As we get older it is natural to begin loosing lean muscle tissue. This loss of lean muscle mass is responsible for many of the conditions that we encounter as we age. Particularly noticeable is that our metabolic rate begins to slow down as early as 30 years old. Things we once could eat now make us gain fat.

Protein is the main nutrient that our bodies need to help preserve lean muscle tissue, and most people do not eat enough. Instead they overload on fats and carbohydrates. Of fats, carbohydrates or protein, protein is the one that will not make you fat. Instead protein will work to maintain and even rebuild lost muscle tissue and in turn help to speed up your metabolism.

How much protein should you consume daily? A good rule of thumb is 1 gram per every pound of bodyweight. So a small lady would consume around 100 grams a day, while a large man might consume 250 grams per day. To make it simple, instead of having one chicken breast and a huge heaping serving of rice, have two chicken breasts and a little portion of rice. Orient each meal of the day towards more protein and you will begin to see great improvements in your metabolism and overall health.

Anti-Aging, Diet, Fitness, Protien, Weight Loss Hide

For more than 20 years I believed that when working out in the gym more was better. I still see people in the gym for hours believing that this is what is needed to achieve results.

The problems with this approach seem obvious to me. First of all if you think that each time you exercise it needs to be this long drawn out event than it is inevitable that your workouts will be less frequent. Because how many of us will have that kind of time each day to spend in the gym? So you will find yourself working out less often because of time constraints. You will also find yourself working out less often because you don’t feel up to it. If you think that each time you walk in the gym you need to be there 2 hours and have the best workout ever you will refuse to go when you don’t feel perfect, and how many of us feel perfect everyday? Most people can get motivated for a few weeks and workout 5 days a week 2 hours a day, but this kind of schedule is not maintainable, and you will burn out quickly.

The key is consistency and frequency.  That means that you will exercise 5 days a week religiously, but these workouts will only be 30 to 40 minutes max. What will this accomplish? First, you will be able to find the time because your workouts will be short. Also, when you don’t feel 100% you can still find the energy for only 30 minutes. You will be amazed how much better you feel if you practice this approach. On days I feel no energy and don’t want to exercise I go and get a little blood pumping for 30 minutes and I always feel so much better afterwards.

Just do a little exercise 30 minutes 5 times a week, for the rest of your life. The results will amaze you.

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While working many years in the natural health and supplement industry I have had the opportunity to sample many of the most popular products available today. For most of my adult life I used typical aluminum based deodorants like most other Americans. But a few years ago I decided to try to find a healthier alternative to these products. I tried all the usual natural brands such as Toms of Maine, the Thai Crystal, and Jason’s and never was impressed with these products. I would find myself periodically having to revert back to aluminum based products because I could sometimes smell myself.

A year or so ago I was encouraged by an associate at work to try a deodorant product by a great company called Desert Essence. The product is called Dry by Nature and it is by far the best natural aluminum free deodorant I have ever tried. Since discovering this product I have recommended it to literally hundreds of people and have always had nothing but the most positive feedback.

Let me make it clear that no aluminum free product is ever going to be quite as strong as an aluminum based deodorant, but if you are trying to get off the aluminum I would highly encourage you to try Dry by Nature by Desert Essence.

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The problem with deodorants and antiperspirants is not only the aluminum, but how it works to reduce sweat and smelly odors. Aluminum reduces sweat and odor by clogging the pores and glands and locking sweat and odor into the body. This clogging process is also responsible for blocking toxins from being naturally released from our bodies..

Aluminum compounds or aluminum salts, such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3), are key ingredients in almost every antiperspirant. They are powerful astringents that close pores, stopping sweat and odor from escaping the body.

Antiperspirants may leave the outside of the body smelling fresh and clean – but inside, the toxins that would have escaped the body in the sweat have nowhere to go. For this reason, antiperspirants have been linked to problems with the sweat glands and lymph glands in and around the underarms.

