It can be hard to get older.

No one wants to age and we’re constantly fighting it.

It’s hard to watch your hair turn gray and your skin start to wrinkle and sag. For many people, it’s enraging to get older.

When we’re young, these things happening to us seems so far away that most of us don’t pay attention to the small lifestyle choices that will have a huge impact on our health someday.

For me personally, it’s becoming much more important to FEEL younger than to LOOK younger. Don’t get me wrong. I want to look as young as I can, too.

I’m only 58 but I’ve never been on any medications, I sleep well, I exercise every day, I eat healthy, I surround myself with positive people, I indulge sometimes in the richness of good food and wine and I plan on keeping it this way for the rest of my life.  I believe that we’re beautiful human beings and enjoying life and all its abundance is important for our wellness and happiness.

I also have a healthy fear of getting caught in the medical industry. But I know that our modern medical technology can improve and even save our lives when it comes to trauma care or acute situations.

Taking responsibility for our own health is becoming the normal – almost trendy, thing to do.  

Luckily our bodies are incredible when it comes to healing. Many times we can turn around even the most dire of health issues.

So, let’s get to this list. All of these tips will slow down the aging process and help you look and feel amazing.

Number 1. Intermittent Fasting/Fasting

This is a hot topic right now. I think it’s about time. Fasting is a longstanding, well known practice that has huge benefits for your health and longevity. Not just physical but mental. It’s very effective and can be a powerful way to slow down the aging process and prevent disease.

The basic idea behind intermittent fasting is this: you keep your body in a fasted state (no eating) for an 16, 18 or 20 hour window of time. This leaves you an 8, 6 or 4 hour window to eat during the day.

This is how I do intermittent fasting and why. I find that 2-3 days a week doing the 16/8 hour routine work perfectly for me. Also, research shows that it’s better for women hormones to keep it to 2-3 days a week rather than every day. Men can safely do intermittent fasting 4-5 days a week.

It’s this simple: for 16 hours out of a 24 hour day you are in a ‘fasted’ state. That means you’re not eating anything solid. You are drinking water mainly, but I also will drink tea.

Don’t panic. You’re not going to slow down your metabolism and your certainly not going to die. For starters, part of those 16 hours when you are fasting, you are sleeping. The easiest way is just to continue your over-night fast until it’s been a full 16 hours. For example, if you stop eating at 8:00 pm then your first meal the next day would be noon.

For many people the thought of not eating 3 square meals a day is intimidating and maybe you can’t imagine not eating for a 16-hour period. Many people I talk to even tell me they just don’t have the will power to do it.

Here’s the thing – it doesn’t take will power. You simply do it or you don’t. Just decide.  Will it be hard at first?  Yes!  Will you be hungry and maybe feel weird and a little weak?  Yes!  Your body will acclimate, I promise.

Plus, there are these amazingly cool benefits.

Intermittent fasting is one of the most effective ways to normalize your body weight. It activates your body’s fat burning mode and regulates your insulin levels which reduces your risk for such chronic diseases as diabetes, heart disease, dementia and cancer.

Do more research on your own and decide if intermittent fasting is right for you. If you are prone to eating disorders or you are pregnant then any type of fasting is not a good choice for you.

If you do decide to start implementing intermittent fasting into your lifestyle, remember that making smart food choices is still the way to go. You can’t expect to binge of junk foods during your eating window and get the same health benefits. Food quality is always crucial when it comes to how your health responds.

Number 2. Hydration. Water. Water. Water!

Your body needs water. Lots of it and every single day. Sometimes I wonder why we still need to talk about this. How can people not know?

It still surprises me that most people don’t drink enough water. Most of us realize we have access to lots of clean, pure water all day, every day and we just take it for granted. Unless you live in a third world country where getting clean drinking water is an issue, you have no reason not to be fully hydrated.

