6 Ways to be Forever Young.

Is the belt strap a little tighter this year? Do you see dark circles beginning to take permanent residence under your eyes? Are there a few more greys on the noggin? Did you hear your knees crack when you strained to bend over to pick up the groceries?

Your body is telling you something.

And for many it's SCREAMING for their attention. There are 2 specifics we need to address when we are looking to slow down the aging process. Aging can take its toll when you allow your mind to tell you that your "getting old", and when you don't take care of your physical self by neglecting its needs. So both your mental/emotional state and your physical state are involved here. Just as it is for everything in general.

Get off the couch.

Get off your vino, beer, fried food, creamy this and that, and late night binges on crap. Stop watching endless hours of TV or movies, to zone out and not deal.

Stop abusing your temple.

And PLEASE start glorifying it with awesome vibrant food that nourishes not only every cell in your body, but your higher Self, because you are gracious for it and so thankful you can nourish your body to do what it needs to do day in and day out. And your whole BEING does quite a lot every single day. Why would you compromise that?

5 Ways to slow down the aging Process:

We are told that the obvious signs of aging are inevitable. Your skin will sag, your belly will get mushy, your hair will grey and you just can't feel like you did when you were 20.

BS!

My 80 year old retired doctor still runs every single day, and will complete another half marathon this year.

EXCUSES will get you simply where you already are.

1) LOSE WEIGHT: Belly or midsection fat increases your risk for the number one killer- heart disease. As little as 10 pounds over your ideal weight, also ups your chances for diabetes, cancer, lung disease, and arthritis.

If your BMI (body mass index) is over the healthy range, and your waist to hip circumference is too high, DECIDE today to change that. Check out this link to measure your BMI now: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/waist-to-hip-ratio-calculator/

Genetics are not at fault. So stop blaming your mom or dad. Get moving to get oxygen in your body, clean up that atrocious diet, and make time for relaxation and meditation. That is the only formula. Diets are for dummies, and you are smarter than that.

2) SUNSCREEN- natural that is. Avoid commercial chemical based sunscreens as they may actually cause disease. Instead go for a brand that makes a natural based product. This link lists the safe and natural ones to buy: http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2011sunscreen/

Actually all you need is 15 minutes a day to get enough Vitamin D to meet your needs. Just make sure you do that between 7-10am. Anytime after that, cover, cover and cover yourself. Frying under the sun will just make you look like a baked potato sooner than you think. My 85 year old grandmother had hardly a line on her face. Sure there is a genetic component, but she always said she avoided the sun even as a young girl under the Sicilian sole mio.

3) Antioxidant rich foods: Pile up on organic blueberries, black berries, and strawberries. Also superfoods like maca, raw cacao, spirulina, marine phytoplakton, Goji berries, moringo fruit, sea buckthorn berries (supplement form) are some of the many that will address aging skin, arteries, and the whole body.

The phytochemicals and anti oxidant properties slow down and clear out free radical damage which is the inevitable by-product of oxidation in your body. The body needs more, because if it is in less optimal condition it will take longer to regenerate, assimilate and eliminate.

4) Meditation and stress management: You must incorporate some type of stress management program in your daily life. Meditation in the form of prayer, mindful sitting practice, visually guided practice and chanting are some of the many you can choose from. You need to get still, quiet and turn the outer world off. Meditation is proven to enhance brain function, balance blood pressure, improve sleep and relieve emotional and psychological upset. Just look at those Buddhist monks and you'll see such a clarity to their whole being.

5) Sleep: You need to get at least 7 hours of uninterrupted snooze time. Our brains depend on sound sleep in order to restore, regenerate and function at peak levels. The body actually only needs maybe 3 or 4 hours. So make it a habit to get to bed before 11 and shut off the TV, MP3, and DVD action at least half hour before bedtime.

6) EXERCISE: This can't be stressed enough and its pretty self explanatory by now. You gotta move it or you lose it. Energy creates energy. So if you keep saying "I'm so tired, I can't exercise, I just don't feel like it". Than sooner than you think, you won't be able to move from that couch to even the kitchen.

