Can You Lose Weight By Drinking Coffee?

Being active, I thought the extra weight I was carrying would just fall off me. I've never been overweight and it was a real shock to my system when it started to creep up on me.

The truth was though, that being over 40 (I have since turned 50 last October!!), losing weight wasn't going to be so easy thanks to my hormones and life's stresses. I needed a helping hand 😏

I came across a guy offering samples of a coffee that claimed could help give me more energy and curb my appetite. I enjoy a coffee, but due to caffeine giving me palpitations, I only drank decaffeinated. However, I was willing to give it a try.

After reviewing the ingredients (I'm not willing to put just anything into my body), I was satisfied they met with my approval and requested my samples.

They arrived and after my first cup, I felt jittery but surprisingly, I didn't feel so hungry. The guy who sent me the samples told me to just use half of the sachet until I got a little more use to the caffeine, and also to make sure I was keeping hydrated. I was impressed with it so far so bought a tub. It came with a 30 day money back guarantee, so I felt I had nothing to lose (except some weight 😂).

I have been impressed by my energy levels AND losing some weight (a stone or more). I've stopped weighing myself and just go by how my clothes feel.

                                                  Before                                  After

The weight has stayed off and I only use the coffee now and again, mainly when I feel I need an energy boost. Love it! 👍

Try for yourself, coffee or capsules

Should You Exercise If You Have A Cold?

Colds are more common in winter, but you don't necessarily have to stop exercising if you're feeling under the weather. According to Dr Keith Hopcroft, a GP from Basildon in Essex, use common sense and listen to your body.

"If your symptoms are not severe and you generally feel OK, then you can exercise. If you feel absolutely rotten, then it's best not to go."

However, it is important not to exercise if you have a fever. A fever is when your body's temperature is 38C (100.4F) or above and is rarely a symptom of a cold.

"If you exercise with a fever," says Dr Hopcroft, "it'll make you feel worse. In very rare cases, exercising with a fever can lead to the virus affecting your heart, which can be dangerous."

If you have asthma, take extra care when exercising in winter as cold air can trigger symptoms. Use your inhaler before you exercise and have it with you during your activity.

Keep Warm

If you're starting a new exercise regime, don't overdo it. Slowly build the amount of exercise you do. If you can't manage 30 minutes in one go, break it up into 10-minute chunks.

Always warm-up for up to 10 minutes before you start. Walk at a brisk pace, or jog to warm your muscles.

Make sure you're warm if you're going outside. Wear several layers to keep the heat in. A lot of heat escapes through your head, so consider wearing a hat as well.

Source:nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/pages/winterexercise.aspx

Reasons To Exercise In Winter

Research has shown time and again that regular exercise strengthens your immune system so it can fight off bacterial and viral infections. This becomes particularly important in winter when colds and flu rear their ugly heads.When you exercise and get your blood pumping, immune cells circulate through your body more quickly helping them seek and destroy infections. But this boost only lasts for a few hours, so exercise needs to be regular for long-term effects.

Whether it’s the usual winter blues or the more serious SAD (seasonal affective disorder) putting a gloom over the colder months. A daily workout releases feel-good, de-stress brain chemicals, gives you a break from the daily grind and helps ease depression. Plus, if you combine exercise with the great outdoors you can cheer yourself up even more!

We know that after exercise, the brain releases the “feel-good” chemicals serotonin and dopamine, which can help to reduce anxiety and depression while boosting wellbeing,”45 minutes in the day could change your whole outlook on winter!!

Being cooped up with nothing but heaters to keep the air moving means fresh air is much harder to come by in winter! Generally, the air outside is healthier then that inside so going for a walk or run outside gives your lungs a chance to detox and breathe deeply without concern for breathing in other people’s bugs (at home or from the office!)

In the colder months it is so easy to turn to comfort food, because its so satisfying and it makes us feel good, well for a little anyway, and then we feel guilty. Its so easy to become a hibernating bear! No wonder it’s known as the ‘winter weight gain’ period. The average person puts on up to 4 kg! The only way to make up for those added treats is to increase the amount of exercise you’re doing. Try and balance your energy in and energy out then the shredding of clothes in spring wont be such a shock!

