Aging brings many physical changes to your body. Wrinkles appear, you gain weight without trying very hard, and you’re not quite as strong as you used to be. But perhaps the most disturbing thing about aging is that your mind slows down too. In the past people accepted this as part of getting older, but today we know that mental decline is not inevitable because there are many things you can do to keep your mind young.

It sounds simplistic, but the one thing you can do to keep your brain in shape is to eat right. Just like any other cell, free radicals can damage your brain cells, so you want to eat foods high in antioxidants — fruits and vegetables. These foods render those free radicals harmless. These foods also increase blood flow to the brain and help our bodies make more acetylcholine which is an important neurotransmitter that aids in mental function.

Stress can be a major contributor to mental decline and studies have shown that people who easily get stressed have a higher risk of cognitive impairment. One thing you should do is make sure you have a good method for handling stress because, in this day and age, it can’t always be avoided. Keeping up with your exercise routine will help and meditation can also be a great stress reliever. In fact, meditation can help improve attention span and memory.

Of course, sleep is important for good brain function as well. While you are sleeping, your brain is actually at work storing and sorting the information from the day. Not sleeping enough leaves things disjointed and you will likely be moody and not perform as well the next day.

One reason why older people suffer from mental decline is that they simply are not as engaged in life as they were at a younger age. With little to do the brain does little – it needs exercise to keep healthy just like the rest of you. It’s important to stay active in your older years – get involved in the community or volunteer to do something you really enjoy. This will keep those little gray cells active.

Finally, you want to keep up with your physical exercise regimen. Not only does exercise increase blood flow to the brain, but it keeps your whole body healthy and gets you out of the house and into the world. If you like to walk, then take some time to smell the roses, engaging all your sense will give your brain a workout as well as your body.

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Who wants to look their age? Although everyone wants clear youthful skin no matter what their age, the fact is that time does a job on your skin. If you want to protect your skin from photoaging and free radicals, start taking steps early on. These anti-aging tips will help you to keep Father Time at bay–

1. To keep your skin healthy you will need to exfoliate. Exfoliation involves micro-abrasive substances being rubbed into your skin. It clears away dead skin, dirt and deep cleans pores. When done as part of a spa treatment, exfoliation can be a simply divine experience which is its own reward. There are many products available currently that allow you to exfoliate at home – saving you both time and money.

2. Use a quality moisturizer. Moisturizing the skin allows it to shine throughout the day and can help to strengthen it for the rigors it will face, such as sun and wind. Everyday our skin is bombarded by harmful chemicals and substances that work to speed up the aging process, moisturizing can slow the onslaught.

3. As discussed above, it is important to moisturize your skin from the outside. But don’t forget to hydrate from the inside out as well. The American Medical Association recommends eight glasses of water every day. This will give your skin the water that cells need to reproduce. When combined with the other tips give you a healthy glow well into your golden years.

4. It is imperative that you use a high SPF sun block. The sun is your skin’s worst enemy and sun block will act like a wall put between the two. Regular usage of sun block can prevent age-spots before they occur, or lessen their impact after they do. Sun block also protects from skin cancer.

5. Get a good night’s sleep, every night. Sleep is the time the body uses to repair itself from the previous day and to prepare for the oncoming one. If healthy skin is important to you, ensure that you are getting your full eight-hours. Getting adequate sleep is the preventative to reduce the effects of aging and as the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

6. The great effects of many commercial skin products are due to the high vitamin content they contain. Complement these ingredients by taking a multivitamin daily. When it comes to your skin, you can’t have too much of a good thing.

Your skin is one of the largest and most important organs in your body. It’s the first thing that people see and great looking skin can help you look and feel wonderful. Take good care of your skin and you will be rewarded with a youthful and healthy glow.

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You know it’s important to keep your body physically fit — use it or lose it as the saying goes. The same applies to your brain. But is there an exercise program to keep you mentally fit? Sure there is.

There are a host of mentally stimulating brain games to keep your mind limber. These are not marketing ploys. A study by the National Institute on Aging indicates mental exercises help the aging brain to focus, increase attention span, memory, and language skills.

