Do you struggle with feeling tired but wired, fluctuations in mood and emotions, have a muffin top, sugar cravings, constipation, decreased sex drive, irritability and/or anxiety?

These symptoms are not the problem, they are messages from your body in its attempt to cope and survive.

We face a lot of pressures, and it can be difficult to survive the crazy lifestyle of working, being pulled in many directions, family obligations, etc.

Our hormones are complicated and due to our chaotic lifestyles we struggle to keep our body in balance and the price we pay results in speeding up the aging process and increasing our risk of chronic disease.

The Aging Process: A Fact of Life

The body renews itself by replacing old cells with new ones but at some point in mid-life, the process stops being as efficient.

Signs of aging include:

• wrinkles
• physical frailty/muscle atrophy
• Increased weight/body fat
• decline in cognitive function
• decreased sex drive

Factors that Contribute to Aging

The body is no longer efficient at warding off stressors, environmental factors, and cellular degradation which all lead to increased risk of disease. Here are a few factors that contribute to aging.:

• Stress
• Lack of sleep, rest, or relaxation
• Overuse of sugar and caffeine as “pick-me-ups”
• Poor food choices
• Lack of exercise or over exercise
• Exposure to toxins (alcohol, smoking, heavy metals, pesticides, medications)

4 Practical Strategies to Defy Aging:

Stress Management

Identify the stressors in your life - we all have them. Everybody has stress, and it's not going anywhere, but we can lear how to manage it more efficiently.

Incorporate coping strategies such as:

• Journaling/Prioritize
• Delegate tasks/reduce responsibility
• Establish work/home life boundaries
• Meditation/visualization
• Yoga/Pilates
• Massage
• Dry sauna

Sleep

Our circadian rhythm is extremely important, and deep sleep is extremely important to defying the aging process. It is only when we get that uninterrupted, restful sleep that our bodies repair and heal themselves. Without it, we will age much quicker. A disrupted sleep cycle is associated with obesity, diabetes, depression, and bipolar disorder.

• Make sleep a priority
• Get 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night

Nutrition

“You are what you eat!”

The best way to reset your hormones efficiently and permanently is to start with what you put in your mouth.

Detoxify the body:

Detoxification is the process where we convert internal and external toxins into substances that can be removed from our body. Toxins are fat soluble or better know as “fat loving” and they seek out our fat and nerve cells, reproductive organs, and liver to reside. Here are some ways to minimize the toxins you are putting in the body:

• Don’t drink the tap water (filtered water, sparkling mineral water)
• Don’t eat conventional meat and dairy products (organic grass-fed and grass finished)
• Purchase organic produce
• Don’t eat refined processed food products
• Minimize use of caffeine (green and herbal teas are best)
• Minimize use of alcohol (organic red wine, no more than 3 drinks per week)
• Minimize use of medications and antibiotics

Fill your plate with produce:

Vegetables and fruits contain fiber, water, antioxidants, and tons of micronutrients our bodies need. They help to maximize the excretion of toxins in the body as well (especially the cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and dark leafy greens).

Aim tog et 25g (women)-35g (men) of fiber each day. This will help keep you feeling fuller for longer as well as stabilize your blood sugar levels.

Aim for 7-9 servings of vegetables per day, and 1-2 servings of fruit per day (apples and berries are best, they are the highest in antioxidants and lowest in sugar!)

Exercise

Exercise is extremely important for our health, well-being, and for defying the aging process. You want to aim for 10,000 steps per day (which is WAY harder than you think). The average american only gets 3,000 steps per day....

Stay active by walking, strength training, yoga, pilates, hiking, biking, etc. Everybody is different and each person has different abilities and limitations when it comes to exercise, but remember that even something as simple as walking can help defy the aging process!