How to Stay Young Forever…

I want to be young forever – not only physically, but mentally. I am on a good track, since Phil tells me time and time again that I am like a 12 year old (which could be due to my intense love of “be-dazzling” anything within arms length).  But I am always open to help when it is offered…every little bit counts, right?

Well,  had the great pleasure of meeting the STUNNING Jackie Silver recently and I was blown away.  She is the creator and author of “Aging Backwards” and our FIRST guest blogger – sharing her secrets, tips and shortcuts for looking and feeling young with you! This must be your lucky day…

Getting older may be beyond our control, but how we age is not. I’m Jackie Silver and I’m Aging Backwards. People are surprised to find out that I’m almost 50 years old and I still get asked for ID to buy wine. Just a few months ago, I was even mistaken for my 17-year-old son’s girlfriend!

I like to think of myself as the “anti-aging Petri dish.” I try as many of the latest, greatest products, services and procedures for turning back the clock as I can — and I tell everyone what works for me. As a correspondent on a syndicated TV show, a contributor to a weekly radio program, and a blabbermouth — I have plenty of opportunities to spread the word.

Plus, I’ve compiled my secrets, tips and shortcuts into my book,Aging Backwards: Secrets to Staying Young. Here are ten tips you can try right away that will start you on your way to rediscovering your youth. I like to call the first five tips my “Secrets for Longevity” because they’re free, which means you can do them forever to keep Aging Backwards.

Studies show that exercise is as good for your brain as it is for your body. Instead of telling you to exercise, I’m going to offer you my motivational secret: I love to work out, but even I want to be a couch potato sometimes. When the couch potato syndrome comes over me, I “fake” the workout. By that I mean that I tell myself I’m just going to “play along,” go through the motions and not really work out, but at least I won’t be sitting around. So, I don the cutest outfit I can find in my closet, put on my sneaks and set out to exercise. No matter how tired or lethargic I feel, five minutes into the workout I find new energy and get into the groove. Try it!

They don’t call it “beauty rest” for nothing and sleep is free – take advantage of that. When we sleep, our bodies produce hormones that keep us healthy and youthful. Why pay for hormones when you can get them for free?

1. Volunteer. Studies have shown that people who volunteer are the healthiest and live the longest. People surveyed about volunteering on a regular basis indicated they had more energy and a sense of euphoria called the “helper’s high.” They even reported that these feelings returned when they later remembered the acts of kindness.
2. Laugh. Can laughing keep you Aging Backwards and fight heart disease? According to researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine it can. A study done by cardiologists there revealed that “people with heart disease responded less humorously to everyday life situations,” according to lead researcher Dr. Michael Miller. He added, “The recommendation for a healthy heart may one day be exercise, eat right and laugh a few times a day.”
3. Meditate. “Mindfulness meditation programs improve mood and health,” said David Creswell, a UCLA psychologist and lead researcher in a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine. When Creswell and his team compared the brains of people who had mindful dispositions with those who were considered less mindful, there were measurable differences in their brain activity. The mindful subjects’ brains showed more activity in the right prefrontal cortex and a calming of the amygdala (the region responsible for emotional processing) when they labeled their emotions.
4. Keep your brain sharp. You’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating. Keeping your brain sharp by doing crossword puzzles, math problems, reading and keeping up on current events can go a long way toward Aging Backwards.
5. Ease into better eating habits.  If your portions are too big and your eating habits are way off, here’s a way you can ease into changing your diet for the better — start with portion control. Try my Easiest Eating Plan: Super-size your veggies and half-size everything else.
6. Skip the sodas, drink water. Recent studies have debunked the 8 x 8 (eight, eight-ounce glasses) water myth, but I don’t think anyone can argue that pure, fresh water is good for us. According to recent report, drinking eight glasses of water a day does not necessarily improve skin tone nor is it required for good health. Still, I’m Aging Backwards and I love to drink my pure, fresh water. It is possible to drink too much water, so pacing yourself and listening to your body is the best advice.
7. Keep your debt low. Almost nothing is more stressful than being deeply in debt and stress is contrary to Aging Backwards. In fact, according to WebMD.com, 75 to 90 percent of all doctor’s visits are due to stress-related ailments and complaints.
8. Practice honesty. Keeping track of a web of lies is not only practically impossible, but it’s also unbearably stressful. As mentioned above, stress is the cause of most ailments and complaints that send people to seek medical attention.

Jackie Silver is Aging Backwards and she shares her secrets, tips and shortcuts for looking and feeling young in her book, Aging Backwards: Secrets to Staying Young, on her Web site agingbackwards.com on TV, on radio, in print and in person.