Source:livelifegetactive.com/blog/exercise-in-winter/

Exercise You Can Take Anywhere....

If you're anything like me I like to exercise even when I'm away. Doing some exercise as part of my weekly routine is important to me, so having items I can use to exercise with and pack easily into my suit case are a must.

I have recently been asked to try out a hula hoop. Not your solid circular hoop but a weighted, flexible type.

I really didn't know what to expect, let alone even see how it could possibly be effective but I was willing to give it a try.

My initial thoughts were that it would be difficult to use but I liked the idea of being able to take it with me on my travels AND it was easy to store at home, so I reserved all judgement.

It took me only a short time to get the hang of using it and because of the weight and design I could really feel it working. Not only did it work my waist and hips but I also felt like I'd had a cardio workout and felt slightly breathless and sweaty (all good signs in my eyes!!)

I was really impressed by this piece of equipment and could definitely feel a difference.

Not only could you use it to trim your waist but it was cleverly designed to enable you to also work other parts of the body including your arms (all will be revealed).

I'll be sharing a video on how to use it.

If you can't wait that long, then here is the link to the hula hoop HERE

It really is amazing, easy to use and store, so it ticks all of the boxes for me 👍

Benefits of Hula Hooping. Q&A

Can Hula Hooping help you lose belly fat?

If you hoop for 30 minutes, you'll burn 210 calories. The heart rates of research participants elevated to 84 percent of their maximum heart rate, sufficient for burningfat as fuel. To lose abdominal fat, calories must be burned. Hooping contributes to overall weight loss, including the extra fat across your core.

Is a hula hoop good for abs?

Fat Loss. While the claim that you can spot train to lose weight in one area is a myth, it is possible to lose fat wherever it is in excess on your body. Since working out with a Hula-Hoop is a very good aerobic exercise, it burns more calories than other ab-building anaerobic exercises.

What is a hula hoop good exercise for?

Using a hula hoop works your arm, leg and core muscles. Hula hooping is a total-body workout that not only tones your muscles, but also improves joint flexibility and balance. The rocking motion of hula hooping is also relaxing and fun, which can relieve stress.

Is a weighted hula hoop better?

In fact, any type of hula hooping, using a weighted hula hoop or a regular hula hoop, can help you meet your exercise goals and provide aerobic activity. And it can be fun! Weighted hula hoops are bigger and heavier than are traditional hula hoops. ... The weight of the hoop is up to you

What are the benefits of hula hooping?

Hooping will make you feel the (calorie) burn. Hooping has been proven to burn over 400 calories per hour by the American Council on Exercise, although thecalorie-burn from hooping may be as high as 600 calories per hour when other parts of your body, such as your arms and legs, are engaged

How many calories do you burn with a weighted hula hoop?

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) funded a study completed at the University of Wisconsin, and found that a 30 minute weighted hula hoop workout which consisted of hooping moves and twirling motions around the arms, waist, and legs burned roughly 7 calories per minute.

I Lost 85 Pounds By Hula Hooping

Cori Magnotta, 32, was the kind of person who couldn't stick with a workout routine. But faced with stubborn extra pounds after the birth of her son, she decided it was time to make a change. She lost 85 pounds in a year doing an exercise she loved: Hula-Hooping. 

When I was 5, Hula-Hooping was my party trick. I was really good at it. As I got older, I Hula-Hooped less and less and eventually joined the real world, put the hoop aside, and forgot about it.

I'm 6 feet tall and I've always struggled with my weight. I just didn't find working out fun. I would join a gym, go once, and never go back. When I was pregnant with my son, I developed preeclampsia, or high blood pressure, and had to be on bedrest for 2 months. Being sedentary contributed to my weight gain during my pregnancy. At my heaviest, I was 265 pounds. My son was a big baby—10 pounds!—so I attribute some of that to him. But I struggled with getting the rest of it back off. I developed hypothyroidism after my pregnancy, and my metabolism had slowed, making it easier to gain weight and that much more difficult to lose it.

