What if you were told there is a secret to looking and feeling younger and healthier? According to Dr. Steven Masley, MD, a physician, nutritionist and author of the book Ten Years Younger, the answer lies in combining a "Sweet Sixteen" list of vitality foods with a fitness program and relaxation routine.

You are what you eat. This list includes foods that are especially good for your heart, circulation and weight control. They also provide anti-aging nutrients, fiber and nutrients that support your bones and skin.

 
Diet alone isn't enough to turn back the clock. Building lean muscle mass and enhancing aerobic fitness is absolutely essential to becoming physically younger. The average person loses one percent of their lean mass and aerobic fitness level every year after age 40. Research has shown that you need to add aerobic activity five to six days per week for at least 30-60 minutes to succeed with not just weight control, but also to rev up your anti-aging enzymes that keep you young and fit.

But to feel younger, you also need training. Add resistance (strength) training to your routine to build lean muscle mass. Lean mass is the protein retirement fund that helps you fight infections, deter cancer and burn fat. Muscles also make you look and feel more fit. To build muscle mass, select and strengthen 12 muscle groups (such as your quads, biceps, abs and back muscles) and work them hard two to three times per week.

Don't stress out. Combining an anti-aging diet plan with aerobic and strength training are the keys to your success. But one roadblock that detracts from this goal relates to stress management. We all know that stress kills, and that prolonged and excessive stress increases blood pressure, worsens mental function, depletes muscle mass, and builds unhealthy and undesirable waistline fat, too. Excessive stress can self-destruct the best exercise and diet plan. To establish a successful routine to manage your stress, aim to sleep at least seven hours nightly, exercise daily, limit caffeine and alcohol to not more than one to two servings daily, and share love and affection freely to maximize your stress management program.

Article courtesy of Steven Masley, MD, FAAFP, CNS, Medical Director at Carillon Executive Health in St. Petersburg, FL, For more information on the book Ten Years Younger, visit: www.tenyearsyounger.net.

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Small Steps Work

While it is sometimes difficult establishing healthy habits, replacing old, unhealthy behaviors with new, healthy ones can be
accomplished one step at a time. 

The best way to change any habit is to do it in small steps, according to Paul B. Jacobsen, Ph.D., an internationally recognized researcher in the area of behavioral oncology and leader of Moffitt Cancer Center's psychosocial and palliative care program. A person can go through up to five stages of predictable behavior when trying to replace an unhealthy habit with a healthy one (and make it last for six months or more). Let's use healthier eating habits as an example:

1. Precontemplation:  You have no intention to change your eating habits in the foreseeable future. Many people in this stage are unaware of their unhealthy lifestyles. 

2. Contemplation:  You are aware that you're not eating right and are seriously thinking about tackling the problem, but you have not made a commitment to take action.

3. Preparation:  You have unsuccessfully attempted to eat better and live a healthier lifestyle in the last year, but you are intending to try again in the next month.

4. Action:  You modify your eating and exercise patterns, and you change your surroundings (such as getting rid of the candy jar on your desk at work).

5. Maintenance:  You exercise for 20 minutes daily and eat well-balanced meals for at least six months.

Article courtesy of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL. Moffitt Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center dedicated to the prevention and cure of cancer through research, patient care and education. For more information about Moffitt and its programs, please visit www.MoffittCancerCenter.org or call (888) MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488).

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