So much of the youth-preservation and anti-aging industry here in America used to be focused exclusively on women, who were thought to be the only sex of the human species to be interested in preserving their youth, extending health and life, and enhancing their physical beauty for longer periods of time.
Not any more though. Now, men are expressing an interest in maintaining their physical and emotional health as well as their physical youthfulness, and the industry is answering that call with some excellent solutions to the quest for longevity, peak performance, and lasting health and physical fitness.
With advances in natural medicine and supplementation, there is rarely a person I talk to who does not take some natural enhancement supplement or vitamin of some sort.
Heck, even the multivitamins we have available to us nowadays offer us benefits way beyond your typical One a Day of yesteryear, with superior absorption rates as well as more concentrated and pure ingredients that ensure a greater and more noticeable benefit.
One of the best anti aging "secrets" are multivitamins that are packed with antioxidants, paired with a diet that matches this concentration. Antioxidants are found abundantly in brightly colored veggies and fruits, and are also now added to some of the top notch vitamin supplements for men and women as an added benefit in addition to basic daily vitamins.
Antioxidants, such as polyphenols (found in olive oil abundantly, for example), vitamin E and vitamin C, are pivotal to the survival of cells in the body, including skin cells, brain cells, and healthy defensive cells against things like cancer and other unwanted mutations.
Antioxidants have been demonstrated to play an important role in preventing the destruction of healthy, functional cells by something called free radicals.
Free radicals roam the body in abundance when gone unchecked and when an unhealthy diet and way of life is followed, and these environmental toxins, so to speak, destroy the healthy cell.
Sunlight exposure accelerates the destruction of healthy cells, and certain foods can as well, but taking higher doses of antioxidants and getting them in your diet as well can help mitigate the destruction of these healthy cells, and hence prolong and enhance your life.
Wearing a good SPF lotion all the time is necessary to maintain the integrity of the skin, and prevent mutations of cells such as cancers, especially skin cancer.
It is said that if we were never exposed to the sunlight in our lives, our skin would remain as smooth as a baby's bottom almost into our eighties. This is how powerful staying out of the sun can be in your quest to remain young as long as possible.
For men, maintaining prostate health also becomes a big issue as a man ages, as this gland can be the cause of health woes as the organ ages, and often materializes into an uncomfortable problem for older men, or worse, can also become cancerous over time.
There are some excellent supplements that can be taken for prostate health, and a good diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and low in red meats and other heavy, hard to digest meats, has been linked to the maintenance of prostate health and prevention of prostate cancer as well.
Another health issue for men as they age can be maintaining muscle tone and keeping an optimal level of fitness and energy. Exercise is one of the best anti-aging secrets for both men and women, period.
Exercise not only boosts energy levels and keeps the mind performing at peak levels, but it also has been shown to reduce occurrences of illness such as the flu and colds, to fend off depression and anxiety which are responsible for a myriad of other physical and mental ailments, and to keep the digestive and main organs as well as the circulatory system functioning at higher levels.
Some men (and women, for that matter), swear by the use of an HGH enhancing supplement as well. HGH enhancing supplements can help our bodies to begin to produce HGH at the higher levels of our youth once again. HGH, or human growth hormone, is basically the hormone responsible for keeping us young in every sense of the word.
Some natural supplements are thought to help the body kick the natural mechanisms back in to help the body to start producing this hormone, which typically drops off drastically after our mid twenties, at higher levels again.
All in all, with our constantly evolving and improving knowledge about the world of health and nutrition, we have the tools to remain young and healthy well beyond the years we would without this knowledge.
Those of us who want more out of life, and who understand that we only live once so we better make it the best life we can, will do well to follow these guidelines to stay "young" in spirit, mind and body, as long as we can.
Best Bets for Weight Loss in 2009
Weight loss seems to be on everyone's mind during those post-holiday weeks in early January, and who can blame us all for worrying? It seems like the entire month of December is spent on one nonstop smorgasboard of fattening, sugary, salty foods. So, when it's time to finally reel it in and curb your calorie intake again, what are your best bets to get the ball rolling toward a fitter, trimmer, healthier you?The Best Supplements to Start Taking in 2009
In this day and age, it's hard for us to actually "eat" our vitamins, minerals and other necessary nutrients in the proper amounts by consuming the foods. Read on for information on what I feel are the most critical supplements one should consider for daily consumption to enhance their health, appearance, brain function and longevity.Alternative Ways to Quit Smoking This New Year
With the ever-increasing price of cigarettes, and volumes of warnings that aim to increase the public's awareness of the dangers of cigarette smoking, you'd think it would be a no-brainer for smokers to just up and quit the habit cold turkey. However, being a former smoker myself, I know that this statement is neither realistic, nor fair. So, what are the alternative options to quitting smoking?