Longer Telomeres - The Fountain of Youth?

Have you heard about telomeres? If you want to live longer, you should get to know yours. Telomeres are little bits of our DNA at the ends of chromosomes. These actually protect our DNA every time a cell divides. Size matters when it comes to these guys. Telomeres get shorter with age, as well as with chronic conditions like cancer, diabetes, obesity, and Alzheimer's. It's even been shown to shorten the telomeres in those who are chronically stressed, like that of a care-giver. Care-givers (like moms) to loved ones (like their children) who have chronic health conditions such as cancer have been shown to have really shortened telomeres. So how do we slow down the shortening of our telomeres when so much "life" is happening?

This can be done with simple lifestyle and health changes. Reseachers have discovered that good nutrition and the right vitamin supplementation are associated with longer telomere length. Supplements like probiotics, that repair and strengthen the health environment of our gut, and fruits and vegetables, along with greens drinks that contain magnesium, polyphenols from grape juice and green tea, and of course folate (from all the veggies packed into those drinks). Good nutrition is so important to our health and vitality.

Reducing stress as much as possible is also crucial. Meditation has helped my daughter and I tremendously, and it can also help you in just minutes a day. Other stress-reducing techniques can be as simple as talking a walk, enjoying nature or bird watching, crafting, coloring or any hobby that you do to find peace.

Finally, exercise is needed to not only keep us young and veril, but a certain type of exercise has been found to be beneficial in the battle against aging. This type of exercise is an arobic exercise, meaning in takes in a lot of oxygen. Routines like HIIT and Tabata, that uses intervals, is the perfect high-intesnity-type training that has been associated with telomere shortening. These routines usually push your arobic threshold for 20-30 seconds, then recover for about 10 seconds, getting tha maximum benefits from a cardio work-out. They can be done with or without weights or equipment, and they can almost always be done in a much faster time frame than traditional routines. 

Even though we can't keep stressors away, we can certainly control what we eat, how active we are, and how we handle stress. To our health!

I am not a doctor, a chemist, nor a dermatologist. I am only a mom, sharing my opinion of life experiences and what I was taught in the AFPA certification program, who wants to provide a more natural and healthy lifestyle for my family and others. The information contained on the Honey Hill Naturals or blog websites is provided for informational purposes only, and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your doctor or other qualified health care practitioner. The information available on or through the Honey Hill Naturals newsletters, or (including, but not limited to, information that may be provided by writers, editors, healthcare and/or nutrition professionals employed by, or contracting with, Honey Hill Naturals and / or their associates), is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or prescribe medication. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements or ailments on any of the above sites or newsletters, may not have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States of America.