For a longer, healthier life, it’s important to stay moving, exercise daily, eat healthily and without excess, as well as do medical examinations and take medications indicated by your doctor.
On the other hand, having attitudes such as smoking, eating too many industrialized products, exposing yourself to the sun without protection, and even living with a lot of worry and stress, can make this aging faster and of lower quality.
- Thus.
- Although genetics is important and the life expectancy of Brazilians is about 75 years.
- It is possible to live longer and in a healthy way.
- But to do this you have to try to mitigate the effect of natural wear and tear of the body.
- Which increases in certain everyday situations.
Aging is a natural process, but some tips can be followed to avoid this process and reduce the body’s contact with disease-causing substances, thus achieving a quality and healthy life.
Follow-up with medical appointments and lab or imaging tests, usually performed from age 30, may indicate conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, breast lumps, and prostate enlargement, for example, and should be performed annually or within the time period determined by your doctor.
These checks are important for detecting signs of disease as soon as possible and for treating them before damage to the body occurs.
It is preferred to eat healthy fruits and vegetables, in addition to avoiding industrialized foods, as it contains chemical additives, such as trans fats, preservatives, monosodium glutamate, as well as artificial flavors, dyes and sweeteners that, when consumed, spread into the bloodstream and cause a series of events that cause the body to age.Check out tips for healthy shopping and avoiding unhealthy foods.
It is also recommended to promote organic foods, as those commonly sold in markets can be rich in pesticides, containing insecticides, synthetic fertilizers and hormones, which can be over toxic and accelerate aging.
In addition, it is important to manage the amount of food, as eating little is a way to avoid the production of free substances and radicals that cause wear and aging.
Exercising at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes, but ideally 5 times a week, improves hormonal regulation, blood circulation and the elimination of toxins from the body, allowing the organs to function better and remain healthy for longer.
In addition, exercise and a balanced diet help maintain muscle tone, which reduces fragility and decreases with aging, as it increases the amount of calcium in bones and muscles, as well as hindering the development of diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure.and those related to immunity.
However, when exercise is excessive and does not respect the body’s physiological limits, such as running marathons and very stressful sports, the body produces more free radicals due to excessive exertion, which accelerates aging.
So, it is ideal to perform a physical activity that is pleasant and stretches the body, but does not reach the point of being exhausted or excessively worn, it is also important to take 1 or 2 days of rest to help your muscles recover.Learn more about the benefits of physical activity in older adults.
There are about 5,000 substances in the composition of cigarettes, of which more than 50 have been carcinogenic, because they cause toxic effects on the body and cause faster aging, therefore, to live longer and better, it is important to get rid of this addiction.
In addition to not smoking, avoid cigarette smoke environments, as they also cause these harmful effects on the body, so-called passive smoking.
When smokers give up this habit, the harmful effects of smoking gradually decrease in the body from day one, until, in 15 to 20 years, the risks disappear completely, so quitting smoking is a big step against aging and cancer formation.
Drinking water or liquids such as natural juices, teas and coconut water helps increase blood leakage through the kidneys, accelerating the elimination of bad substances in the body, caused by the digestion of food or medications, for example.
In addition, water keeps the body’s cells hydrated, which improves their functioning.Learn the ideal amount of water to drink each day.
The sun’s rays contain ultraviolet rays that, in excess, cause damage to the skin and aging, in addition to increasing the risk of cancer and reducing immunity, so it is very important to use sunscreen and, on sunny days, recommends wearing hats and sunglasses, as well as avoiding going to the beach and being in the sun between 10 am and 4 p.m. Learn more about the damage of excessive sunlight and how to protect yourself.
Excessive stress and anxiety increase body production of bad hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, that accelerate aging and increase the chances of developing diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.Cardiopathy.
To avoid this effect, it is important to maintain habits that increase well-being, maintain positivity and good mood, as well as perform activities that help the mind function properly, such as yoga, tai chi, meditation, reiki and massages, that delay aging, as they help the brain to act better, in addition to regulating the production of hormones, decreasing cortisol and adrenaline , and increase Serotonin, Oxytocin and Melatonin, for example.
Find out how anxiety treatment is done
When acting on the body, drugs cause a number of side effects that influence the functioning of the body, and when used unnecessarily or excessively, bad consequences can overcome the good effects of active substances.
On the other hand, illicit drugs, in addition to not having any advantage, only bring harmful and secondary effects on the body, which facilitates wear and tear and the formation of diseases.
Learn more about the risks of taking medications without medical advice.
Tests such as X-rays and CT scans contain a lot of radiation, so you shouldn’t always go to the emergency room to request an X-ray or to perform this type of exam frequently and unnecessarily.
In doing so, the body comes into contact with a large amount of radiation that damages the body’s molecules and cells and accelerates aging, as well as increasing the risk of cancer.
Antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, lycopene, beta-carotene, zinc, selenium, magnesium, calcium and omega 3 slow aging because they act by decreasing the action of free radicals in the body, which are toxic substances that we produce as a result of body reactions, mainly due to diet. , the use of medicines, the consumption of alcoholic beverages and contact with pollution.
Antioxidants are found in vegetables and cereals such as cabbage, carrot, tomato, broccoli, papaya and strawberries, for example, and should preferably be consumed in this way; However, they can also be found in the form of supplements purchased from pharmacies, and their use should always be guided by a doctor or nutritionist.See the list of antioxidant foods.
Watch the video below, in which nutritionist Tatiana Zanin and Dr. Drauzio Varella talk relaxed about topics like obesity, alcohol and cigarette consumption, and what to do for a healthy lifestyle: