The 5 pillars of anti-ageing

A healthy appearance well into old-age can be achieved naturally.

Many of the products related to anti-ageing that are on the market today are primarily targeted at our inner discontent. But there is a simple and natural way of preventing skin ageing with a healthy lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

Pillar 1: Nutrition

A health and balanced diet is the basis for your anti-ageing plan. Eat the right meats, the right fats and the right carbohydrates and avoid sugar.

Tips on healthy eating: quick and easy to follow!

  • Gradually replace white flour with wholemeal products, sweets with fruit and fruit smoothies, red meat with chicken and turkey (organically bred, not from the chicken farm).
  • Eat fish three times a week as part of your nutrition schedule.
  • Replace all unhealthy fats/oils with healthy ones.
  • Drink more tea.
  • Include soya products on a daily basis.
  • Regarding alcoholic drinks: favour red wine in moderate quantities.
  • There are nerve vitamins, namely B5 and B6, in wholemeal products. Bananas, nuts and leafy green vegetables contain magnesium, which calms the nerves.
  • Take interesting and healthy recipes to the supermarket so that you can find the ingredients there and then, and do not forget anything. In this way, you will discover new and exciting foods.

 

 

 

 

Pillar 2: Hormones

Somatropin (the growth hormone) is known as the king of anti-ageing hormones, and large amounts are released during the first stage of deep sleep. That’s why we talk about “beauty sleep”. Less somatropin is produced in old-age. To stimulate production of this hormone, it is recommended that you eat foods rich in vitamin B3 and give your body honey and pollen extracts.

Warning: eating late in the evening disturbs beauty sleep, because a full stomach stops regeneration at night!

 

Oestrogen (soya for femininity)

It give you young, firm, supple skin. To naturally reduce menopausal problems, it is beneficial to take phytoestrogen from red clover and soya. It is well-known that Asian women who regularly eat soya products rarely suffer from typical complaints such as hot flushes, mood swings and dry skin.

 

 

 

 

Pillar 3: Exercise

Regular exercise or fitness training stimulate the production of substances like hormones (endorphins) that help to reduce stress. After just 20 minutes of regular exercise, our growth hormone levels increase three-fold.

 

The increased oxygen supply provides the cells with more nutrients.

The skin’s micro-circulation is stimulated and the complexion becomes firmer and rosier.

However, you should not overdo it when exercising, because the positive effects quickly have the reverse on extreme athletes. The reason: in the case of extreme physical stress, strong free radicals are produced in the body. This also explains the haggard appearance of many marathon runners.

 

Tips:

  • instead of weight training, try gentle muscle exercises; instead of running, try walking. Walking quickly pumps oxygen into the lungs and is easy on the knee joints.
  • Asian movements, such as the “Five Tibetan Rites”, are also recommended because they connect balanced movements with breathing that relieves stress.
  • If you do not have any time for sport or you can´t find a sport that appeals to you: go for a walk. Walking is the ideal form of exercise for anyone who has not done any sport for years. Because you can go walking anywhere and in any weather, even in a covered shopping centre if necessary.
  • Small strategies, such as climbing the stairs instead of using the lift, getting off the tram one stop early or running errands by foot or taking your bicycle instead of the car, already make a big difference overall!

Warning: beginners in particular should approach all physical activities slowly and monitor their heart rate.

 

 

 

 

Pillar 4: Spirituality

What is spirituality? Spirituality is the umbrella term for things that affect and guide us. There are several ways of maintaining an internal balance:

  • Love
  • Religion
  • Meditation
  • Intuition

Only people who are internally balanced have a secure footing in life. It is important to keep your lust for life, to see problems as opportunities, to get up again after a defeat and to combat stress as much as possible.

 

Spiritually influenced relaxation techniques, such as meditation, yoga, tai chi and qi gong are often a great help too.

 

The connection between spirituality and medicine has been investigated for many years.

The fact is that spiritual people appear to be visually younger and more relaxed because a harmonious life is reflected in facial expressions.

An investigation of 15,000 monks showed that they lived around five years longer than less spiritually minded people.

 

An improvement in this area is also reflected in your skin, as Dante didn´t say: “La pelle è lo specchio dell’anima” (The skin is the window to the soul).

 

 

 

 

Pillar 5: Environment

The speed at which you age depends on the environment in which you live.

Hectic metropolitan areas, where emissions and radiation reach their highest values, are not the ideal environment for developing your beauty. If you live in the city, it is important to create a natural environment in which you feel comfortable. Each city has green spaces that you can use to your advantage.

 

Tips:

  • Make sure to use pollutant-free materials of natural origin in your house or apartment. Wooden floors, carpets made from natural fibres, clay tiles and natural wall colours create the perfect living environment.
  • Reduce environmental stress by immediately turning off electronic devices that are not in use, instead of leaving them on stand-by (this also saves electricity) and turning off wireless LAN systems after use.
  • Buy house plants that improve the indoor environment. Cypress grass acts as an air humidifier, aloe vera and banana plants even filter harmful substances such as formaldehyde from the air.