In October 2014, I was down to 250 pounds, and I started searching the internet for fun workouts. I came across FXP Fitness, which uses a weighted Hula-Hoop in a routine that borrows from barre, yoga, and pilates. I remembered how much I loved hooping as a kid and signed up for a class. I drove from my home in Portland, CT, to Massachusetts, the only place classes were available at the time. "Let me go see what this is all about," I remember thinking.

I immediately loved it. It's impossible to not smile while Hula-Hooping. I wore a fitness tracker and a heart rate monitor and watched my heart rate spike like I was doing a high-intensity interval training workout. I could burn as much as 800 calories in an hour, doing the class's combination of ballet movements, yoga poses, strength exercises like squats, and of course traditional waist hooping. We even hooped around our arms and our hands to give our waists a break. We used the weighted hoop to do stretches and hooped while we did dance routines like the YMCA and the Macarena.

I took the 2 lb hoop home with me to Connecticut and started hooping on my own. I started with just 10 minutes a day and built up my stamina. It was easy to stand in front of the TV and whip it around my waist, even if I had toys all over my living room floor from my son. It didn't take me long to decide I wanted to become an instructor myself. I decided I was going to push my fears aside, and I went to Boston to get certified.

Hooping helped me slowly and steadily lose weight, and in about a year, I was down 85 pounds to 165. It helped that I now have a 2-year-old I have to chase everywhere! Once you start exercising, there's a snowball effect: You have more energy to do more things. I started eating a little bit better, because I now had the energy to cook instead of going to the drive-thru. I had the energy to play with my son instead of watching him at the playground. Now, I teach hooping three times a week

I competed in pageants when I was young, and 20 years later, I gave it another shot: I was recently crowned America's Fit Mrs., and I Hula-Hooped as my talent. I was even recently featured as Trainer of the Month with FXP Hoop Fitness. If you told me 2 years ago I would now be a fitness instructor, I would have laughed at you.

The most important thing is that it's fun. Most people crack up when I tell them I'm a Hula-Hoop instructor and tell me they can't hoop. But I have yet to meet someone I can't teach to hoop! I have 21-year-olds and 65-year-olds in my class, petite people and tall people, couch potatoes and marathoners—it's for anyone and everyone.

Source:prevention.com/weight-loss/i-lost-85-pounds-by-hula-hooping

Foods And Ageing

Certain foods can contribute to the ageing process in different ways.

SUGAR

In a study, subjects visually five years younger than their actual age had the lowest intake of sweet, sugary treats. 

A theory that is gaining in popularity is the idea that sugar contributes negatively to the skin and overall ageing process. It is believed that, sugar (or glucose) creates ‘Advanced Glycation End (AGE)’ products in every cell and molecule in the body, creating inflammation.

Dietitian Helen Bond comments: "Leading health organisations are recommending that we should all be reducing our intake of added sugars throughout our life-course to benefit our health, but for many people telling them sugar may be contributing to their wrinkles and they will be far more likely to put down the doughnut."

CAFFEINE 

A study found younger-looking people had the lowest intake of caffeine. Dietitian Helen explained: "It is an old chestnut, but making sure that you are adequately hydrated is vital for healthy skin.  

"Drinking plenty of fluid gives skin the necessary moisture to help maintain its’ elasticity. Plus, it helps to clear the body of toxins and carry vital nutrients to cells."

But there is good news for our other favourite diuretic: alcohol. Frequency of alcohol seemed to have no effect on visual ageing. 

However, volume of alcohol did, so if you want to keep wrinkles at bay, it’s ok to have that post-work glass of wine, but drink only in moderation.

If you're in the market for a caffeine-free tea, try Dragonfly Tea's Wild Honeybush brew. This rare South African tea is made from Cyclopia bush, native only in botanically rich south-western Cape.  

Unlike conventional teas which are made from the Camellia family, Honeybush is naturally caffeine free, and - like rooibos tea - was pioneered by settlers who built their homesteads in this remote and rugged region, making tea using the local indigenous plants. 

MEAT

During a study, across all participants there were no observations for better skin amongst vegans or vegetarians. 

The visually youngest participants were more likely to consume the recommended one portion of oily fish a week.

Helen said: "Omega-3 is found in abundance in oily fish, such as herring, mackerel, sardines, fresh tuna and salmon, and has a plethora of skin and other health benefits. 

