5 Ways to Keep Your Body Young

Keep Your Cells Healthy

Every day in your body 432 billion cells die and are replaced with new cells. This is the key to regenerating your body and staying young. Because of this you could have a better functioning body next year if you want, skinnier, with less pains and more energy…if you take the right steps.

That 432 billion number is a just a scientific estimate. Cells are so small and there are so many in your body (somewhere between 60 -100 trillion) that no one could ever count them individually. This is also why you don’t notice your body renewing itself all the time, but it is!

Examples of a New Body:

• Cells in our digestive system, from the stomach to the large bowel are replaced every 5 minutes.
• The liver is replaced every five months.
• A new covering of skin happens every four weeks.
• Our heart is replaced every six to nine months.
• Your liver is capable of renewing and repairing from as little as 25% of its tissue.
• New studies are indicating that even brain cells may regenerate.

That process makes me highly optimistic that you could have a better functioning body next year if you want, with less pain and more energy… if you take the right steps.

Are You Degenerating Or Regenerating?

We know that in a fashion we are creating a new body by slowly getting new cells every day. The question is whether our new cells will be a healthier or less healthy.

The quality of the new cells is dependent on the raw material, the food that was available when the replacement cells were being formed. If you feed the body the proper food and nutrition, the new cells being formed can actually be stronger and healthier then the old cells ever were.

This is called regeneration. If you feed the body poorly, the result will be cells of an inferior quality. This is degeneration.

There are limits to this of course. Reasearchers estimate that 30 percent of our health is determined by genetics. You can do a LOT with that leftover 70 percent though. Even the expression of genetics has been shown to be moderated by the environment.

The Big 5 Degeneration Pitfalls

1. Processed Foods are dead food with calories but almost no nutrients!  All processed food is deficient in enzymes that are necessary for digestion. It fills your body, especially your liver, with chemicals that are used to create a long shelf life for the products. Research by the London University College team, suggests that a diet high in processed food increases the risk of depression.

2. Sugar is known as the ‘white death’ for many reasons.  It depresses the immune system.

Just one teaspoon of sugar depresses the immune system for two hours. It depletes calcium. And we wonder why there is so much osteoporosis! Sugar overworks the pancreas creating a roller coaster effect. When our blood sugars are high we are high and when blood sugars are low then we are totally run down and exhausted. It’s also highly addictive (as many of us know).  Sugar does not contain any vitamins or minerals, just lots of fat-building calories.

3. Alcohol is toxic to the liver, depletes B Vitamins, depresses the nervous system and inhibits your bone marrow’s job of regenerating blood cells.

Nerve connections between brain cells are affected by alcohol which inhibits communication signals, slowing down mental processing.  The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) revealed: “Two studies compared brain shrinkage in alcoholic men and women and reported that male and female alcoholics both showed significantly greater brain shrinkage than control subjects. Studies also showed that both men and women have similar learning and memory problems as a result of heavy drinking.” You don’t need alcohol to have fun and be silly.

4. Caffeine is highly addictive, puts stress on the adrenal glands and  negatively affects the nervous system, causing emotional fatigue.

As a diuretic it dehydrates the body and depletes calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. In some people it can increase blood pressure. Caffeine is not just in coffee! One can of Coke has approximately 35 mg of caffeine. Other soft drinks have from 35 to 50 mg of caffeine, and they are full of sugar too.

5. Rancid Fats and Oils (deep fried foods, baked goods). These foods create free radicals which injure cell membranes, enzymes and DNA.  They stress the digestive system and the liver while raising cholesterol levels. Fats and oils also contain 120 calories per tablespoon.

The Big 5 Regeneration Tips
1. Fresh Vegetables are filled with vitamins and minerals and are good sources of phytochemicals that protect the body from disease and aging. They are the ‘heavy weights’ in regeneration. This includes the powerfoods like spinach, lettuce, asparagus, cabbage and carrots.

2. Fresh Fruits are filled with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that protect the body. This includes the powerfoods like lemons, apples, bananas, mangos and watermelon.  Each of these fruits has a host of health benefits.

3. Whole Grains like Brown Rice, oats, buckwheat, barley, millet, quinoa are a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and some protein.

4. Drink lots of pure water. Water is needed for digestion, circulation of body fluids and joint lubrication.

5. Exercise. Nourishing Friendships. Nature. Sleep. As your body starts functioning on a healthier level, you might naturally tend to stop craving things that interfere with the body’s balance. Your body will also handle imbalance better. These regenerative sources are what I teach people to plan and cook in my healthy web BootCamps.

The best thing about regeneration is that you don’t have to think about what your body is doing. All you have to do is set up the proper conditions and your body will take care of everything else.

A healthy body has the ability to heal itself of all (or almost all) problems if properly nourished. Thinking and worrying about it does not enhance the process, it actually can slow it down. You might as well be a carefree teenager just like your 15 ½-year-old body!

Staying Young: Final Factors

You might notice that the big 5 regenerative choices actually cost a lot less than the degenerative options — and some are entirely free!

The nice thing about regeneration is that you don’t have to think about what your body is doing. All you have to do is set up the proper conditions and your body will take care of everything else.  A healthy body has the ability to heal itself of all (or almost all) problems if properly nourished.

Once the body has the basic raw materials for proper regeneration the next step is how we use that body.
Equally important is how we use the mind that “drives” the body.

The body was not meant to sit idle. Neither was our mind. If you are not moving the body regularly, it will become toxic and acidic. Some health professionals say you should not sit for more than one hour without getting up and moving around. I personally like to move around outside so I can also get the sunshine and fresh air.

This article is an excerpt from the life transforming book – Green Means Lean. Check it out!