None of us want to grow older but its part of life..  Did you see a the BBC1 programme last night called ‘ How to stay young’?  If you didnt its well worth a watch.
Whether you are in your 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s you will learn quite a lot i think from the show.

The show highlighted the main reasons for ageing and premature ageing, and looked at nutrition, exercise and lifestyle choices.  Various scientific experiments were carried out which definitely opened my eyes quite a bit!  Firstly only 25% of our health and ageing is determined by our genes.  I was always under the impression this was passed down through the family, but no apparently not. Stress was a big factor in determining our general health and how long we are likely to live. They said 30% of us complain about being overly stressed and that can be potentially damaging to the body. Stress creates a chemical reaction in the body, which can weaken muscles, degrade bones and shorten life by 5 years!   So try now to take 10 minutes out each day, relax or do some meditation.

The section of the show which i was interested in particularly, was the section on exercise. As we age muscles shrink and can be replaced by fat if we do not watch our diet and exercise, this process begins from our 30s.. They did an experiment in Germany on 20 elderly men and women and got them to dance for 3 hours per week, and another 20 trained in the gym.  After 6 months the dancers saw a 15 % improvement in muscle strength, whilst the gym group show little difference. This was a scientific experiment.  Dancing stimulates more muscles, tests your flexibility and uses your brain and your balance.  Plus its great fun, and great to socialise with other people and helps release the ‘feel good’ hormones.

Next time you are worried about your age, get yourself to a dance class, or better still my Zumba or Fitsteps class!