasure for a short time. But, later we will feel happy for not eating them. Have you ever noticed this?
Secondly, it is said by many researchers that maintaining an active and adaptable mind is one of the key factors for staying young. A healthy mind will drive us to live a healthy life which in turn delays the aging process. We all know that physical exercises will ensure health in the body. In the same way, exercising our brain will keep our mind active protecting the neurons and neural connections from damage.
“Our neurons start to age while we are still in our twenties. This process is slowed, however, by intellectual activity, curiosity, and a desire to learn. Dealing with new situations, learning something new every day, playing games, and interacting with other people seem to be essential antiaging strategies for the mind. Furthermore, a positive outlook in this regard will yield greater mental benefits”.
Garcia and Miralles say in their book Ikigai, The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life,
You might have noticed the advertisements while browsing social media for the games that will keep our brains active. Neuroscientists suggest that playing such games will help improve our memory and keep up our mood. Also, doctors suggest not to stop reading as we are getting older.
Next, Preventing stress or reducing it is another strategy for remaining young! Studies say stress is the root cause for most of the health problems. My mother, who is a strict vegetarian, usually does not eat much sweets. Also, she had never taken butter or ghee in her lifetime. She suffers from diabetes and also heart problems. The only reason for all her health issues is stress, and stress only!
Now, we can see many people who look older than they are. This is mainly due to the high level of stress they are undergoing. In this competitive world, every day we are facing one or the other issues competing with our colleagues, neighbours, and even friends! You might have noticed that any of your friends or relatives look aged suddenly if he or she is facing some family problems or issues at their workplace or their child is having a chronic health issue, etc. Stress is having a direct impact on our aging process, do you accept this?
I have argued, how can we succeed or achieve greatness in our lives if we do not have stress or anxiety to do things. Yes, a little amount of stress will keep us going and succeed. Psychology researchers have proved that people who maintained a low level of stress in order to succeed lived longer than those who chose a relaxed life and retired earlier! So, the conclusion is stress in small doses is a positive thing and beneficial for a healthier life and only the high level of stress or prolonged stress is a threat to both mental and physical health.
Being mindful of reducing stress will help us delay aging. With mindfulness, our focus is on our responses or reactions to the situations which reduces our stress level. You may please refer to the article https://spavai.com/the-why-what-and-how-of-mindfulness/ on ‘The Why, What and How of Mindfulness’.
Another strategy for staying young is to avoid sedentary behaviour. Studies show that sitting in the same place for a longer time without any physical movements leads to many diseases like hypertension, imbalanced eating leading to obesity, heart attack, and even weakens the bones resulting in osteoporosis. Very much threatening, right? With all these, the natural outcome is an increased pace of aging!
The good thing is, it is very easy to overcome this by small changes in our daily routine, and our lifestyle. You can make certain changes mindfully like playing with children, participating in social activities, being a part of some sports team, using stairs instead of using a lift, etc..
Further, Scientists have shown that sleep is very important for our healthy living and of course for slowing our aging process. You can refer to this article which reinforces the statement ‘Sleeping is not a luxury, it is a necessity’. https://spavai.com/are-you-saying-good-night-after-eleven-at-night-beware-the-risks/ .
And finally, the attitude. We might have some difficult times during our lifetime. If we know how to approach these challenges with a positive attitude and if we are able to manage our emotions then we can ensure a long and happy life!
We can follow the above-discussed six strategies to be young when we grow older also. Escape aging!!
