New Research On The Aging Process - The Discovery Of A Scientifically Proven Way To Slow Aging

Believe it or not - this is NOT a sales pitch - just the reporting of a proven way to slow aging. In a blog entitled AGE DEFIANCE, you better find information designed to help you defy aging.

So what's the big discovery? Follow this shortened version of the explanation:

From mercola.com, "Telomeres, tiny units of DNA at the very end of each chromosome, shorten with time because they cannot replicate completely each time the cell divides. As you age, your telomeres get shorter and shorter."

Also from mercola.com, "Eventually, DNA replication and cell division ceases completely, at which point you die."

Lovely thought! Sounds like what we all believe - aging is the march to the ineviable.

But wait - recent studies prove that "high-intensity exercise like Peak 8 appears to be the most effective all-natural approach to slow down the aging process by reducing telomere shortening."

Bingo!

Dr. Mercola calls Peak 8 Exercises Your Best Anti-Aging Prescription.

Besides, once you get used to Peak 8 exercising, you'll wonder why you spent hours on an aerobic machine with much less benefit.

Here's a few posts on the flexibility and usefulness of these exercises:
http://agedefiance.blogspot.com/2011/01/best-exercise-to-lose-weight-is-not.html
http://agedefiance.blogspot.com/2010/11/are-you-maximizing-fitness-benefits-of.html

Note: Start Peak 8 as soon as you can. The recommendation is one to three times per week once you work up to 8 intensity periods. Gradually work up to the 8 intensity periods and check with your doc if you take medication for heart issues. Stop if you feel pain or nausea.

Fitness For Boomers - The Extraordinary Anti-Aging Benefits of Yoga

Fitness For Boomers has become my new mantra. And in the process, I am experimenting with different types of workouts, the so-called anti-aging workouts.

The "Boot Camp"
As part of this experimentation, I took two fitness classes at a local fitness center. The first was an hour "boot camp" - an aeorbics, core, strength-training hour of never-ending movement.

It was a sweaty nightmare and a lot of clock-watching. I have been walking a lot, but I did not anticipate how stressful it would be. At 61, if you are out-of-shape, you are REALLY out-of-shape.

But the benefits are obvious - increased oxygenation for breathing and circulation; strengthing arms, legs, and core; and a 10-minute improve your balance routine. All are anti-aging benefits.

The First Yoga Class
FYI - I have done yoga, but never with an instructor present.

Wow - what a contrast between the "boot camp" and the yoga (which was 75 minutes of introspective focusing on the instructor's commentary and poses with a meditation period at the end).

The anti-aging benefits of yoga are truly amazing (straight from the doctor's pen at http://www.otbskincare.com/blog/the-health-and-anti-aging-benefits-of-yoga/1281/):

• Improves balance
• Straightens spinal kyphosis (the excessive hunching over that happens to people as they age)
• Improves muscle strength and reverses the muscle loss that happens with age
• Improves rheumatoid arthritis symptoms (joints are "oiled" through controlled movement)
• Decreases anxiety and depression (the meditation period was very calming)
• Increases flexibility

This second class was truly enjoyable - the time flew by. And as far as I'm concerned, the anti-aging benefits of yoga far outweigh the aeorbics benefits.

You will realize the anti-aging benefits of yoga if you do it correctly (which requires an instructor, at least in the beginning), AND you take a class according to your skill level. Don't try to jump into an advanced yoga class without knowing the basics.

Oh - and an excellent instructor would also be a requirement for achieving the superior anti-aging benefits of yoga.

Interested in Fitness For Boomers? Yoga beats Aerobics any day!