The goal of mindfulness is to wake up to the inner workings of our mental, emotional, and physical processes.
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us, according to the website Mindfulness.com.
Mindfulness encompasses two key ingredients: awareness and acceptance, according to Psychology Today. Awareness is the knowledge and ability to focus attention on one’s inner processes and experiences, such as the experience of the present moment. Acceptance is the ability to observe and accept—rather than judge or avoid—those streams of thought.
Whenever you bring awareness to what you’re directly experiencing via your senses, or to your state of mind via your thoughts and emotions, you’re being mindful. And there’s growing research showing that when you train your brain to be mindful, you’re actually remodeling the physical structure of your brain.
Mindfulness is a technique of deliberately focusing your attention and not let yourself be distracted by other thoughts constantly running through your head; you clear “noise” from your mind.
Mindfulness is the idea to become more self-aware. You pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations in that moment — without purposefully deciding whether they’re good or bad, and without becoming overwhelmed or overly reactive.
In short, you tune in to what you’re feeling and what’s real right now. “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally,” says Kabat-Zinn, creator of the research-backed stress-reduction program Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) . “And then I sometimes add, in the service of self-understanding and wisdom.”
Mindfulness – Live in the day; Live in the now.
Mindfulness is available to you in every moment, whether through meditations or mindful moment practices like taking time to pause and breathe when the phone rings instead of rushing to answer it.
Breathe in and out a few times. If your mind wanders, just notice that, accept that your mind has wandered, and refocus on your breathing. That’s a bare bones example of mindfulness. “Mindfulness is really important in times like this,” says Auguste H. Fortin VI, MD, MPH, a Yale Medicine internal medicine specialist who has recommended mindfulness practices to help cope with their illnesses.
Mindfulness is a practice that involves three components:
Paying attention to what is happening in the present moment
Doing this purposely and deliberately, with resolve
Maintaining the attitude that you will stay with your mindfulness experience, whether it’s pleasant or unpleasant
As you spend time practicing mindfulness, you’ll probably find yourself feeling kinder, calmer, and more patient. These shifts in your experience are likely to generate changes in other parts of your life as well.
Mindfulness can help you maximize your enjoyment of life and help you wind down. Its benefits include lowering stress levels, reducing harmful ruminating, and protecting against depression and anxiety. Research even suggests that mindfulness can help people better cope with rejection and social isolation.
“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” Lao Tzu
A major factor regarding effectively managing your money and achieving financial freedom is maintaining a positive and confident mindset. Maintaining a positive growth mindset takes effort and knowledge. Here are some ways to start thinking about financial matters and building wealth:
Focus On What You Want – And Take It! So many people are too timid to admit they want something and go for it. When there is something that you want to accomplish don’t think “I could never actually do that”, think “I could do that and I WILL do that”. Play to win, not to avoid defeat.
This doesn’t mean to have to become a selfish jerk. What it means is becoming more assertive and honest with yourself. You don’t have to grab off other people. There is a big pot of unclaimed gold in the middle of the table — why shouldn’t you be the one to claim it? You deserve it!
Confront closely-held beliefs. Spend some time dissecting and understanding the previously-held beliefs you have about money. You learn a lot about money from your family at a young age—either that money is good or money is evil, for example.
Some people may grow up believing that money is a scarce resource, while others understand money as a tool. There are many numbers of qualities that get assigned to money that are not objectively true.
If you have major fear or shame regarding money, you may want to consider working through these emotions with a financial therapist. Your feelings are valid—but that doesn’t mean you have to live with them.
Integrate affirmations into your daily routine. You may find affirmations to be a grounding part of your day. For example, affirmations such as “I am worthy of wealth,” “I am capable of managing my money,” and “There is money out there to be made by me” could act as helpful reminders that you are in charge of your money and not the other way around.
To develop a positive mindset and to become a person who is “good with money”, it is essential to understand that achieving financial freedom and accumulating wealth is a journey. So, consider taking it step by step. Start by building familiarity with your financial situation, and look for small ways to improve it and make it better every day.
Don’t Spend Your Money – Invest It. The reason you need to save your money is to grow it by investing it for the long term. Millionaires tend to be frugal people, and that’s because they know the true value of money is in investing. Being your own boss goes hand-in-hand with building wealth. You’ll want to quit your regular job at some point.
