Can You Cheat the Aging Process?

Although people may be living longer today than in previous generations, quality of life cannot be emphasized enough. But, can we cheat the aging process? Let's take a look at a few tidbits of important information to consider.

There is a term called -- super agers -- which refers to a person who is an active senior citizen and whose physiology is years beyond what their average age group is currently. As you read the article, notice the stories of such individuals like Patrick Cangley who traverses great distances on his bicycle.

What has been discovered is that the exercise that Patrick has typically done for years has become less challenging and hence he's felt the need to 'step up his game' to further improve his physical condition. In fact, a recent study from a journal called, Aging Cell, indicates that people like Patrick who are lifetime exercise enthusiasts literally cheat the aging process by circumventing physical decline. How awesome is that!

Such impressive physiological results can be noted through a super ager's muscular strength, lung function and fitness levels which also results in far superior immune systems than people even half their age! By the way, further results in cognitive function are also greatly improved as seen in a recent Swedish study which consisted of 200 women from middle age up to their nineties. It was found that those women who were physically more fit had a reduced risk of dementia by up to 90 percent.

Further, for those out there believing that genetics has played them a bad hand, it does not necessarily dictate what their quality of their life will be in the end. There is so much that one can do to live a full life by even starting with making small changes that can add up to better physical and mental health. Through the science of Epigenetics, more credence is given to the affects of the surrounding environment and how it can alter and change us -- not simply through our given DNA. In fact, so much of how well we age can be seen through a cascade of good habits that include better nutrition (like the Mediterranean diet), adequate amounts of sleep, enough exercise and even positive thinking.

By cheating the aging process, one can only benefit from living a more complete and fulfilling life, wouldn't you agree?

A Paradigm Shift in the Diagnosis of Diabetes, Study

As one can well imagine (or not), we are living in a complex and ever increasingly demanding society that appears to be growing exponentially in ways that need our immediate attention. While there are so many advances in technology, healthcare, agriculture and more, there is an equally alarming growth in chronic disease.

Chronic disease includes a host of diseases and conditions -- including type 2 Diabetes -- that are long-term, costly and above-all largely preventable if we properly care for ourselves. As we see the continued growth of Diabetes for instance, we see that there is more and more to learn about how to live with it and better control it once it has been diagnosed.

Now it has been found that there is a paradigm shift in the diagnosis of diabetes as conducted in the the study found by clicking the link above which illustrates the overall complexity and need to better assess the way we live our lives. It has been found in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology medical journal that there are five distinct types of diabetes that can occur as adults. How will this change the way that this disease is managed and controlled? Will this be a way to better personalize the treatment of diabetes according to the individual? Is this where the paradigm shift is happening? Still so many questions that are left to be answered.

As noted in the yet another article, "Diabetes, for example, now affects 415 million adults around the world and often brings potentially life-altering complications such as vision loss and blindness, cardiovascular disease and amputations. Unfortunately, many older adults are being put at greater risk of the complications due to barriers such as long waiting times to see a specialist, a lack of education about the management of chronic conditions, lack of access to adequate screening and treatment, and high costs."

On one hand, we are living longer, but are we living better? What will it take to have enough people take notice and take control of their health and wellbeing? While education is critically important, we also need a society that supports more effective ways of providing healthier options to kids in schools, patients in hospitals, consumers buying food in grocery stores and more. Wouldn't that make a difference?

Surround Yourself With Good Peeps

When you were growing up, do you ever recall hearing your parents say something along the lines of who you spend time with the most is who you become? There are a ton of other sayings along the same line that provide the same message. In fact, here are 30 quotes on Positive Associations to Inspire You to Surround Yourself with the Best.

The same kind of message of associating yourself with the right people has a great influence on our success and career choices as well. Two of the richest and well-respected people currently have the same thoughts on surrounding yourself with the right people and four ways to evaluate how they can add value to your life. While it is important to eat right and exercise, it is just as important to add value and build great relationships that will empower you to be your best. Start with...

(1) People That Inspire You. No doubt life is short and we should and could be doing great things with our lives simply by observing and hanging out with people we admire and respect. This builds on ways we would like to see our lives going and how we can better set goals for ourselves. It's good to have the experience of others influence us to push on and be better.

(2) Push Us Out Of Our Comfort Zone. It's really like anything we care to do for ourselves with regard to being better at work or at home -- push ourselves to be better and yes, even uncomfortable at times. Getting out of our comfort zones can and will be challenging, but imagine how great it will be to accomplish goals that perhaps you thought you couldn't do?

(3) People That Hold You Accountable. It's great to have someone like a friend or colleague hold us accountable to what we said we would do. Even having a small doable goal to start with could add more fuel to doing more challenging goals -- especially when you know that those that are important to you know what those goals are that you want to achieve.

(4) People Who Make You Feel Like You Belong. It is so helpful and beneficial to have business contacts or colleagues that value what you do and make you feel like you belong. By having a good strong network of support, we can become better by each passing day...

In short, spend time with those that make you better.