Exercise engages both the cardio vascular system and muscular skeletal system. Keep those moving and you keep your whole self moving. Exercise will also help you lose or maintain weight and you will truly FEEL younger. You'll be able to do things, and function at higher states. You'll also keep that bod sexy and improve the libido, and who can say no to that?

Your body is your temple!

We treat our cars better than we treat ourselves. We treat out pets with Burberry raincoats, and then we fail to support our own essential needs. We treat the new leather couch as if it were gold and then fail to recognize that every heart beat brings life to each and every one of our cells.

When will the excuses stop? If they don't, they will eventually stop you without warning. I'm not out to scare you. You ultimately have the choice. It all comes down to whether you will love yourself enough to change and treat yourself right.

To your longevity and youthfulness. Be forever young, bold, and HAPPY!

Namaste

Piera

Get Healthy Happy Hips and CURE Your Back Pain!

We hold a lot of tension in our hips. We sit at work, we sit in cars, we sit on couches and this all adds up to tight hip flexors and hamstrings. We have become a very sedentary society, and the effects are discouraging and critically affecting our health in more ways than we realize.

Sitting for hours on end encourages muscle tension, lack of mobility of the spinal muscles and fluids, and an endless list of health risks. The spine is the most precious skeletal structure in your body. The health of your spine determines so much of your overall level of health. It is the primary structure that keeps your whole body connected. It is not only composed of bones, but connects numerous nerves, blood vessels and holds spinal fluid which is one of the most precious fluids in your body.

The longer you stay seated, hunched, lying on your sofa the more you encourage the decompression of the disks in your spine. This over time causes degeneration of the whole skeleton, compressed nerves, and osteoporosis.

Yoga Keeps You Young!

Keep your spine healthy with Yoga and exercise and you will also slow down the aging process. People who don't exercise or keep good posture will age much more quickly. Exercise brings more oxygen to your whole system, and improves bodily processes such as growth, regeneration, assimilation, and elimination.

The hip bone, the lumbar veterbrae and sacrum make up the pelvic area of your body. Tight muscles surrounding the hip joint creates tension and pulls primarily the lower back out of alignment. This translates to possible back problems such as sciatica, lower back pain, and degenerative disk disease. Low back pain is the second major contributor to sick days taken by the workforce. That is a huge problem for both business and personal productivity.

Healthy Hips for a Healthier Back!

The following 4 exercises will encourage back health, open hips, and prevent acute and chronic back pain conditions.

Pigeon Pose: focuses on piriformis, glutes, it band

One of the best and most intense hip openers around, the pigeon pose will encourage the IT Band to lengthen, and bring more circulation to the entire hip area. Try to keep the front shin parallel to the front edge of your mat, keep the spine straight and aim to maintain both hips square and levelled facing forwards.

Knee to Ankle pose (Agnistambhasana): focuses on piriformis, IT band, lower back

This is a seated pose where you bring your ankle to rest on the opposite knee. The key here is not to force the knee down. Knees should never feel pain, or go beyond a moderate sensation. If you already feel it in your knee, do not fold over. Simply breath into those tight areas, and with time you will develop more flexibility.

Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose): focuses on outer hip, erector spinae, lower back

The key here is to twist from the lower spine, pulling the belly in towards the navel, and not compromising the alignment of the spine in the twist. It is far better to twist a little less, and have a straight spine. You will notice a beautiful quality to the breath when you don't go beyond where you are currently at.

Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) : focuses on inner outer thighs, lower back, erector spinae

This is one of my favourite seated poses because it targets the outer and inner hips, and groins. If you cannot maintain a straight back with ease and stability then do not proceed to fold over. Just stay upright and you may find placing your hands behind your hips a great help to keep you straight in this pose. Eventually your hips and groins will lengthen and open enough for you to maintain the pose without using your hands.

Incorporate these poses in your daily practice and in only a few weeks time you will see an amazing improvement in your mobility and the overall flexibility of your spine. Say good bye to any back pain and watch how you improve in all the poses of your practice!!!

In health always,

Namaste

Piera