Vitamins Promoting Healthy Aging

Tip for Healthy Aging: Taking Vitamins that Promote Healthy Aging

Vitamins are an essential part of the way our bodies function and care for themselves. With a perfect diet you will rarely need vitamins. But if there are some health foods you simply won't eat, it may help to take some vitamins. It is important to pay attention to the vitamin content of the foods you eat if you take vitamins, as getting too much of anything can be unhealthy. Getting an adequate amount of nutrients, such as vitamins, is vital for your body to function at peak levels.

How You Can Find Vitamins

Vitamins are one of those things we will typically have taken care of for us if we eat a variety of foods in their most naturally edible forms. But most of us tend to eat the same basic foods over and over again, coming up short of some of our bodies' vitamin needs. To make up for these needs, you can purchase vitamin supplements in a variety of forms, from liquids to powders to pills to shots. Vitamins are so popular today that you can buy a multivitamin at just about every supermarket, department store, or drug store. It is generally a good idea to consult with your doctor before adding any sorts of supplements to your diet. It is particularly important to consult with your doctor if you are on any medications or have any medical conditions.

Vitamin Benefits

Vitamins help out in nearly every bodily process. For example, many people don't know that vitamins can help the body deal with stress. Vitamins may also be useful in controlling weight. Vitamins haven't been shown to reduce cold or flu symptoms, but they may help prevent from getting as many colds and flus. If you want to know more about vitamins, there are few people that know more about vitamins than the pharmacist. Take your list of current supplements and medications with you, as a pharmacist may be able to point out things you may be considering taking that will react to each other.

Vitamin B1

Some of the popular vitamin supplements are A, B1, B6, B12, D, E, and K. B1 isn't talked about much by itself, but it is used by your body to maintain heart health and the health of your nervous system. In fact, it is also associated with bodily energy levels and having an upbeat attitude. B1 is also associated with maintaining healthy mucous membranes.

More Vitamins

The most popular vitamin is probably Vitamin C. While it hasn't been shown to help a cold when you already have a cold, eating a diet with plenty of Vitamin C in it has been shown to be beneficial to immune function.

Vitamin E is a controversial vitamin. While taking Vitamin E supplements is associated with shorter lifespans, getting Vitamin E may be the most important of all vitamins as a part of a healthy diet. Vitamin E helps keep oxygen levels higher in the blood and reduce your heart's need for oxygen. Vitamin E is also associated with aging more slowly. Vitamin E also helps the blood as an anticoagulant assistant.

Common Symptoms of Vitamin Deficiency

In many cases people suffer for years with fatigue only to discover that just eating a healthier diet with more vitamins in it will resolve the problem. You may also experience more muscle soreness if you have a vitamin deficiency. Insomnia can result from a lack of nutrients, including those obtained or constructed by the body from sun exposure. If you live in a low-sunlight area, you may need some melatonin, for example.

To resolve the symptoms of vitamin deficiency, you may want to consult with your doctor or a nutritionist. Start with a healthy diet. For example, eat at least 9 servings of various fruits and/or vegetables every day. Avoid white breads and instead eat whole grain breads and whole grain cereals. Eat a handful of mixed nuts each day. Make sure you get some Omega 3 fatty acids each day. Your physician should be able to then do tests to see if you are still lacking any vitamins.

Vitamin E and Healthy Aging

Tip for Healthy Aging: Get Plenty of Vitamin E

While Vitamin E has gotten some negative press lately, eating as much as 200 IU (international units) of vitamin E daily has been found to be vital to good health. Vitamin E supplements usually come in the form of alpha tocopherol, but Vitamin E in foods comes in a few other forms. With Vitamin E being so vital to your health, you need to find some way or another to make sure you get adequate Vitamin E daily.

Benefits of Vitamin E for the Circulatory System

One of the proven benefits of Vitamin E is in the function of the circulatory system. In fact, having adequate Vitamin E may help the blood hold up to 40% more oxygen. In turn this oxygen helps promote healthy functioning of all of the organs where the blood flows. As a result, the immune system may also function much more effectively as a result of the action of Vitamin E in the blood.

As if those weren't enough circulatory benefits, Vitamin E also functions as an anticoagulant and a blood vessel dilator. The ability of Vitamin E to help the blood resist internal clotting can help protect the heart, brain, and lungs. The heart and other organs will receive plenty of healthy, oxygenated blood as a result of getting adequate Vitamin E in the diet. Many anti-aging experts will tell you that getting plenty of healthy blood circulation is an excellent way to slow down the aging process. So the vitality of the body can be preserved and maintained much longer, particularly the vitality of your vital organs.

