Age with Grace

Questions Answered By Dr. Helen Lee
 
Questions pertain to keeping healthy holistically through your 20's, 30's, and 40's
 
1.      Are there certain foods that are ok to eat when young but might be harmful to the body as we age? If so what are they?
Generally speaking, a younger body is one which is able to adapt to stressors quickly-- minimizing the amount of degeneration and damage caused by stress and maximizing the body’s natural ability to build and regenerate. Therefore, a “younger” system could take in foods which create more stress such as sugar, fried foods, fast foods, preservatives etc. with minimal negative effects to the overall system because of it’s ability to quickly digest and process the foods. Whereas the same stressful foods may have a more deteriorating effect on an “older” system due to the lack of digestive enzymes, decreased nutritional stores, and decreased efficiency of organs.
A “younger” body is not so much about chronological age but more indicative of a body that has more vitality, increased alkalinity, and more able to adapt to whatever stress comes in.
Regardless of age, foods that are more alive than dead are going to process easier in the body and thus provide more nutrients. Examples of “alive” foods are fresh foods which are as close to their natural state as possible such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and proteins which are prepared and or cooked to enhance natural flavor and minimally processed. Foods which are persevered, processed, stripped of nutrients, and ladened with chemicals will inherently create more stress, provide minimal nutrients, and cause more harm to the overall body whether you are in 20 or 60.
 
2.      How can a person maintain the same energy level they had in their 20s and 30s into middle age/old age
The key to staying young is to make choices which allow the body to create more than it degenerates. Making a habit of simple yet essential choices will impact your overall health mind, body & spirit throughout your life. It is much easier to maintain and cultivate the energy that you have now, rather than trying to make up for or fixing it later.
6 Essentials to Health
1. Abdominal Breathing: Shallow or chest breathing is stress breathing. Abdominal breathing is an indication to the body that it can relax and enjoy. Deep abdominal breaths allow more oxygen to the lower lungs and direct access to the blood and organs. Choose to do abdominal breathing throughout the day such as in the car, whenever the phone rings, every hour, etc.
2. Eating: Choose to eat one extra serving of fruits and vegetables per day and to minimize stimulants like sugar and caffeine. Make a habit of only eating & relaxing during this time. If you eat and task or worry about all the things that you have to do, the body will be in work mode thus not allowing proper and full digestion.
3. Drinking: Choose to drink more fresh water. Our bodies are made of up to 80% water—it is essential for every metabolic process, for our organs, brain, nervous system and cells.
4. Rest: Sleep allows our bodies to restore, regenerate, and rejuvenate from the day’s demand. Choose to have a regular schedule of sleep between 5-8 hours depending on your individual needs. Choose to make the hours before bed sacred. Many times the hours before bed are when people cram in last minute things like paying bills, frantically running around from one thing to the next, rushing to get tasks done, thinking about and feeling guilty about things that have NOT been done, and watching negative news on TV. Instead, connect with your loved ones, think about your day—especially things that went well, things you are grateful for, turn off the TV, listen to some favorite music or read.
5. Exercise: The lymphatic, muscular, and vascular systems are some parts of our bodies that need motion and movement in order to work effectively. Choose to find exercises which are enjoyable to your body. Exercises which use opposite extremities to work together are optimal in that it maximizes nervous system integration—swimming, walking, jogging, etc. The best exercise for any stage of life is walking. Choose to walk at least 20-45 minutes a couple times a week.
6. Thinking: Thoughts are real things. Positive thoughts create positive reactions in the body and negative thoughts create negative reactions. Guilt, worry, anger, anxiety and fear cause the body to release chemicals such as cortisol, inflammatory hormones, and affect blood sugar metabolism. In effect negative thoughts and feelings create quicker degeneration of the body--AGING. Whereas positive thoughts such as love and gratitude cause the body to relax, regenerate, heal quicker and in essence keeps us younger!
 
3.     Do people's mindsets change as they age? If so, do they become more positive? More negative?
Mindset over the years is a matter of choice. We either learn from our past allowing us to live in thankfulness and gratitude or live as a victim to life and thus waiting for certain situations to come our way before we feel happy, satisfied or joyful. The subconscious mind holds and records all of our memories and experiences. We can never “erase” or change the events. Remember that thoughts are things. The more we store experiences of powerlessness, anger, hate, fear and judgment, the more our body has to respond to these events in a negative, degenerative manner—which ages the body. However we can change our perception by choosing to see how the experience can allow us to learn and grow. Then choose to forgive the persons involved, forgive yourself, be thankful for the lesson and wish the other person well. We are then set free from the negative impact of the experience on the mind, body & energetic systems.
 
4. What is the science behind why people in their 20's and 30's (especially women!) have a faster metabolism than people in their 40's and 50's?
Our body has the ability to create and degenerate all through our lives. Anabolism is the building, creating part of metabolism and catabolism is the breakdown, degenerative process. The difference between a 60 year old who has aged quickly and a 60 year old who is running marathons lies in the balance of the anabolic & catabolic processes and stress. The more we create the more gracefully we age. Metabolism works in a cycle in which each step of the cycle needs certain nutrients in order to progress to the next step. When these vitamins, amino acids, and or enzymes are not readily available the metabolic process slows down or ceases. Any stress--mental/emotional, physical &/or chemical will cause the body to work and if in larger or chronic demand will begin to deplete the overall system of nutrients, slowing metabolism and fatiguing organs. As an example, the adrenal glands release cortisol with increased levels of stress. Cortisol has also been linked to the body’s tendency to hold onto fatty tissue especially around the abdominal region and upper thigh. Adrenal fatigue can become more devastating to a woman after menopause. As the reproductive system begins to wane in activity, other hormonal organ, such as the adrenal glands must take over or increase function. However, if the adrenal glands are already overworked it will not be able to keep up with the additional demand causing further fatigue, increased inflammation, more serve symptoms during menopause and slower metabolism.
 
            5.    What are some ways to keep the mind, body and spirit balanced through the decades?
First, choose to shift your outlook on aging. In the traditional eastern culture, growing older is a privilege which brings experiences, wisdom, growth, and understanding which can be shared with others. It’s a journey of life. Choose to be grateful for the experiences in your life and look forward to all the possibilities of the future.
Focus on making simple choice into habits NOW and build on from there. The 6 Essentials are key choices which you can work with to minimize the stresses of life. Keeping your mind, body & spirit in balance through the decades all comes down to the choices we make from day to day.
           
Create a Wellness Team to educate & inform you, help support and enhance your health over the years. The team can include holistic practitioners such as chiropractor, acupuncturist, nutritionist who focus on increasing your ability to handle stress and enhance balance in mind, body & energy and holistic dentists, yoga/exercise instructors, exercise partner, and friends who share the same interests. Be committed to learning and practicing how to enhance the body’s ability to create health and age gracefully. You get to choose!