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Weight Loss Exercise

Can You Slow Down Aging?



The aging process can’t be stopped in its tracks or slammed into reverse gear but it can be tricked into slowing down. So what can you do right now and in the future to live longer and look good while you’re doing it?

There are some obvious tricks to slowing down Old Father Time and some that are a little more obscure, but your attitude is just as important as the actual methods themselves. Some people have a very positive outlook on life, always get things done and get going when things get tough. Others let life and circumstances dictate their lives and are likely to age much more quickly.

Let’s have a look at some of the important ways in which you can, starting today, start holding back the aging process. Clearly the order in which these appear will have a different impact depending on your priorities. Let’s start with the killer?

Smoking
This is definitely a no-no. Smoking not only makes you look older by adding wrinkles to your face, it has a huge impact on your health and longevity.



A Healthy Diet
Eating in moderation will keep you much more fit and able to do the other things which will keep you younger-looking and with a younger outlook on life.

Exercise
If you exercise on a regular basis it can keep you younger looking for many more years than being a couch potato. Being active and occupied is clearly a major factor in defying the aging process since you’ll be more fit and less susceptible to illness and disease which can strike people down before they’ve lived their lives fully.

Drinking Alcohol
Imbibing, which may be an enjoyable pursuit, should be tempered with moderation. Too much alcohol ages appearance and may even have an effect on the brain.

Cutting Down/Out Fast Food
It puts on weight real fast, and a gym membership isn’t always the answer if you are too tired to attend the classes!

Cultivating Friendships
Being social shouldn’t be ignored as this life activity keeps you active and feeling younger. Friends get you outside of yourself and remind you to laugh… which also makes you feel and look younger.

Supplements
Do your research and find out which supplements are best for you. Vitamin E and Vitamin B are two thought to be very beneficial in slowing down body and mind aging problems.

Dealing with Stress
Too much stress is known to make people look older than they are, and have negative affects on the body too. Learn how to de-stress as much as you can and try not to get into situations that will stress you in the first place.

Drinking Water
It’s not everyone’s cup of tea? but water is really good for you. And while you’re upping your water intake, cut back on the coffee and sodas.

So what are you waiting for? Follow these tips and use common sense to not only stay younger-looking but feel younger as well.


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Weight Loss Exercise

Stressful Retirement?



When you think of stress and what causes it, you first think of the workplace, don’t you? Other stressors come to mind such as family, financial, or health issues. But what many people don’t even realize is that retirement is right up there on the list of top stressful situations.

Retirement, for those not yet retired, is seen as a highly sought after goal and something to be enjoyed immensely without a care in the world. The reality of retirement can be a bit different.

Any change in lifestyle can cause stress, good or bad, until adjustments are made. Retirement is a huge change in lifestyle. The daily routine changes dramatically and can feel like “drifting” until new routines are in place. Whether the job was seen as a positive or negative experience, it still contained elements of a support system, including social support. If a retiree’s social group outside of the office is not strong, they will now find the need to get closer to friends and family.

Big decisions have to be made about staying put versus selling the family home. Should they move to a different state, either closer or farther away from the grandchildren? Try a permanent sunny location? Downsize and have 2 homes in different locations? Buy an RV and travel? Move to a retirement community? These tough decisions are enough to cause anyone stress.



Financial issues in retirement can be stressful. Retirees may have financially planned for retirement, but will they have enough money to do what they want to do, help their children, and perhaps fund some of the grandkids’ college education? What if there’s an economic recession?

Another big cause for stress in retirement is health issues, including sleep problems. Many people don’t sleep well as they get older and if they worry about it, the stress increases. Add to that the worry about a spouse or life-long friend’s failing health and their own health problem. Quality of life becomes a concern as well as how to finance medical problems and the potential need for a nursing home.

Retirement means more time to do what they want, including watching the news and reading the paper. As retired people spend more time with the media, they tend to worry more about the crime and violence in the world, the state of the economy, etc.

Ways to cope with stress in retirement are many. Before dealing with the stress, the retiree needs to first identify what is causing it. If it’s from taking in too much of the news, then they should greatly limit their exposure and do other things to occupy their time, such as reading a book or working on a craft project. If poor sleep is the issue, short cat naps are acceptable and can help recharge the batteries. It may be too late to start a financial plan, but it can certainly help to see a financial planner to put everything into perspective. This can relieve the stress and worry of imagined future events. The big change in lifestyle is a temporary stressor and should go away once a new routine becomes comfortable. Retires have some important lifestyle decisions to make, but if the path they take doesn’t bring them satisfaction, it’s perfectly okay to change course again.

Other ways to cope with retirement stress include learning how to relax by listening to music, trying yoga, practicing deep breathing, getting regular exercise, using muscle relaxation techniques, and getting involved in a new and stimulating project.

There are many stressful issues facing retirees today, but some of them are just temporary and will go away once new support measures and comfortable routines are in place. Just as it is important to learn how to cope with workplace stress, retired people need to learn to cope with any retirement stress to enjoy this new phase of their life.


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Weight Loss Exercise

Mistaken Beliefs About Panic Symptoms



When an individual has a panic attack, i.e. intense fear symptoms without a plausible explanation, they wonder if they’re going crazy. They also wonder if the intense physical symptoms they feel mean something entirely different, like an underlying medical cause.

Heart Attack
Many people think their panic symptoms are really a heart attack. There are differences between the two in symptoms as well as diagnosis. Panic attacks can happen at any time, very often during rest, and include the feeling of impending doom, terror, and loss of control whereas heart attacks may be more related to effort and exercise and any chest pain may diminish with less exercise. A heart attack leaves a physical footprint on EKGs and panic attacks don’t, other than perhaps a fast heart rate.

A panic attack may cause an increased heart rate, but not to a dangerous level. In fact, the rate during the episode is actually less than with vigorous physical exercise.

Fainting
It is not hard to see why fear of fainting may be foremost in the mind of a panic sufferer, but rarely does that actually happen. This fear comes about because of the similar symptoms someone would feel right before fainting – dizziness and lightheadedness. But really, what the body is feeling during an attack; that increased fight or flight adrenaline rush, is the opposite of fainting. The response is aptly called fight or flight, not fight, flight, or faint.



Going Crazy
During a panic attack the sufferer has irrational feelings and physical responses and it’s those irrational feelings and thoughts that make them feel like maybe they’re “going crazy.” The differences are someone who is “crazy” or schizophrenic has delusions (they’re King of the United States) or hallucinations (hearing voices) while the individual who is having an attack is having momentary feelings of irrational fear.

Additionally, a panic attack does not cause schizophrenia unless they were on their way there already with that issue and have strong family genetics that predispose them.

Loss of Control
Many sufferers feel they will lose control when they panic. They fear their body will do things of it’s own volition and their mind will not have any control over it. They picture themselves getting up and running around the room saying crazy stuff while people stare at them. Having thoughts like that lead to feelings of panic! Rest assured there is no loss of control. You may exercise the “flight” part of fight or flight and leave the situation, but you will not fall over paralyzed or become wild.

Other mistaken things people think could happen when they have a panic attack is that it could be a result of, or cause, epilepsy or an aneurysm. These have not been proven true and should allow some peace of mind. In fact, dispelling all the above mistaken beliefs should help the sufferer to feel a little better.


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