Reverse Aging: 8 Tips to Feel and Look Younger

Longevity and even immortality have long been sought after throughout the ages. You might be familiar with the Fountain of Youth, magical water that cures illness and old age, and know that it never has been attainable. Similarly, today, you’ll see a variety of products that claim to reverse aging, but is it actually possible?

Some scientists would say yes. In fact, many are using various approaches to pinpoint what it will take for an aged organism to become young again. Studies using these approaches have already begun, and the results are telling scientists that they’re headed in the right direction.

Unfortunately, we probably have a long way to go before we start seeing immediate results. Even then, you wouldn’t be able to find a magical anti-aging pill at your local drug store. For this reason, aging is something we’re going to have to continue to live with.

While we may not be able to completely reverse the aging process in a scientific sense, there are a variety of things you can do to keep your body and mind youthful. Here are 8 holistic approaches that will assist you in feeling and looking younger.

1. Hydrate with water

With all the varieties of colorful, sugary drink products, water is often overlooked. To many it may seem boring and tasteless. Yet, without water, life would cease to exist. Everything is reliant upon it, and our bodies are no exception.

It may not come from the Fountain of Youth, but water has great influence on achieving and maintaining a healthy body. Water is a powerhouse, giving our bodies more than just soft and healthy skin. Staying hydrated with water helps your body to:

• Maintain a healthy temperature
• Protect joints, spinal cord, and organs
• Achieve mental clarity
• Perform physical activities optimally
• Remove toxins and waste

A general recommendation to stay hydrated is to drink around 8 cups of water daily. Keep in mind that water recommendations will also vary depending on how much energy you expend daily.

2. Focus on nutrition and gut health

Many don’t realize that within our digestive system dwells a whole world of living microbes: bacteria, but the good kind. For instance, the only way for your body to break down fiber from plants is by your gut bacteria. Without these little guys, you wouldn’t be able to receive the proper nutrients needed to support your body functions.

This means that your gut is the star of the show when it comes to regulating brain and body function. It is known as the “second brain” because it directly connects to your central nervous system, which means that your hormones, immunity, brain function, and organ health are all affected by your gut’s bacteria.

Here’s where nutrition comes into the picture.

Eating certain foods will either produce or destroy the many types of good bacteria in your gut. Destroying good bacteria causes more stress and inflammation in the body, which can lead to various diseases, cancers, and even obesity. For this reason, it is important to do your best to support the growth of good gut bacteria.

With all the types of diets out there, there is no one-size-fits solution. However, research has shown that by implementing a more plant-based diet, including the intake of low-sugar fruits and fermented foods, and staying away from high fats, sugars, red meats, and dairy products will produce more good bacteria for a healthy gut.

3. Exercise daily

Whether it’s yoga or CrossFit, the more you move your body, the healthier and stronger your body and mind will be.

Studies have shown that consistent exercise builds muscle and elasticity, which helps prevent long-term illnesses and diseases. And research has revealed reversal in aging cells in older adults that had incorporated resistance training exercises in their daily routine, giving them a youthful spring in their step.

In addition, it’s never too late to begin your workout journey.

No matter what your age may be, start and safely try exercises that help your body gain strength and endurance. Remember to be mindful to do appropriate amounts of exercise with plenty of recovery time to avoid overworking your body. Overdoing it will only cause more wear and tear.

4. Fast regularly

Throughout history, many cultures have applied fasting as a spiritual and physical remedy. Just like restarting a computer when it is overloaded with information and freezes, it is beneficial to periodically restart our body when it is overloaded with everything we consume.

Fasting is like pressing the restart button and allows the body to clean out toxins and repair damaged cells. There are many types of fasting such as:

• Dry fast
• Wet fast
• 24-hour fast
• Intermittent fasting
• Time-restricted feeding

Recently, there has been great interest in intermittent fasting and its overall health benefits. However, like most health practices, one approach will work best for you while another approach will work best for another.

Studies have shown how short-term fasting done correctly helps the body return to using fat stores for energy, repair weakened soft tissues, improve the immune system, and enhance overall mental and physical capabilities.

Although there are many benefits from fasting, it can become a dangerous practice, both physically and behaviorally, if done incorrectly. Therefore, it is recommended to seek professional guidance and conduct plenty of research when incorporating fasting into your lifestyle.

5. Get plenty of sleep

Many underestimate the value of sleep and how it impacts our cognitive and physical body functions, which keeps us looking and feeling young.

Your body relies on sleep to heal injuries, process information you gained during the day, and maintain mental and emotional health. In addition, adequate sleep is linked to maintaining and improving your immune system as well as supporting a healthy gut. Without getting a good night’s rest, you increase your chances of developing various types of diseases, including cancer.

It is recommended that adults get at least 7 hours of sleep. In addition, follow the general guidelines below to assist you in sleeping better:

• Make sure to keep little to no electronics in the bedroom
• Don’t eat close to bedtime
• Stay consistent in your sleep schedule
• Keep your room cool and dark

6. Use a sauna

As the body ages, it accumulates toxins not only from the food we eat, but also from the environment we live in. Eventually, the accumulation of these toxins will lead to developing diseases in the body.

One way for your body to release toxins in order to maintain health and vitality is by sweating, which is why saunas are one of the best ways to detox. Saunas use heat to increase your heart rate and blood circulation. This causes your body to produce sweat, releasing the built-up toxins inside. In addition, benefits from using a sauna that will help you feel and look young include:

• Lowering elevated blood pressure
• Healing and strengthening the cardiovascular system
• Killing bacteria, parasites, and fungi
• Reducing or eliminating skin diseases and allergies
• Improving overall skin health and elasticity
• Treating common illnesses and viral infections

7. Practice meditation

If you are constantly being bombarded with stress and anxious thoughts, you are at risk of developing serious mental and physical diseases. Chronic stress is a recipe for causing your body and mind to age faster. Learning to take moments in your day to meditate will help alleviate chronic stress and lead to a healthy body and mind. In general, meditation consists of focusing on deep breathing, visualization, and being in the present by clearing your mind. It’s all about being able to quiet your thoughts, which relieves you from stresses and worries.

For thousands of years, meditation has been practiced in many cultures for spiritual purposes, yet studies show that spiritual health isn’t the only benefit when it comes to meditation. Meditation will bring deep relaxation to your body, help you perform your daily tasks more efficiently, help you sleep better, and create daily inner peace. In addition, some studies show that meditation improves your cardiovascular and immune systems, and relieves you from chronic depression and anxiety.

8. Take the right supplements

Taking supplements is a great way to make sure you receive necessary vitamins and minerals in your body to feel and look young, especially if you are susceptible to certain nutrient deficiencies. Even if you consume mostly healthy foods, you still will likely find it necessary to take supplements due to biological or environmental factors.

Keep in mind, though, that the purpose of taking supplements is to support, not replace, natural ways of receiving nutrients. Each type of supplement has a specific purpose in improving and supporting your health.

The best way to find out which supplement will be best in supporting your health needs is to consult a professional. Today, professionals are able to use different methods to determine the right supplements for you. For instance, a symptoms survey, nutrition testing, muscle testing (applied kinesiology), and bio scanning are all used to determine what supplements are biologically preferred for your wellness.

In the end, obtaining health and vitality is possible as long as you see yourself as being worth the work it takes to obtain.

By following these 8 holistic approaches, you can see changes in your overall health and appearance. After all, it is an accumulation of our daily lifestyle choices that will determine our health and well-being, which ultimately leads us to feel and look healthy and young.