The effects of Vitamin E are believed to be seen in the hemoglobin, which is an essential part of the formation of the cells in the bone marrow. Many diseases related to hemoglobin could turn out to have some correlation to Vitamin E deficiency. This would explain the link between oxygen in the blood and Vitamin E, as the hemoglobin detains oxygen in the blood. This may also be linked to the improved function of the immune system when people consume adequate amounts of Vitamin E. As a result, the person may stay healthy much later into life.

Part of the aging process can be seen in the reduced rate of formation of essential parts of the blood as we age. When Vitamin E improves blood development and flow it may help to delay the aging that would result from poor blood development and flow.

The increased ability of blood to flow may be the result of blood that is better formed and purified with the help of Vitamin E, or it may be another function of Vitamin E that hasn't been fully identified. It is for example known that many of us have decreased blood flow as we age as a result of plaques that have formed and gathered inside the circulatory system. As the blood flow is reduced by these plaques, the rate of outward signs of aging may be increased, including crowfeet, sagging tissue, and wrinkling skin. It is reasonable to assume similar effects are taking place internally to the vital organs. Vitamin E may be improving blood flow by helping break down or resist the development of saturated fats and cholesterols that gather in the blood. Hydrocarbons and peroxides are a couple of toxins known to form in the blood that are associated with accelerated aging.

Other Vitamin E Benefits

Vitamin E is associated with fewer muscle problems as well as slowing the arthritic process. There were some interesting studies done on the relationships between muscle cramps and Vitamin E recently. Leg cramps in particular have been shown to be dramatically reduced by adequate Vitamin E intake and increased by Vitamin E deficiency.

Things to do to Live Healthy while Aging

Tip for Healthy Aging: Exercise, Sleep and Diet Can Slow Down Aging

Aging is a sure thing for all living things in our world. The aging process causes our body to produce many of the health factors we need. The reduction of these health factors causes our bodies to age more quickly. It is a vicious cycle. Before long you may be seeing such signs of aging as crowfeet, cellulite, weight instability, and wrinkles.

Slowing Aging with Proper Exercise

Exercise is a vital part of keeping our bodies healthy, but it would be a big mistake to exercise near bedtime. Exercise is vital to relaxation, but it takes several hours after exercising before the body is able to properly relax. So to get the most health benefit and improve the timing of your body's energy production, exercise regularly in the morning. It is okay if you wish to work out in the early afternoon as well, just be careful not to workout too late in the afternoon.

You should also be careful about how intensely you work out each day. It is better to exercise moderately each day than to get impatient. As long as you are consistent with your exercise you will eventually improve your stamina and strength. Pushing your body too hard too fast can result in injuries that will ultimately make it harder to get appropriate amounts of consistent exercise. Pay careful attention to your body.

Make Sure You Get Good Sleep Each Night

Sleep is very important for slowing down the aging process and living healthy. One of the things that can interfere with the quality of the sleep you get is snoring by you or your spouse. One of the most common causes of snoring is obesity, so you may find that weight loss will solve this problem. The exercise mentioned above and healthy eating mentioned below may be all that you need to accomplish healthy weight loss. Your doctor or your spouse's doctor may also be able to help you find some ways to decrease snoring. In some cases, snoring may be a symptom of a very serious health problem, so seeing a doctor is always a recommended action for those who snore chronically.

Our daily mental status can also have a major impact on how much quality sleep we get. Stress and depression can have a major impact on sleep. You may want to undertake some stress reducing or mood enhancing therapies to improve your happiness and your sleep. Many people find meditating on their spiritual belief system is very relaxing and therapeutic. Music therapy and aromatherapy are said to be helpful for many people. Your doctor should also be able to help you learn how to deal with stress and depression more effectively.

Slowing Aging with a Healthy Diet

You are what you eat. Make sure you eat healthy foods that contain what a healthy body needs. Each day you need to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, along with some nuts and legumes. You need a healthy balance of minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients to maintain a healthy body. The older you get the more you will need a balanced diet to stay healthy.

Your doctor or a nutritionist can help you to make sure that your diet includes everything you need to stay healthy. If you are coming up deficient in some areas, these people can help you find foods to meet those needs or provide you with some supplements to help make up the differences. Your body may not do as well at utilizing and absorbing many nutrients as you age, so sometimes taking extra health measures will make up the difference.

The Work Environment in Healthy Aging

Tip for Healthy Aging: Exercise Caution in the Workplace

As you get older, it becomes harder for your body to recover from injuries. But as you begin to get close to your retirement age, you need to be a lot more careful about injuries in the workplace, as it may be much more difficult to heal from injuries, if you heal from them.

It is important to recognize the transitions in your body as you age. You may feel inside like the same person, but your body cannot handle the same stresses or recover so quickly. It may seem sudden, but when you notice it is harder to recover from aches and pains, it is time to think about transitioning into safer work environments. You still have responsibilities to your family, yourself, and society as a whole to be able to care for yourself. Living recklessly helps no one.

