Effective Ways To Feel Younger
April 6, 2013
Getting your zzz’s is the simplest way to feel younger right now. “The only time your body can truly restore itself is when you’re asleep,” explains Henry Lodge, MD, co-author of Younger Next Year for Women. “It helps build a more vibrant body and brain.” Chances are, you’re not getting as much as you need. Make up for your sleep debt by turning in early enough to get eight hours of shut-eye for six weeks straight. (Skip The Daily Show and leave the dishes in the sink!) After six weeks, the time it takes to form a lasting healthy snooze habit, you’ll feel the difference (more energy, fewer dark circles). Getting your zzz’s is the simplest way to feel younger right now. “The only time your body can truly restore itself is when you’re asleep,” explains Henry Lodge, MD, co-author of Younger Next Year for Women. “It helps build a more vibrant body and brain.” Chances are, you’re not getting as much as you need. Make up for your sleep debt by turning in early enough to get eight hours of shut-eye for six weeks straight. (Skip The Daily Show and leave the dishes in the sink!) After six weeks, the time it takes to form a lasting healthy snooze habit, you’ll feel the difference (more energy, fewer dark circles). The right kind of strength-training can help you feel 10, 20, even 30 years younger, says Bob Greene, trainer and author of 20 Years Younger. “When done properly, weight-training makes micro tears in the muscles, which leads your body to generate thicker, stronger muscle fiber.” Strengthening your muscles in this way leaves you less vulnerable to injuries and builds your stamina. Greene advises focusing on your lower body and core: Use a set of dumbbells and do a combination of squats, lunges, and calf-raises—two to three sets of 10 reps two to three times a week. It won’t be long before you’ll be giving those 20-year-olds at the gym a run for their money. Did you love punk rock music in college? Load some Sex Pistols tracks on your iPod. You might think that being so nostalgic would make you feel ancient, but research shows it can have the opposite effect. In one study at Harvard University, people who were placed in an environment that resembled their youth—with movies, music, and memorabilia from the past—experienced marked improvements in their memory, vision, happiness level, and overall health. “It shows that our mind-set is what limits us,” says lead researcher Ellen Langer, PhD, author of Counterclockwise. So do something that really takes you back (like re-reading your Anne Rice paperbacks!). It’s natural to be a bit more gloomy than you were at 18, since time often exposes just how cruel (natural disasters, divorces, job losses) the world can be. That’s why the final step to feeling younger is nixing your inner naysayer. “The goal is not to deny the less-than-pleasant stuff that is happening, but rather to focus on what’s going well,” says Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD, author of A Happy You. If the flight for your romantic vacation gets delayed, remind yourself that you’re on your way to a great destination with your mate. “Cultivating a greater sense of optimism will provide you with more positive energy to motivate you to do youthful things,” Lombardo explains. The last and most important way to feel younger is to get your regular adjustment! Your body moves and feels so much better without those subluxations and pinched nerves. Why allow arthritis to build up on the inside which can cause pain and soreness with the simplest movement? See you chiropractor at Beach Boulevard Chiropractic for your checkup.
