Lemon Juice Can Help Reduce the Effects of Aging

New research out of Mount Sinai School of Medicine NYC says, cooking with lemon juice may reduce the effects of aging. For instance, by adding lemon juice to meats before cooking helps reduce a harmful compound called “advanced glycation end product" that increases aging in the body. Cooking meats by grilling, broiling, baking and searing can increase AGE’s. The theory with research is that lemon juice helps to decrease the formation of these compounds. Meats should marinate in the lemon juice for an hour, depending on the size and type of meat.

It’s also good to serve a liberal amount of veggies and a serving or more of fruits at meal times (depending on how many servings you had thus far in the day). Fruits and veggies contain a high amount of antioxidants and phytochemicals that can help make aging all the more graceful;).

Are you taking balance for granted?

How important is balance to you? Is it a part of your exercise regimen or is it something you never really think about and kinda take it for granted? Balance is very important; in fact it’s a skill that could save your life. Balance training should be taken seriously and be a part of your exercise routine. As we age, it becomes a skill that is more and more challenging. A recent article I read said, declining balance skills is said to be a “major factor in the 450,000 hospitalizations” that occur in the US annually. That means a lot of these hospitalizations could have been prevented, by doing exercises to help improve balance.

Here are a few things to keep in mind in terms of balance. Core, resistance and agility training with some stretching, is a great start to help improve balance. Having strong core muscles will help keep your body more stable and capable of doing activities that may be a little more challenging. In addition, having good leg strength and ankle flexibility will allow you to have a better range of motion, thus reduce your chance of falling.

To improve the flexibility in your hamstrings (back of the legs) you can simply sit on the floor and touch your legs (ankles) or toes and hold that position for a count of 15 to 30 and release. Abdominal crunches are a great simple beginner exercise to help strengthen your core. Tightrope walking is a balance exercise that will help improve balance and mental focus. It can be done by walking heal to toe with your arms extended shoulder length at your sides so your hands are parallel to the floor. This exercise can be made more advanced by lifting your leg out in front of you, keeping it straight and counting to 10 then releasing and extending it backwards while holding your balance for a count of 10, then switching legs. Doing exercises such as squats or even jump roping will help increase leg strength. An exercise that can be done to improve agility is “side to sides.” Sides to sides are done by jumping to your right and left (at a slow pace) then gradually picking up speed. This exercise will help strengthen your ankles as well has your calf muscles.

Setting Realistic Goals & Resolutions

Here we are entering another new year and if you are like many Americans who made a New Years resolution, you are probably on your way to a new you or at least that’s the plan. I personally have never been much of a fan of “New Years Resolutions” but I am big on making changes in your life that will equate to a healthier and better you. One thing to keep in mind when making a “resolution” or goal is to keep it realistic. I remember when I was pregnant with my son and I gained quite a bit of weight during the pregnancy. I also had my share of battles with food cravings during that time. For the most part I ate balanced and tried to keep it as healthy as possible but as I approached the end of my pregnancy, I weighted 175lbs. My goal after I had my son was to get back to my normal weight by exercising and eating right. At first that was easier said than done when your nursing and running off a few hours of sleep with a fussy baby. It was hard to stick to a regular exercise schedule in the beginning but I managed to do a little at a time by including my son in my exercise regimen. For instance, when I had a tough time putting him to sleep, I would put him in the Snuggle, which was a baby backpack that could be worn on your back or front side. Then I would go about my daily activities such as light house chores or walk around the block a few times. And on the days that I was fighting the blues, I would dance them away with my son being toted around in the Snuggle. By the time I came to the end of my cha-cha-cha he was fast asleep and I could sneak in a cat nap as well.

Making the best of my situation and taking small steps overtime helped get the extra weight off. And before I knew it, months had gone by and I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight, my son was walking and I was chasing him around and that was exercise in itself.

Goals and resolutions don’t need to be complicated or overly thought, just realistic and small steps are a good start. Keep in mind that we all fail at one time or another but the ones who get up and dust themselves off and start again are the most successful.