Part of the problem is all the other drinks that are available to quench our thirst and satisfy our taste buds. It’s time to realize the juice, coffee, milk, nut milks and soda do not count as hydration. The food and beverage industry is set up to addict you to their products and keep you coming back for more.

In order for your body to perform for you in the way it was designed to perform, you need to be drinking approximately one gallon of water every day if you are an average sized adult. Anything past that amount is pure bonus.

When you hydrate fully, all twelve major organ systems in your body function properly for you.

Your digestion system. Your circulatory system. Your nervous system. Your elimination system. Your skeletal system. Your muscular system. Your immune system. Your lymphatic system. Your integumentary system. Your urinary system. Your respiratory system. Your endocrine system.

You might not even know what all of these systems do but they need you to drink lots of water so they can perform for you at peak levels.

I’m sure you know that you are more than 70% water and as a vibrant, living human being YOU NEED WATER!! Once you are fully hydrated, you will sleep better, digest food better, eliminate better, think better and the list goes on and on.
is a powerful anti-aging tip. If you’ve never focused on the beauty of being fully hydrated now is the time to implement this habit. Drink up!!

Number 3. Exercise and Movement.

When you stop moving, you literally start dying. Our physical bodies are designed to move. We are more sedentary than any time in human history.

This is not new news. I know you know this. When we are out of shape and overweight it becomes HARD to get our bodies moving. For some of us, it might even be difficult to walk.

This is where I like to say – CHOOSE YOUR HARD.

Exercise, especially in the beginning is damn hard. Being overweight and sick is hard. You get to pick one or the other. Your choice.

Being able to take care of yourself on a physical level depends on your body’s ability to do daily functional movement. Getting up out of bed, taking a shower, sweeping, cleaning, grocery shopping, carrying objects, driving and a million other beautiful movements that might be taken for granted until you lose them.

Keep moving, my friends. Take a yoga class, join a gym, start walking every day. Work through the tough days. They will become easier and you will become younger and younger.

Number 4. Slay the Sugar Beast once and for ALL

Sugar ages you. Sugar feeds cancer. We are simply not designed to consume the sheer, daily volumes of sugar that we do.

Sugar lights up the same part of your brain that heroin does. It tastes good. It makes you feel good in the moment.  If you are addicted to sugar it’s almost impossible to stop eating it while in you’re in the middle of a binge.  One cookie or brownie turns into 10 or more.  You crash and then want more.

Part of the problem is that it’s available all the time.  Everywhere you look.  Twenty-four hours a day. People who love you give you sugar because they love you. It’s an acceptable poison and the health cost of the over-consumption of sugar alone is devastating to our bodies, our healthcare system and our lives.

High volumes of sugar is the fuel that destroys your life.

If you do only one tip from this list of anti-aging tips – do this one. This is another case of choose your hard because this one is freaking hard. Sugar is literally everywhere.

I promise you that once you can stop this painful addiction your health will explode.  Gather the support of your family and friends and let them know your desire to stop eating processed sugar.  Ask them not to bring it into your house.  Your environment is critically important and once that will power muscle wears out and you have a stressful day – you’ll reach for it if it’s there.

My nephew and his wife fostered 3 kids for 3 years before they adopted them and they decided in the beginning to go sugar-free for an entire year as a family.  It was a eye-opening health-changing year for the entire family.

Slay the Sugar Beast once and for all. You’re sweet enough already.

Number 5. Stop the Fast Food, Junk Food and Soda Habit

Maybe you think you’ll wait until you’re a certain age to stop eating junk food. Maybe you think you can get away with it for just a little while longer. Maybe you’ll stop eating junk food on Monday.  Maybe you really like the taste of it and don’t think it’s bad at all.  It’s food, after all…right?

I have a close family relative who always said he was going to stop eating from fast food restaurants when he turned 40. That was almost 10 years ago. He is addicted to this type of eating and so far hasn’t had a really horrible health scare. He doesn’t look 49. He looks 69 and I know he’s not going to change his eating habits until he gets very sick. Maybe not even then.

