Aging... Normal or Disease?

Are you old? Now, you might think this is a rude question. The interesting thing is that anyone from their third decade of life to their hundredth decade of life will respond differently. A 25 year-old mother of two may think she is old while an 85 year-old grandfather of 6 may still believe himself to be young. So I ask you again, are you old?

Man has devised a means by which to keep track of time. Chronologically we can compare ourselves to each other and determine who's been around the longest, but this does not make you "old". By our own doing, you may be looked upon as aged but only the individual can decide whether or not they are truly "old".
If we were to take two 45 year-old gentlemen and place them side by side, you would think if aging and growing old were "normal" than the two men would look the same age. Most people would realize that one would probably look "younger" than the other would. And ask both of them if they were "old" and again you could get any kind of answer.

Keeping this in mind, I would consider aging more of a disease than a "normal' process. Just like with most other health care conditions, the better you have taken care of yourself the less likely you are to succumb to any maladies. At the same time, if you do the right things you can keep the aging process at a modest rate and never grow "old". Every 8 to 14 months the body is constantly breaking down at the cellular level and rebuilding itself, a form of remodeling and housekeeping. The more you can keep up with the renovations, the more likely you are to always feel "new".

Unfortunately, thanks to the development of time as we know it and thanks to the way we perceive aging, many of us do grow "old". With a little bit of knowledge and a lot of choice, I believe it is possible to feel young and stay new forever. It's time we started combating this disease head-on and improving our qualities of life.
Here's some information to get your curiosity sparked:

• In humans, research has shown that those individuals who keep their weight just below normal for their height have the longest life expectancy.
• Exercise helps to prevent cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, immune suppression, and high cholesterol and is a super stress-buster.
• Dietary antioxidants help to prevent damage to your tissues and are obtained by eating foods or supplements high in vitamins C & E, selenium, beta-carotene, flavinoids, sulphur-containing amino acids and coenzyme Q10.
• Essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid, gamma linolenic acid, and alpha linolinic acid help to decrease the expression of inflammation, make one less prone to glucose intolerance and events leading to atherosclerosis. They are found in fish oils, flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil and pumpkinseed oil.
• A well balanced diet with a high intake of fruits, veggies, cold water fish, and chemical free foods with no preservatives should be a goal. Avoid saturated fats and hydrogenated or trans-fatty acid fats, avoid allergenic foods, and eat onions and garlic regularly. Eight glasses of water per day should be consumed and try incorporating periods of fasting or elimination dieting to detoxify the body systems.

It does involve a little bit of effort and a lot of choice but it isn't difficult if you don't let it get that way. As with any other health care problems, avoiding them in the first place is ideal. Aging is no different. There are no short cuts and there are no magical ways of doing it, but by following a natural path and believing in the knowledge that exists regarding the issue you may stay younger longer than you could have ever imagined. To top it all off, the most amazing thing is sharing this with someone before they think they're getting old. Our children should be exposed to the truth…that they never need to get "old" if they don't want to. Share these ideas with them, get them on the right track, and help them choose the right viewpoint…society will benefit as we all "age" together.