6 Must do’s to Slow Down Your Ageing Process

Part 3

In part 2 we looked at how important increasing your oxygen levels are as well as making sure you stay fully hydrated all the time and then making sure that you made the correct choices to provide your body with the necessary nutrition to combat Free radicals, lower acid levels and repair damage cells and connective tissue.

Now in Part 3 we are going to focus on the two remaining daily essentials that you need to get right in order to slow down the ageing process – Sleep and Exercise.

1. Sleep

We do our best cleansing, healing and full body and mind repair when we are asleep so not taking full advantage of this opportunity would be a big mistake. During our sleep we clean toxins out of our body and repair damaged tissues. If you decrease the amount of time you spend cleaning and repairing your body then it stands to reason that the more damage done to your cells the faster they will age.

If you are struggling to sleep then here are a few tips tips I borrowed from my exercise book “Run Smart”

Action Required

Stick to a sleep schedule. Whenever possible go to bed as near to the same time as possible every night and get up at the same time every morning, even on weekends. A consistent routine reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle. If you find that you don't fall asleep within about 20 minutes, get up and do something relaxing and then go back to bed when you're tired.

Play it cool. Better to sleep in a cool room. Your body will shut down and relax easier when the room temperature and more importantly your body temperature is not to extreme. For instance, taking a very hot bath immediately before bedtime will spike your body core temperature and stimulate central nervous system function, thus heightening awareness levels at a time when you should be trying to lower stimulation. So it's not a good idea to take a hot bath before bedtime.

Mind your food and drink. Be smart about your food and drink consumption around bedtime. If you overeat or over-drink close to bedtime your body will want to continue to digest, process and eliminate during the night. This may leave you needing bathroom breaks during the night and with extra unwanted energy from any late night snacks. 

Also avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol where possible as they are all stimulants and will dehydrate you.  

Wind down. Turn off high drama tv, stop surfing the net and turn off all electronic devices about one hour before bedtime as part of your ritual. Research suggests that screen time or other media use before bedtime interferes with sleep.

Best way to fall asleep. If your mind is overrun with thoughts and you are finding it hard to relax I would suggest that you focus on your breathing. Start by making the duration of your in-breath match the duration of your out-breath. Give your brain the simple task of counting up to four on the in-breath and back down to one on your out-breath. Just keeping this cycle of breathing going and then make your breath flow as smooth and even as possible This should be enough to help you drift off to sleep in a very short space of time.

If I find myself struggling to sleep I will read a book till my eyes start to feel tired and it works every time for me.

2. Exercise

 Exercise is all about increasing your circulation, breathing, muscle tone and bone density. Therefor you should look to incorporate a variety of exercises into a daily routine that will help you achieve all 4 of the essential benefits of exercise. You will probably find it very easy to achieve all 4 essentials at the same time and in my opinion the best way to do this is by running. However having the correct Warm-up, Strengthening and Recovery System built into your running plan is essential for you to avoid injury and enjoy your training sessions.

 For those of you who don't fancy running then exercise routines that are constructed from Pilates and Yoga will provide you with 3 of the 4 essentials you need and then you can supplement the routine by including a regular walking workout in your routine.

 When you exercise you circulate or push the oxygen and nutrition rich blood supply out to your extremities and this will help the cells to gain the nutrition they need as well as remove any unwanted toxins on a regular basis.

 My personal exercise routine follows a very simple plan. First thing every morning I perform 30 minutes of either Pilates or Yoga – depending on how I am feeling. I like to keep my options open because it forces me to connect or get in touch with how I am feeling and trust  my intuition that I will find the correct set of exercises to yield maximum benefit. I also run 4 times per week and always vary the pace, distance and location – depending on how I am feeling.

 Action required

 Take 30 minutes of Pilates or Yoga first thing in the morning and focus on improving your breathing and mobility during this time.

Make sure you use exercise to build your energy levels. You should aim to feel energised after an exercise session not tired and sore.

 Summary

My philosophy is simple when it comes to exercise – It should give you immediate energy and provide you with fuel to keep you going for the rest of your day rather than leave you exhausted with stiff and sore muscles.

If you can learn how to create energy through your breath work and controlled movement and then harness that energy you will have mastered a critical component for living a healthy and successful life.

Now you have a good insight into how to slow down your ageing process. And its up to you if you are prepared to implement them over a lifetime. If you do master the discipline of living in this way I am willing to be that you will be very successful in many other area of your life.

So here’s a quick recap on this 3 part blog post on how to slow down the ageing process.

 Be mindful of these 6 components that we all require to live a youthful, healthy life

* Use affirmations to help you think positive thoughts

* Do breathing exercises daily

* Drink plenty of fresh, clean water

* Eat healthy foods and fast occasionally if not on medication

* Get plenty of sleep

* Take exercise that builds energy in your body and fuels you for the day.

 I genuinely hope that you will use some if not all of these simple techniques on a daily basis and avoid a magnitude of unnecessary age related illnesses that tend to be caused by inflammation as well as other negative attributes associated with ageing like a decline in energy levels, poor mobility and low moods.

 Best wishes