You need to be wary of working long-term in places that have heavy chemical or toxin exposures. Avoid chronic exposure to dust or wood dust. Be wary of glues and dyes. All of these things have health hazards in the lungs and sometimes in the circulatory system and brain.

A Look at Some Unhealthy Work Environments

There are some specific industries that carry reputations for unhealthy work environments. Coal mines are notoriously bad for the diseases associated with laboring in them. Many people have died from a variety of toxins ranging from poisonous gases in coal mines to chronically getting the black coal dust in the lungs.

Sawmills have similar hazards. Respiratory problems are common when there is chronic exposure to any fine substance in the air. Additionally, there are many hazards to working with machinery for cutting trees and from just being around such large, displaced trees.

Anyone who has ever been on a fishing boat can tell you that large-scale fishing is not only dangerous, but is very hard on even young, able bodies. Everything from storms to large, moving fishing equipment can send a fisherman overboard or pound the fisherman against heavy equipment. Many people from this industry end up with chronic pains and ailments as a result of repetitive stress injuries when working with heavy equipment under adverse conditions.

Speaking of repetitive motions and a lack of variation at work, being a truck driver can be taxing on the body. In addition to the ever-present risk of an accident, long hours on the road with your body in essentially the same position all of the time can take a heavy toll on the body. Even though you are working, your body remains relatively sedentary, which is known to be perhaps the worst risk factor for most age-related diseases. Adding to the problem, it is hard to find healthy foods when you're on the road that will help the body recover.

Taking Responsibility for Our Work Environments

As we age, we should take into consideration what types of work we do. Any job that involves repetitive stress or inhaling of fumes or dusts should be avoided. We also need to eat right and exercise regularly to help our bodies deal with the difficulties our bodies encounter daily. We should not neglect getting regular rest and staying on a regular sleep schedule. We work hard to make money, so we shouldn't make ourselves so sick that we spend our money on medical care. We need to keep our bodies as whole and strong as possible so that we can age on our own terms. When we die, we want the best chance possible to die while healthy and independent. Our work environments have a big role to play in this process as we age.

The Stressful Actions behind Healthy Aging

The Relationship Between Healthy Aging and Stress

Living a long, healthy life is often a matter of learning how to effectively handle stress. Because prolonged stress can be so hard on the body, its handling is crucial. When stress is a constant in your life, your health will be negatively impacted. Common symptoms of chronic stress include a sense of helplessness, a sense of hopelessness, and chronic feelings of illness. If you haven't learned how to control your stress, it's time to learn.

Taking Control of Your Stress

Examine the situation you find yourself in very closely. Is it your situation or your life view that is causing you so much stress? Are the things that concern you really big deals in the overall measurement of your life or are they minor day-to-day things? Putting your stressors into perspective will help you place a more appropriate weight on each.

Regardless of what stresses you, we know that what you eat can increase or reduce the amount of stress you feel. Also, regular exercise can prepare your body to deal more effectively with stress. You need to take stress seriously if you are going to learn how to deal with your stress. Many people have taken the time to learn how to deal with stress with very successful results.

The Effects of Stress on Health

As we've discussed, chronic stress can lead to chronic feelings of illness. Additionally, stress has a strong impact on your ability to focus your mind on tasks. Your ability to get good sleep each night will be negatively impacted by prolonged stress. Your appetite can also be damaged by prolonged stress. Stress has long been associated with high blood pressure. Even heart disease is a disorder associated with prolonged stress. Even several mental disorders such as depression and anxiety may have their roots in how we deal with stress.

As you can see, it is very important for your health that you do not let stress be a controlling factor in your life. Unfortunately, for most of us stress is not something we can simply choose not to have. It usually takes quite a bit of effort and education to learn how to take control of stress rather than having stress take control of you and your health.

Controlling Stress to Delay Aging

Controlling stress is a matter of understanding it. You can't learn to control stress until you learn to recognize how it is operating in your life. You can start with a list of things that you know are stressful to you. You need to realize that many of the things that stress you cannot be simply eliminated from your life. In some cases the major causes of your stress may be the things most important to you, such as your career and your family. You need to learn how to put your stressful feelings into perspective, particularly when you are stressing over the things you care about most. You will have to learn how to let things go, especially the mistakes others make that you cannot control.

Many people suffer stress whenever they are in charge. Studies show that management has more stress than labor. So whether it is your children or the people working for you, you have to learn how to make a decision and live with the consequences, whether they are good or bad. Worrying about what will happen when you make decisions is a waste of energy and cause damaging stress that will age you prematurely. You must also learn how to set limits and stick to them without regret.