Feeling Young And Living Young Longer

It seems like everyone is obsessed with looking young these days. And hey, who can blame them?

We all want to look young for our age. But the truth is, there’s only one thing better than looking young: feeling young and living young longer.

Consider this: 61% of men describe their current energy level as lower than their energy level 5 years ago, and 65% of men say that they experience brain fog and think their mind is not as sharp as it used to be.

Once thought to be hard-wired after early childhood, the brain actually has a remarkable ability to change and heal itself. Known as neuroplasticity, this remodeling due to our environment, behavior, and feelings happen throughout our lives. Given the flexibility of your brain, how will you rewire it to help you live younger longer?

Dr. Myles Spar, Chief Medical Officer of Vault Health, is an expert when it comes to men’s physical, emotional, and sexual health. He has shared 13 ways you can keep your mind, spirit, and body youthful regardless of your age. Here are his 13 tips to live younger longer:

1.Meditate

When it comes to keeping you young, meditation has been shown to actually change the brain. Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, conducted studies involving brain scans of meditators. She found that people who had been meditating for a long time had increased grey matter in the auditory and sensory cortex, which she attributes to the mindful attention paid to breathing, sounds, and other stimuli during meditation. She also discovered more grey matter in the frontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with memory and decision making. According to Lazar, meditators in their fifties had the same amount of gray matter in one part of the prefrontal cortex as people in their twenties in spite of the fact that the cortex is known to shrink as we age. Why not incorporate this brain-boosting practice into your life?

2.Play

Have you seen ads for brain-training games and wondered if they were legit? According to recent research, the answer is yes. A new study found cog nitive training increased the energy ef ficiency of participants’ brains. In the randomized clinical trial, adults aged 56 to 71 were either given twelve weeks of cognitive training or assigned to one of two control groups. Measuring brain activity, researchers found those in the cognitive training group showed a sig nificant increase in the association be tween reaction time and frontal lobe activity compared to the control groups, meaning their brains didn’t have to work as hard to perform tasks. The study’s au thors hope their findings pave the way for further research that attempts to har ness the potential of the aging brain.

3.Get Busy

According to Dr. Oz, having loving sex a couple of times a week increases testosterone in men and can reduce your “real age” by nearly three years. Even if you’re not romantically involved, spend ing time with friends and family keeps you from isolating yourself as you get older. Volunteering, too, can be a nice way to ward off loneliness while helping your community. The website volunteer match.org can help you figure out where your skills can best be put to use.

4.Stretch it Out

Flexibility decreases as we age, but the National Academy of Sports Medi cine says following a systematic and progressive flexibility program can help keep you limber. Even a few minutes of light stretching every morning can make a difference. The National Institute on

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It seems like everyone is obsessed with looking young these days. And hey, who can blame them? We all want to look young for our age. But the truth is, there’s only one thing better than looking young: feeling young and living young longer.

Consider this: 61% of men describe their current energy level as lower than their energy level 5 years ago, and 65% of men say that they experience brain fog and think their mind is not as sharp as it used to be.

Once thought to be hard-wired after early childhood, the brain actually has a remarkable ability to change and heal itself. Known as neuroplasticity, this remodeling due to our environment, behavior, and feelings happen throughout our lives. Given the flexibility of your brain, how will you rewire it to help you live younger longer?

Dr. Myles Spar, Chief Medical Officer of Vault Health, is an expert when it comes to men’s physical, emotional, and sexual health. He has shared 13 ways you can keep your mind, spirit, and body youthful regardless of your age. Here are his 13 tips to live younger longer:

1.Meditate

When it comes to keeping you young, meditation has been shown to actually change the brain. Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, conducted studies involving brain scans of meditators. She found that people who had been meditating for a long time had increased grey matter in the auditory and sensory cortex, which she attributes to the mindful attention paid to breathing, sounds, and other stimuli during meditation. She also discovered more grey matter in the frontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with memory and decision making. According to Lazar, meditators in their fifties had the same amount of gray matter in one part of the prefrontal cortex as people in their twenties in spite of the fact that the cortex is known to shrink as we age. Why not incorporate this brain-boosting practice into your life?

2.Play

Have you seen ads for brain-training games and wondered if they were legit? According to recent research, the answer is yes. A new study found cognitive training increased the energy efficiency of participants’ brains. In the randomized clinical trial, adults aged 56 to 71 were either given twelve weeks of cognitive training or assigned to one of two control groups. Measuring brain activity, researchers found those in the cognitive training group showed a significant increase in the association between reaction time and frontal lobe activity compared to the control groups, meaning their brains didn’t have to work as hard to perform tasks. The study’s authors hope their findings pave the way for further research that attempts to harness the potential of the aging brain.