"I always recommend it to clients prone to dry/itchy skin with redness and they see an improvement in just a few weeks."

If you are not a regular fish eater, perhaps because you don’t like oily fish, there are plenty of omega-3 rich supplements that provide skin-loving, anti-ageing benefits on the market.

Source:express.co.uk/life-style/diets/600925/How-to-get-rid-of-wrinkles-eating-diet-sugar-caffeine-bad-for-you

How To Be Body Confident Over 40

In today's society, having confidence in the way you look and feel can often be a struggle for most people. As you get older this can sometimes be more difficult as wrinkles start to appear, grey hair, sagging skin and loss of muscle tone.

Sounds pretty bleak. 

However, for a lot of over 40 year olds it has never been a better time for being the most confident you have been. You become more accepting of yourself and over the years have learnt to live and love what nature has given you (and make the best of it).

As you get older you are more aware of looking after your health and so exercise and eating healthier often becomes a priority.

If you feel this doesn't describe you but you would like to feel more confident, toned and healthier then fear not. Over the next few weeks I will be sharing some of my best tried and tested techniques for being the best, most confident you.

I will be showing you ladies:

• How to get glowing skin
• How to work from the inside out
• How to lose weight and tone up for FREE from the comfort of your home
• How to dress to impress
• How to look slimmer instantly
• Make-up and hair for over 40 year olds

Stayed tuned!!

Quick 4 Minute Exercise Routine for Over 40's

Here's my tip for this:

Although 4 minutes doesn't seem long, this is quite fast paced so I would suggest you start out a bit slower to begin with and gradually up the pace over time. This way you are more likely to stick to it.

Just Keep Trying

As a mum over 40, keeping in shape is harder than it used to be. I weigh more now than I ever have but I am happy with that. I don't obsess about food, but I try to eat healthy most of the time. I enjoy a treat and a small amount of alcohol. Life is for living right?

Maybe life is for living but at the same time I don't want to put myself at risk from poor health due to being over weight and unhealthy.

Some days I might struggle with life in general and feel like having crisps or cake or chocolate. If that's what my body craves then I go with it. I don't beat myself up about it or skip meals to make up for it. Instead I accept that, that is what I wanted to eat at that particular time. I don't run or bike an extra 5 miles to burn it off. Instead I tell myself that I will eat healthier the rest of that day or the next day. This usually happens.

When I've had a day of eating junk my body lets me know. I feel bloated and sluggish and it is a reminder that it is ok to go off track ocassionally as long as I get 'back on track'. I don't let it get me down or beat myself up about it.

The point I am trying to make is that if you're trying to lose weight or getting fitter, then there might be times when you go off track. Accept that it is normal and you chose to do that. Get back to it and just keep trying. After all what can be worse, going off course a little or never trying in the first place?

Best Exercises for Women 40+

Once you hit your 40s, staying in shape can become more challenging. That's because as you mature, you'll need to address your diet and activity levels more specifically to maintain your best health.

In other words, the days of eating fast food or late-night high-sugar, high-carb meals are most likely over. One reason you'll need to say goodbye to high-calorie eating is that, according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, your metabolism starts to slow about 5 percent per year after your 40th birthday.

For many women, this slowing metabolism registers as weight gain; with more weight often comes less energy and therefore difficulty motivating yourself to start (and stay) moving. And even with regular exercise, it can be tough to keep your weight in check. Your basal metabolic rate also declines with each decade of life, so fat-burning requires extra effort.

Face the ch-ch-changes

Your thyroid

The thyroid controls your metabolism. You are more likely to develop hypothyroidism (which can cause weight gain). Besides weight gain, your age starts to catch up with you in other ways in your 40s.

After 40, exercise routines that once challenged you with in your earlier years can become painful or difficult. You may start feeling the effects of age in your joints.

Nearing menopause

Menopause is just around the corner (the average age of menopause is about 51). While exercise hasn't been proven to help you better cope with the effects of menopause, experts at the Mayo Clinic say making fitness part of your daily routine can help you manage your weight as you near menopause.

