Searching for information on anti-aging online reveals some interesting things: conflicting information, ads for skin creams, an alphabet soup of supplements that might or might not do anything useful, research on the next “magic pill”, and the occasional voice in the wilderness encouraging healthy behaviors (stop smoking, eat a good diet, exercise). Read the rest of this entry »

U.S. News and World Report tells us:

Chronic inflammation, long known as the scourge that turns arteries into plaque magnets, may also predict whether breast cancer is likely to recur.

Inflammation turns out to be the culprit in many diseases and many of the aches and pains we feel as we age. It is of course what causes pain in arthritis. The idea that inflammation is associated with cancer is not new — the study referenced above is news because it means a possibility of predicting recurring cancers.  Inflammation is “regarded as a likely cause of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and some cancers.” More research links inflammation to heart disease on a regular basis. Read the rest of this entry »

What if you read that there was one thing you could do everyday, in the privacy of your own home, that wouldn’t cost a lot of money and would only take a few seconds to do, but that would keep you looking younger? And better yet, what if that same thing could prevent one of the most common cancers? And what if it could prevent one certain painful skin condition too?

I am of course talking about sunscreen. Sunscreen is designed to prevent the sun from injuring our skin. It is clinically proven to prevent sunburn, skin cancer, and reduce wrinkles when used regularly. Read the rest of this entry »

Many anti-aging recommendations are based on known effects of vitamins as it effects processes like oxidation and inhibits the actions of free radicals. The thinking goes that if the negative chemistry is prevented cells with stay healthy longer and hence, “younger.” The March 11, 2009, edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the first real biochemical study of the effects of multivitamin use.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m 45, going on 46. I don’t believe in age. I don’t believe in aging. Whatever. I’ve got your aging right here! — Tony Horton, P90X

Why on earth do we talk so much about exercise here at Age Against the Machine? Well, it’s simple. Exercise is the single most positive thing you can do to keep your body working right.

Americans want simple fixes. We want a magic pill to fix our pain, high blood pressure, or diabetes. We want a magic pill to make us skinny and attractive. We want a magic pill to help us eat more food without busting out of our pants. We want a magic pill to improve our moods and help us sleep better. We want a magic pill to give us more energy and help us in bed. Call Merlin, that’s a lot of magic pills!

In fact, exercise will do a lot of those things. Everyone knows that it builds attractive muscles. Everyone knows exercise will help you lose weight. Losing weight will in turn help most chronic conditions including joint pain, high blood pressure, diabetes and pre-diabetic conditions. Research suggests that losing weight can even help you remain mentally sharp well into your senior years!  Even if exercise didn’t help us lose weight by burning excess calories, the muscle we build by working out increases the metabolism — our bodies burn more calories even when we aren’t working out.

Exercise itself will also improve your mood, even if you have depression or anxiety (with certain genetic limitations). Perhaps this is because exercise helps curb chronic pain — over and above the effects of weight loss alone (mentioned above). That’s a benefit regular exercisers will experience for years to come. The improved mood we get from exercising might also partly be the fact that it is associated with better sleep. Oh, and it also might be that we have more energy for daily activities, including sex. That’s a lot of reasons to be happier!

Anti-aging isn’t only about living longer. It’s about quality of life: feeling better; being physically and mentally able to do things we enjoy as we age; living without chronic pain. Exercise is the magic pill that cures many ills, and it’s the foundation of anti-aging.