When you eat fast food, junk food and soda you are giving your body a strong message that it is not important to you.

If you think you can’t afford good, healthy organic food – try it for a month. Take out the bad food and incorporate the good. It’s less expensive than you think and while you’ll need to take a little more time than you’re used to, to prepare it, it will pay off in huge dividends and even save you lots of money and time in the future. It’s very expensive to be sick and unhealthy. Everything in your life suffers.

Time to ditch the drive-thru and reclaim your youth!

Number 6. Incorporate Salads, Veggies, Fruits, Nuts, Berries and Seeds

Did you know your body becomes new? Every 30 days you have all new skin. Every 6 weeks you have a completely new liver. Your stomach lining replaces itself every 4 days and every 7 years you have completely new bones. This happens at different paces to every part of your body.  There is even new scientific evidence that parts of your brain and heart regenerate every 20 years or so.  This is the best news ever!  You are the creator of your health!

In order for your body to do this efficiently it needs the proper tools. Tools like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, berries, beans and etc. These are literally the building blocks of rock star health and regeneration for your amazing human body.

Eat one big salad every day for lunch or dinner. Experiment with the different greens and other yummy veggies that are out there. Make your own healthy dressings.

Eat the rainbow.  Eat your seeds, nuts, beans, berries, onions and mushrooms.  Get creative and try new recipes.

Anti-aging at its finest!

Number 7. Supplement Wisely

Taking supplements can be overwhelming. There is so much out there.

Start slowly and strategically.  Make sure that first…your nutrition is dialed in.  You can’t cover up a bad diet with supplements.

So, after you’ve made the proper adjustments to your diet –                            here’s where I would start.

Have your Vitamin D levels tested. Then supplement accordingly.

Have your heavy metal levels tested at the same time. If they are high (most peoples are) then supplement with some broken cell wall Chlorella. Heavy metals like mercury and aluminum attach to Chlorella and allows your body to expel them through your urine.

Take Turmeric and Cayenne Pepper in some form every day. Turmeric provides powerful antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Cayenne pepper is a heart protector and provides benefits for digestion and metabolism.

Start there and then fine tune it as you go.

Look into a good enzyme, probiotic, fish oil and Vitamins B, C and K.
We live in the best time to be alive. We have access to the finest supplements.

Do your due diligence and supplement smartly.

It can enhance and extend your life.

Number 8. Quality Sleep

Getting a good amount of quality sleep will keep your body young and feeling vibrant. All of the other tips that precede this one will help you get a good night’s sleep. Even just vigorous exercise will help you sleep better!

To ensure a good night’s sleep make sure your room is COOL, DARK and QUIET.

Move your TV and radio out. Charge your cell phone in another room. Getting notifications during the night interrupts your sleeping cycle. Read a real book and not your iPad or tablet. That is just too much stimulation and your body needs to wind down and disconnect in order to prepare for a restful night’s sleep.

If you’ve never experienced a full, beautiful nights sleep – now is the time to make a conscious effort.

Number 9. Love and Forgiveness

We are holistic beings. That’s why all of these tips are equally important.

We need water as much as we need good sleep. We need exercise as much as we need quality food.  

What ties all of these together is love and forgiveness. Adding love is the piece that holds it all together. We shine when we are surrounded by people we love and who we love.  We need to forgive ourselves as much as we need to forgive others.

If you spend your time complaining and being negative, it ages you. Even watching the news day in and day out makes you think the world is worse than it is.

The world is a wonderful place and we are meant for love and happiness. When you focus your awareness on what’s good in the world it draws more of that into your life. Just try it an see.

In conclusion:

We all have the freedom of choice. The current state of our health is a direct result of our choices.  Shine your awareness on the good things in life and bring like minded people into your inner circle.

You are not the victim. You are the creator of your health.

The creator of longevity and vibrant, glowing health.

Health is easy. Sickness is hard.
Choose your hard.

I love you
Jane

XO