Estrogen loss has also been linked to bone loss, making it important to support your bones with strength training. And as estrogen dips, there is often an accumulation of belly fat. That belly fat — sometimes jokingly called the "meno-pot" — can increase a woman's risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Changing fitness routines

Since excess weight can be a factor in several types of cancer and heart disease, it's worth it to stay active well past your 40s. Cartilage, tendons and ligaments become less elastic, which can cause increased pain and/or injury if you continue to perform high-impact activities such as long-distance running, basketball and aerobics.

However, that certainly does not mean that women in their 40s need to stop all high-impact activities or give up working out.

Good exercises to consider

Chiropractor Dr. Tamara Berger recommends the following fitness suggestions for women over 40:

1

Lift weights

Our muscles can start to shrink and weaken in our 30s. Using weights is an important way to keep our muscles strong and flexible.

2

Jump!

Bone density can also start to diminish as early as your mid-30s. To slow the clock don't be afraid to hop, jump, run, skip, squat or climb stairs.

3

Move fast (at least for a few seconds)

High-intensity training is a great way to stop the physical effects of the hands of time, and can be done safely at any age. Tabatas are short, high-intensity workouts where you combine max effort movements (run, bike, skips) with rest periods. A typical eight-minute tabata involves a 20-second all-out effort with a 10-second rest period.

4

Prevent injury

Strengthening your core (below the breast bone to just above the knees) protects your joints from injury. Core strengthening involves slow, complex movements that challenge multiple areas of the body.

5

Stretch

The 40s are a time to focus even more on staying flexible. Why? The need for flexibility increases as we age because muscles tighten, shorten and become more prone to injury. "Flexibility is the third pillar of fitness, next to cardiovascular conditioning and strength training," says David Geier, director of sports medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. Flexibility can help your body reach its optimum fitness level, may play a role in injury prevention and, experts say, can even contribute to staving off arthritis and other serious illnesses.

The key to increasing flexibility is to hold stretches (no bouncing) for at least 10 to 15 seconds. Don't hold your breath; focus on relaxing the muscles you are stretching on each exhalation. Many experts recommend yoga or Pilates as good ways to incorporate stretching into your regular routines.

Overall, your 40s will definitely be a time of physical, mental and even spiritual changes, but you can also look forward to a transition toward deeper level of awareness, fitness and well-being.

Source:sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/1019615/best-exercises-for-women-40-plus

Eat Right For Your Age - 50's

Watch your fat levels...

Health problems, such as raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes are more common in this age group. A low-fat, low-GI diet which includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, is the best way to prevent and treat these problems.

As women enter the menopause, they are affected in different ways. Consequences such as a decline in libido, osteoporosis and heart disease are all linked to the decline in oestrogen levels that accompany the menopause. This accelerates the loss of calcium from bone, which increases the risk of osteoporosis or brittle bones. To counteract this, it's important to eat at least three servings of low-fat, calcium-rich foods each day.

There seems to be an absence of menopausal symptoms, in countries in the Far East where diets are naturally rich in phytoestrogens found in soya. Genetics and environmental factors play a huge part in how our bodies react to certain foods, so as yet we can’t say whether a diet rich in phytoestrogenic foods is beneficial to women going through the menopause or not but it could be worth a try if you are really struggling.

Smoking and being inactive can severely harm your bones, and it’s particularly important on the exercise side to include some weight bearing exercise such as brisk walking, jogging or aerobics. Aim for a combination of weight-bearing exercise and aerobic activity to help to keep bones and joints strong. Toning and muscle development can increase metabolic rate as muscle mass increases help to keep our weight constant.

Continue to drink a couple of litres of water every day and watch caffeine consumption. Caffeine can interfere with the amount of calcium we absorb.

If you don't eat at least one serving of oil-rich fish each week, you should also think about taking an omega-3 supplement.

What should I be eating?

Mediterranean diet - It is a good idea to try to get the ratio of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) sorts of cholesterol right. The Mediterranean diet is based around lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, both colours and types to obtain a spectrum of heart friendly vitamins and minerals. Get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked. If you have high cholesterol, you could try swapping to a butter-like spread rich in plant stanols or sterols which can help lower cholesterol levels.