3.Get Busy

According to Dr. Oz, having loving sex a couple of times a week increases testosterone in men and can reduce your “real age” by nearly three years. Even if you’re not romantically involved, spending time with friends and family keeps you from isolating yourself as you get older. Volunteering, too, can be a nice way to ward off loneliness while helping your community. The website volunteermatch.org can help you figure out where your skills can best be put to use.

4.Stretch it Out

Flexibility decreases as we age, but the National Academy of Sports Medicine says following a systematic and progressive flexibility program can help keep you limber. Even a few minutes of light stretching every morning can make a difference. The National Institute on Aging provides some good information and exercises here.

5.Socialize

It’s probably a given that loneliness takes a toll on your mental health, but did you know it can actually affect your genes—and maybe even shorten your life? Research suggests being lonely can have a negative impact on telomeres, the segments of DNA at the end of our chromosomes that shorten each time a cell divides and may indicate how long we’ll live.

Longer telomeres are associated with slower aging, fewer age-related diseases, and generally greater life spans. In a study of African grey parrots in captivity, those who were housed alone had shorter telomeres compared to those who lived with a companion bird. This finding supports a growing body of evidence showing that social isolation and other stressors can be detrimental to our telomeres. Loneliness can also increase your risk of depression, cognitive decline, heart disease, and other serious conditions in ways similar to obesity and smoking. Schedule a dinner with a buddy you haven’t seen in a while or take your spouse out for a night on the town. You could also consider volunteering in your community, which gives you a chance to help others while you interact with them.

6.Exercise

Not only does exercise benefit your body and mind, research shows it could also keep your muscles young by stopping or even reversing the decline in their cellular health that comes with aging.

7.Eat Clean

A balanced diet high in whole foods provides your body with the nutrients it needs to stay in top form. Avoid refined sugar, which causes inflammation linked to diseases like diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Unsure what to eat? Check out livestrong.com’s list of anti-aging foods here.

6 Ways to Show Someone

Who is Downsizing That You Love Them

Focus on what to keep. Many times when we are helping clients downsize and move, they get stuck in thinking about what to do with the things they are not keeping. Often this prevents any progress. Instead, thinking about which items are still loved and used can be a more joyful experience. Taking these items into the next chapter makes for a great new start.

Group like items together. It’s hard to take stock of what you have when it’s spread throughout the house. If you have clothes in multiple closets, or coffee mugs in different cupboards for example bring them all together and decide how many you really still like, want, or need.

Listen to the stories. Sometimes telling the story about a belonging is just what is needed to be able to let it go. It can also be a really fun way to connect with a friend or relative and learn things about them that you didn’t know.

Help preserve the memory. One fun way to do this is after you’ve heard a story of some meaningful items, take a picture and put the story on the back or turn it into a book of photos with the stories. This way your loved one can remember the memories and let go of the objects.

Accept items graciously. If a loved one offers you something, keep in mind this may be the step they need to be able to let it go. It does not mean a life sentence of having to keep the item. You can choose to keep it, donate it, or refurbish it as needed. Another option is to help explore meaningful places that are important to your loved one to donate items to.

Bring in help if needed. Know your own strengths and dynamics. If this is not a good role for you, delegate or hire a Specialty Move Manager. Smart Moves can help if you are in Southeast Wisconsin or go to www.NASMM.org to find a Move Manager near you. For more information on downsizing contact Smart moves at 414-5265242 or visit www.smartmovesforseniors.com.

5 Downsizing Tips to Start the Summer Unencumbered by Stuff

Set a Timer - if organizing and downsizing is not your favorite thing, overdoing it will not inspire you to keep going. 15 minutes is a good amount of time to focus on downsizing each day.

Take a step back - choose a room to start in and stand in the doorway. Which area will feel best to tackle. Start there so you can feel a sense of accomplishment when that area is sorted and organized. Take a before and after picture for further motivation.

Start with the easy stuff - if it is hard for you to make decisions about a certain category, start with something easier. A medicine cabinet or the silverware drawer are typically easier places to start. .

Ask yourself three questions: “Do I like it?” If the answer is no why keep it? “Do I use it?” If you’re not sure when the last time you used something, write the date on it and after 3 months if you haven’t used it reassess if it is really something you need. Lastly, “Do I have room for it?” If there isn’t room for it or it is going to end up stored away out of sight it time to explore other options.