This month’s round-up of the latest
age-defying strategies.
Bottoms up!
Move
more and live longer
Strange as it may seem, if you’re lucky
enough to be offered a seat on the train or the bus, you may want to refuse –
politely, of course! When we sit, we experience of fewer muscle contractions,
which are vital for clearing glucose and fats from the bloodstream. ‘It’s
critical for people to reduce their sitting time,’ say the authors of a new
survey at the University of Sydney. The research revealed that adults aged 45
and over who sat for more than 11 hours a day had a 40% increased risk of dying
within three years compared with those who sat for fewer than four hours a day.
So here are five suggestions to get you on your feet.
·
Hide the TV remote.
·
Stand on your daily commute – it’s not so bad if
you read a good book!
·
Combine TV watching with an active task, such as
ironing.
·
If you drive to work, find a parking spot a few
minutes’ walk away.
·
Give yourself regular screen breaks and get out
of your office chair.
Herbal relief
Fight
hot blushes with red clover
Hot flushes are an unpleasant menopause
symptom and can be an embarrassing age giveaway. Around 80% of women experience
these in the run-up to the change, which can start in your mid-40s. Synthetic
estrogen in HRT can help, but there are also herbal remedies that contain
compounds with a similar chemical structure to estrogen. Black cohosh, ginko
biloba, ginseng, sage and red clover all contain these phytoestrogens, which
are also found in lentils, chickpeas and broad beans. In a new trial, Double Strength
Promensil ($38.5 for 30 tablets, Boots), which contains red clover, reduced
flushes by up to 75%.