Watch the fat – as we age, our body’s energy requirement decreases. Body fat gets deposited when we take in too many calories and don’t burn up enough in our everyday life. Include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from nuts, seeds and their oils instead of too much saturated fat.

Phytoestrogens - Soya based foods such as soya milk, soya yoghurt, tofu, miso and temph may help reduce some of the unpleasant symptoms associated with the menopause. Eating 25g of soya protein a day can help reduce blood cholesterol levels. Use tofu instead of chicken in stir-fries and pour calcium-enriched soya milk on your cereal. If soya isn’t your thing, other sources of phytoestrogens include lentils, beansprouts, peanuts, linseeds and sweet potatoes.

Omega-3 fats – Aim to eat three portions of omega-3 rich foods a week as these can help and keep bones and heart healthy. Remember canned fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel rather than canned tuna.

Source: bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/eat-your-age

Why Do We Gain Weight as We Age?

As we age, a decrease in our physical abilities leads to a decrease in our metabolic rate (amount of energy used in a given period), which in turn contributes to weight gain. The physiological changes that accompany increasing age affect the body's composition and cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) function, thus reducing our ability to work and exercise and lose weight. Genetics, muscle mass, gender, calorie consumption versus expenditure, and lifestyle are all factors in weight gain.

Changes Occurring with Age 

A decline in our physical abilities starts around age 30, continues throughout our life, and reaches a plateau between ages 60 and 70. After the plateau, a slower decline follows. The rate of decline varies with our individual level of fitness as well as our lifestyle. The speed at which our nerves conduct impulses declines approximately 15%, resulting in decreased reaction time and slowness in performing tasks. Maximum breathing capacity decreases approximately 40% during this period. Individuals with chronic lung disease, such as emphysema, suffer a more significant decline. Cardiovascular function declines approximately one half of one percent each year starting around age 30. It is no coincidence that many world-class and endurance athletes begin gradually leaving their sport after this age. There is a 40% to 50% reduction in muscle mass during this period with a similar decline in bone mass. There is a simultaneous increase in body fat in both men and women. The metabolic rate also declines with age. This decline is mostly affected by muscle mass. Regular exercise helps to preserve muscle mass, particularly muscle loading exercises such as weight training, walking, and physically challenging occupations.

Behaviors such as frequent dieting have been shown to affect the resting metabolic rate and your weight. Individuals who diet frequently have a significant decline in their basal metabolic rate. This decline is prolonged and sustained for several months and cannot be attributed to that expected from a loss in muscle mass or fat free mass. Periods of extreme starvation can produce as much as a 45% decline of the metabolic system. Studies have shown that calorie restriction in short-lived animal species not only causes a decrease in the basal metabolic rate but also an increase in lifespan. Studies are now underway to evaluate calorie restriction in humans and its effect on longevity.

Physical activity refers to body movements that result in the production of energy. The type, frequency, and duration of activity, as well as rate of progress, should be considered when choosing an exercise program. Physical activity has been shown to decrease the occurrence of some chronic diseases. There is a large body of evidence that the risk of death from disease is decreased in individuals who are physically active. The strongest evidence of this has been shown for coronary artery disease. There is moderate evidence that physical activity decreases the risk of hypertension, obesity, colon cancer, noninsulin-dependent diabetes, and osteoporosis. Physically active individuals have been shown to perform daily activities with less effort.

Source:hughston.com/hha/a_15_2_4.htm

The Eye Health Precautions You Don’t Take Seriously (But Should)