How do you keep your mind young? The aging process brings a lot of changes to your body. You start to get wrinkles, more likely than not gain weight, and your muscles lose their strength. Yet, perhaps the most disturbing thing about aging is that your mind starts to slow down too. While people used to just take this as a consequence of getting older, today we don’t have to accept mental decline as inevitable because there are many things you can do to keep your mind young.

Of course the major building block to a healthy brain is diet. In order to keep your brain in top shape a diet rich in antioxidants is necessary to to fight off the damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants will also help increase blood flow to the brain and help the body make more acetylcholine which is an important neurotransmitter that aids in mental function.

Aside from diet, we also need to exercise our brains to keep them quick and and flexible. Neuroplasticity or brain plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences. In other words, as we learn and acquire skills, the brain changes in response to those experiences.

You can improve the plasticity of your brain by doing enjoyable mental activities — playhing games in other words. Mental games that require memory, quick reaction time, problem solving, and spatial reasoning will help improve your memory and your attention span.

It has been shown that stress can be a major contributor to mental decline and one of the best ways to reduce stress is physical exercise. Surprisingly, physical exercise is also good for the brain. A study done in 2002 by Carl Cotman and Nicole Bertchtold showed physical exercise triggers production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is connected to the brain’s ability to grow and adapt.

If you feel your self beginning to slow down mentally, don’t accept it as par for the course. What was normal and acceptable a generation ago is, in many cases, completely avoidable today. A brain healthy lifestyle includes social engagement, physical exercise, a good diet, and most importantly lots of mentally stimulating games.

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There are so many forms of arthritis, but arguably one of the most debilitating is rheumatoid arthritis. Fortunately, you can do some things to reduce the pain and fatigue — most importantly developing a proper diet plan. Did you know that fatty foods as well as sugars can exacerbate your symptoms?

Although there is no specific “arthritis diet,” customizing your diet by eliminating sugar and excess starch from your diet. Did you know that if you’re deficient in minerals, your body will look for what it needs by stealing calcium from the bones and teeth. Since calcium is the primary mineral used to neutralize high acid in the cells, we could be left with “toxic” minerals, because there’s not enough calcium to fight them off. This can also lead to osteoporosis, arthritis, kidney stones, and even hardening of the arteries.

Here are some types of foods to avoid and some to include in a diet that may ease pain, stiffness and tiredness:

Avoid fatty foods – Saturated fats found in some foods such as butter, bacon and various dairy products might increase inflammation. Chemicals called prostaglandins are found in these foods and have been identified as culprits in arthritic joint destruction. Meats contain arachidonic acid, which can convert to prostaglandins after it’s ingested.

A vegetarian diet can help – Some people find that eliminating meat and adopting a completely vegetarian diet helps relieve the pain and stiffness caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Others find no advantage to eating a meat-free diet.

Eliminate alcohol – It’s best to entirely eliminate alcohol from your diet if you’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. On the other hand, research shows that alcohol may protect against developing the disease. If you’re taking arthritis medication, be sure to talk to your health care provider about harmful side-effects.

Take vitamins – Certain vitamins and minerals should be included in any diet to prevent symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis – especially if you take certain prescriptions such as methotrexate. A diet high in folic acid (a B vitamin) can help to alleviate side-effects of methotrexate and also helps manufacture important red blood cells. Selenium, found in tuna, is also a good way to prevent damage to tissue. Vitamin D can prevent bone loss.

Foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids – Foods such as nuts, some fish, flax seed and soybean products are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that can effectively reduce inflammation. As an added benefit, these fatty acids also help prevent heart disease, which is more likely in those who have rheumatoid arthritis.

Consider a Mediterranean diet – Research has shown that cases of rheumatoid arthritis are rare in Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Greece – or less severe if diagnosed. A Mediterranean diet consists of fruits, vegetables and foods rich in vitamin C. Olive oil and legumes also figure in to this healthy and disease-fighting diet.

There’s no need for a trial and error approach. Many people have quit the sugar habit and improved their health by changing their diet. If you know an improved diet could improve your health, the plan is meant for you.

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