Despite arguments that aluminum exposure is unavoidable in air, food, and water sources, many doctors and holistic experts advise avoiding products known to contain additional aluminum – especially deodorants or antiperspirants that are applied to some of our bodies most vital glands which are in the pits of our arms.

There are some good natural aluminum free deodorants on the market that will not clog your pores and glands in this way. The natural products are effective, but they will never be quite as strong as the aluminum based products. I suggest that some people may need to apply a second application later in the day. But, applying a second application is far better than the risk associated with aluminum based deodorants

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If you are a man and you are waking frequently at night to urinate, or you feel like you have to urinate more often than you once did, or you fell like you cannot quite able to empty your bladder when you urinate then you are experiencing prostate enlargement.

In 90% of the cases prostate enlargement is benign and not cancerous. Saw palmetto berries are4 amazing effective for treating this annoying problem. Saw Palmetto is cheap and without side effects. Don’t let your doctor immediately try to get you on some prescription medication with potential side effects. Try Saw Palmetto for a month first.

I recommend a standardized extract. They usually come in little soft gel capsules. Natures Way makes a very effective and popular Saw Palmetto extract. If you are experiencing severe symptoms I would double up on you dosage for a few weeks until your symptoms diminish and then go down to a one a day maintenance dosage.

Anti-Aging, Nutritional Supplements, Prostate, Saw Palmetto Hide

Fish oil and Cod Liver oil are both great sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3’s are essential fatty acids required by the body in order to fight against many diseases. Usually these fatty acids are not present in most people’s diet because of the under consumption of fish and over consumption of vegetable oils.

The main difference between fish oil and cod liver oil is that cod liver oil is high in vitamin D. The cod liver oil has the advantage of providing vitamin D, which is necessary for most of us in the United States in the cold months of winter, when we don’t get very much sun exposure on our skin in order to make vitamin D.

Many people get confused about the difference between fish oil liquid and cod liver oil. You can consider cod liver oil as fish oil+. The 2 are the same except that cod liver oil contains natural vitamin D and A.

For people who already take a multiple vitamin that supplies Vitamin A and take supplemental Vitamin D I recommend a fish oil. And for those people that don’t take any additional supplements I generally recommend cod liver oil.

Either one of these sources of omega 3 fatty acids is one of the best things you can do for your health. The list of benefits is ever growing and truly amazing.

ADD, Anti-Aging, Fish Oil, Nutritional Supplements, Omega 3 Hide

There are many people who cannot us pharmaceutical anti inflammatory drugs because of gastrointestinal problem associated with them or because of elevated liver enzymes that anti inflammatory drugs can cause. These drugs include aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, naproxen sodium.  Over the years I have found turmeric, also known as curcumin to be a very effective alternative to these pharmaceuticals.

Inflammation is one of the biggest factors in pain and illness today. The more we can control inflammation in our bodies the better of we will be. We will live longer and feel better. There is much current research pointing to the belief that generalized inflammation is one of the main reasons for general physical aging and ageing related conditions.

Turmeric needs to be used at least twice each day and sometimes 3 times each day to keep inflammation under control. It is not an immediate fix like an aspirin or ibuprofen, but if you use it regularly for a week or so you will begin feeling a lot less discomfort and pain. It is particularly effective for joint and arthritic type conditions.

Anti-Aging, Inflamation, Nutritional Supplements, Turmeric Hide

People ask me often what supplements I personally use, keep in mind I am a 45 year old male and the program would need to be adjusted for each individuals own personal needs. I have broken this list into 2 segments, one is supplements I think everyone should or could be taking, this I have labeled the “Base Program”, I think this program is a great start for anyone who is serious about their health. The other, which I have labeled “Health Specific”, is the supplements specific to my own personal health needs. The last entry is a once a week Testosterone Enathate injection that is used for hormone replacement. Look under “Hormone Replacement Therapy” in this blog to see more information on this important subject.