• It’s all relative Know your family eye health history. Some eye conditions, such as glaucoma, can run in families. If people have a family history of these conditions it is particularly important that they have regular sight tests. The risk increases particularly for those aged over 40, and people of African Caribbean descent, who are up to six times more likely to develop glaucoma than white people, and develop it about 10 years younger than white people.
• Wear sunglasses Whether it’s summer or winter, people should protect their eyes when it’s sunny, especially when they are in high glare areas such as near snow or water, as cumulative UV exposure may damage the eyes. Drivers particularly should keep a pair of sunglasses in the car as glare has been known to cause accidents on the road. Sunglasses should comply with the safety standard BS EN ISO 12312-1:2013, or be made by a reputable manufacturer and contain the CE mark. The CE mark is the manufacturer’s assurance that they meet European safety standards.
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule Staring at a computer all day can cause headaches and dry, sore, gritty red eyes so follow the 20-20-20 rule: once you’ve been staring at the screen for 20 minutes, break for 20 seconds and look 20 feet away. If that’s not enough, because we blink much less when we concentrate, lubricant eye drops can help if your eyes get dry and they’re safe to use long term (as long as they’re not whitening or brightening, which can eventually make your eyes even more red).
• Avoid dry eyes The symptoms of dry eyes can be mild or severe, and can include itchiness or scratchiness around your eyes, as well as blurred vision. There can be numerous causes and it’s best to visit your optometrist who can identify the cause. If you have dry eyes you can try to reduce the discomfort by lowering the temperature in rooms or using a humidifier as central heating can make the air dry. Also try to avoid smoky atmospheres as the smoke can irritate your eyes.
• Quit smoking Smokers are up to four times more likely than non-smokers to develop agerelated macular degeneration (AMD), and tend to develop it earlier than non-smokers. AMD can lead to blindness and is the leading cause of vision loss for people over the age of 50 in the Western world. Another concern is that smokers are more at risk of developing cataracts – a condition where the clear lens inside your eye becomes cloudy or misty and can only be treated with surgery. Cigarette smoke may also break down other micronutrients critical to healthy eye tissues.
• Wear your lenses as prescribed You should always wear any glasses or contact lenses, with the up-to-date prescription and as recommended by your optometrist. This is particularly important if you need them for driving, as otherwise you could invalidate your insurance and you may be breaking the law. if you wear contact lenses make sure you go for regular check-ups, don’t wear your lenses for longer than your contact lens practitioner has advised and don’t use different contact lens solutions without checking with your contact lens practitioner first.

Source:naturalhealthmagazine.co.uk/health/the-eye-health-precautions-you-dont-take-seriously-but-should

Natural Way to Stay Young

Give yourself a break

Recent studies show that stress causes physical changes in the body that can accelerate aging. Surges of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol cause blood pressure to rise and the heart to beat faster. These days, when our stressors seem unrelenting (a steady stream of job pressures, traffic jams, money problems), chronic doses of adrenaline and cortisol take a heavy toll on our physical and emotional health. "Sixty to 90 percent of all doctors' visits each year are related to anxiety, depression, obsessive anger and hostility, insomnia, high blood pressure, heart attacks — all problems caused by stress," says Herbert Benson, MD, author of the landmark book The Relaxation Response and a founder and director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Boston.

The most effective way to halt this destructive chain of events is to meditate, using what Dr. Benson calls "the relaxation response." The technique involves repeating a mantra — a word, sound, phrase, or prayer — for as little as 10 minutes a day. A 2005 study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston showed that meditation helped prevent age-related changes in the brain.

Try it! Once or twice daily, for 10 to 20 minutes (yes, you do have the time — you just have to make it), sit in a quiet place, close your eyes, relax your muscles, roll your head, neck, and shoulders, and breathe deeply. On each exhale, repeat your mantra. If other thoughts try to invade, says Dr. Benson, tell yourself, "Oh, well," and return to your word or phrase. When you're done, keep your eyes closed for an extra minute; slowly allow everyday thoughts to flow back into your mind. Still not into the idea of meditation? Do yoga, or something active and repetitive, like running, instead. Focus on your breathing and how your feet land with each stride. Get your to-do list out of your head, says Dr. Benson.

Source:fitnessmagazine.com/mind-body/feeling/10-all-natural-ways-to-stay-young/

Think Yourself Younger

People who age fantastically well leave clues; I have spent 18 years studying those clues so you can replicate what they do in order to be they same. You can use your mind to trick your body into feeling and then becoming younger. We all have three ages. We have a chronological or birth certificate age, we have a biological one – the age of our organs, and we have a psychological one – the age we feel.

ERASE THE YEARS

When we do young things; laughing, dancing and having sex, we send a message to our bodies that we are young and this slows down how we age. The younger you feel and act the more you lower your biological age. Our bodies get older on their own timetable. A runner aged 40 may have the heart and lungs of a 25 year old but the knees of a 55 year old. Your birth certificate age is the least important. How old you feel and act are far more important if you want to grow older without growing old.

In 2010 Harvard psychologist Dr Ellen Langer took a group of celebrities to a retreat for a BBC programme. It was furnished from 1980 – all the magazines, radio shows and TV programmes were from the 80s, and each person wore a badge of a photo of themselves from then. Before starting, the group underwent tests to determine their age including grip, vision, hearing, balance, hormones,muscle strength, and so on. They all spent a week living as if it was 30 years earlier. Everything going on around them was engineered to enable them to act as they had 30 years ago, subconsciously tricking themselves to believe they were younger. After seven days, they took the same tests again… and all had reversed their age by a minimum of between seven and ten years, and had a new lease of life. When asked to describe what had happened they reported forgetting they were older and as a result they physically grew younger.

These experiments prove that your beliefs determine how you age. If you think and act old, you grow old prematurely, whereas when you think and act younger, you remain younger physically and mentally. That’s why people like Cliff Richard and Keith Richards have aged in a rather unique way, because they are singers, dancing on stage and doing something youthful for a living they are seen as eternally young. Cliff Richards is called Peter Pan and Keith who should have aged terribly because of his abusive lifestyle proves that doing young things and thinking young thoughts is powerful enough to overcome the ageing effect of bad habits. Women who are very girly like Lulu and Goldie Hawn grow older differently because giggling, laughing and doing younger things keeps you younger. Girly thoughts and actions make you stay more girly.
Nelson Mandella spent 30 years in jail with no access to good food or vitamins yet his passion for life kept him youthful alert and full of life. People in Japan with a different expectation of ageing age differently as do people who love exercise, embrace new technology and have an active life – they stay young for longer. Have you noticed those people who seem to love exercise, embrace new technology, love being with younger people and have an active social life are the people who tend to look young, vibrant and happy? That’s not acoincidence; it’s because they are doing the things they did when young. They get the added benefit of looking younger because that’s the way they feel (not the other way round).
If you don’t want to grow old badly don’t use ageing language. Don’t say “I’m too old to wear that,” or “I can’t do that at my age.” Instead of saying “I look old”, which is seen by the mind as permanent, change it to “I look tired.” Your mind accepts that tired is temporary and after sleep you’ll look younger. Using words like knackered, past it, gaga, at my time of life and at my age cause yourmind to accept that ageing and deteriorating are inevitable when that does not have to be the case. If you want to be part of the new old age, use words like youthful, vibrant, full of life and vitality. Your mind believes everything you tell it and acts on those words so if you say “I forgot, it must be my age,” or “I am so cranky and tired I cant stay up late at my age,” you are allowing yourself to believe it is beyond your influence, which is not true. Instead, remember that children forget things all the time and babies are cranky without enough sleep; it’s not your age so don’t attribute negative behaviours to your years. Changing the words you use to describe yourself changes how you look and feel.

EMBRACE CHANGE

WATCH YOUR WORDS

We live in exciting times where being 50 means you are only halfway through your life. We don’t dread getting old, we dread losing our youth and vitality. You can grow older without growing old while adding years to your lifespan. Women like Jane Fonda, Mary Berry and Catherine Deneuve are showing us the new old age as they refuse to conform to what ageing is.
You can also trick your mind into staying young by continuing to learn new things throughout life. Doing new and different things keeps your brain elastic, sharp and finely-tuned. Professors in their 90s have brain neurons equal to those of 30. We only age when we stop doing new things, so embrace newness and change and you will stay mentally younger; this in turn keeps you physically younger. Our mind doesn’t age unless we stop using it. You can keep your memory and thinking sharp by reading your paper and doing crosswords on your iPad, use Skype, instagram and twitter as this will keep your mind in peak condition because anything new boosts your brainpower.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

TRY THIS!

We make new brain neurons when we practice nuerobics. This simply means if you’re right handed, hold your toothbrush and your TV remote with your left hand, and go upstairs leading with your left leg. When you use the ‘wrong’ hand or leg this makes new neurons boosting brain power. These simple tricks give you tangible results so that you age in ways that make others envy you.

Source: naturalhealthmagazine.co.uk/anti-ageing/think-yourself-younger