Base Program

Good Multi-Vitamin                                       2 a day formula

Vitamin C                                                       2000mgs

Vitamin E                                                        400IU

Vitamin D                                                       2000IU

Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinol)                            100mgs

Omega 3(Fish Oil)                                          1 teaspoon

Resveratrol                                                      125mgs (super antioxidant)

Health Specific

Saw Palmetto                                                  160mg extract (for prostate health)

Glucosamine/Chrondroitin                              1500mgs/1200mgs (for joint health)

Niacin                                                              2000mgs (cholesterol reduction)

DHEA                                                             25mgs (hormone replacement)

Pregnenolone                                                  25mgs (hormone replacement)

Testosterone Enathate                                     200mgs weekly (hormone replacement)

Well, there it is. The goal is not to live forever, but just to feel good for as long as possible. And to this point it is definitely working. I will keep you posted.

Anti-Aging, Antioxidants, Coenzyme Q10, Fish Oil, Nutritional Supplements, Omega 3, Testestorone Replacement Therapy, Vitamin D, Vitamins Hide

I believe that coenzyme Q10 is one of the most important nutrients that a person can use for cardiovascular health and general longevity.  The most common form of Q10 is called Ubiquinone. Common Q10 or Ubiquinone has been available in nutrition stores for nearly 20 years now and is considered very important by most supplement experts.

When coenzyme Q10 is ingested it must be converted into the form of Q10 that is actually used by the human body. That form of Q10 is called Ubiquinol. The problem is that as people age the body’s mechanism that converts Ubiquinone into Ubiquinol begins to diminish. To the point were in your 50’s you no longer are converting your Q10 into the form that is needed within our bodies, rendering the supplements that you are tasking next to useless.

Researches have known about this problem for years and have tried to address the issue by creating a molecularly stable and marketable Ubiquinol. The problem had been that Ubiquinol was a very unstable compound. Until a company in Japan called Kaneka found a way to produce the substance in a stable and marketable way. This Ubiquinol is patented as Kaneka QH and does not need to go through this biological conversion because it is already in the usable form. Kaneka sells the Ubiquinol to all the major supplement companies for distribution.

If you are over 40 I would highly suggest switching from Ubiquinone to Ubiquinol. All products that just say coenzyme Q10 are going to be Ubiquinone. You will need to ask for Ubiquinol specifically, but it is becoming widely available by many different manufactures. The good news is that it has at least double the absorption rate as the old Q10 so half the dosage of what you were using will usually work well. I generally recommend 50mgs of Ubiquinol for the average person and 100mgs for those individuals that are using a statin drug for cholesterol or have had heart problems.

Anti-Aging, Antioxidants, Coenzyme Q10, Nutritional Supplements Hide

It turns out that getting the proper amount of sleep each night is perhaps the number one thing we can do to live longer and healthier lives. More studies showing the consequences to lack of sleep continue to appear. And it is also looking like sleep depravation can not be made up at a future date. The damage is done.

Our modern world in general is a very sleep deprived society. Everyone seems to be very stressed out which seems to contribute to the problem. The average night’s sleep has decreased from about nine hours in 1910 to about 7.5 hours in 1975, a trend that continues. More than half of people over 50 complain about not getting enough quality sleep. If things are busy at work the first thing that we often sacrifice is our sleep time.

If we don’t sleep the body and mind has no chance to heal. Our body’s hormonal system will get completely out of balance. Food will not digest properly. The brain and all cognition will suffer immediately. Lack of sleep is even being shown to contribute to cardiovascular disease. Cutting back from the standard eight down to four hours of sleep each night produces striking changes in glucose tolerance and endocrine function, changes that resemble the effects of advanced age or the early stages of diabetes, after less than one week.

Try to stay away from pharmaceutical drugs.  There are effective natural sleep aids such as melatonin, valerian root, hops, and others. Sometimes a combination of some of these natural substances works very well together.  The bottom line is that whatever it takes, meditation, message, melatonin, or a herbal sleeping  formula you need to find what works for you.  Don’t just accept the lack of sleep as normal. There are effective sleeping aids on the market that can help.

Anti-Aging, natural sleep aid, Nutritional Supplements Hide