Bottomline is to stop working for your money and invest, which puts your money to work for you.
Rather than buying yourself a new iPad, that $500 could be used to invest in the stock market. Find the right shares (more on that later), and that money could easily double within a year.
“The single most important factor for successful lifelong stock investing is your average holding period.” Tom Gardner, CEO and Advisor, Motley Fool
In investing, and in life, you should create and follow a comprehensive financial and investing plan. A plan helps define your money management, investing goals, and objectives while also delineating the risks associated with them. So when market hits the proverbial fan, as it inevitably will, you can revisit your plan to help provide clarity, calm and guidance to the situation. Simply put, a plan helps you navigate through both storms and sunny days; it provides balance. So the next time ominous-looking clouds begin to swirl in the horizon of the markets, check your plan, stay calm, and stay the course.
Planning to utilize a long-term financial strategy is the best way to achieve success. Finding ways to grow our money over time is a sure way to increase our financial health.
Interest rate hikes are bad for technology and growth stocks because:
Higher interest rates make materials and debt more expensive and reduce the future value of cash flows.
Higher rates also make safer assets like U.S. Treasury bills more profitable and therefore more attractive.
Long term investors have two critical advantages over Wall Street and traders: time and patience.
Time and patience are the two key edges long term investors have over most of Wall Street. And long term investors need to take every advantage of it.
Time and patience the true investor’s friends, teacher, and guardian all wrapped into one.
The single most important factor for successful long term investing is your average holding period. The primary reason why so many retail investors lose to the market’s average return: They trade too much. You are urged to hold your investments for at least five years or longer.
Pullbacks in stocks are a natural part of the ebb and flow of markets. The S&P 500 has fallen 10% on average about once per year, 15% every two years, and 20% roughly every four years. When the stock market pulls back, it sometimes throws out the baby with the bathwater, as the old saying goes. This presents savvy and patient investors with an opportunity to pick up shares of growth companies on the cheap.
And no great long-term stock that hasn’t fallen 50% at some point along the way to market-crushing returns over the long term.
With time and patience, long term investors have been able to look past short-term market pullbacks to secure long-term outstanding portfolio returns.
It can be jarring when shares tumble, especially if you’ve just started a position. But, it’s essential that you ask yourself: Has anything fundamental changed with the underlying company, or is this just market noise? If you find that fundamentals remain, you can stay the course.
Periods of significant market volatility are a great reminder to double-check that your portfolio’s asset allocation is in line with your overall risk tolerance and financial goals. Once you are confident that your portfolio has an appropriate long-term equity exposure, you can rest assured that any short-term volatility won’t be a meaningful factor. This helps investors avoid one of the most damaging of investing mistakes: making inopportune market-timing decisions.
Putting together a successful investment portfolio takes a combination of research, patience, and a little bit of risk.
Save. Invest. Hold. Repeat. As best you can, over time.
“Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination and disregard for obstacles and other people’s criticisms, carry out your plan.” Paul J. Meyer
Life Coaching is focused on nurturing, advising, building and on win/win for both the coach and the recipient of the coaching. If you are a coach, you are a builder of men and women. It is a grand responsibility and opportunity! It is a chance to postively impact countless people’s lives for the better! It is a chance to become the leader and a builder of men and women you were meant to be!
In Coaching, coaches may discuss the negative thoughts and energy from their client’s in order to assist their client move forward, but they do not analyze, diagnose, or attempt to treat these behaviors or disorders. If these are observed, or concern is raised regarding these areas, the coach’s will encourage the to seek professional counseling.
In Coaching, the coach understands that the client has the answer. Thus, the coach will nudge or partner to help the client discover it. Even though the coach may have had a similar experience, they are not the client, so the coach’s solution may not work for the client. In short, the coach may share her or his experiences to show empathy with the client or to point out possibilities, but there is no premise that is the solution for the client.
Coaches work hard to be objective. Their advice is not influenced by their relationship so advice is not flavored with that in mind. Coaches know from experience and research that people who write down their goals and create an plan of action to reach those goals, are much more likely to achieve what they desire in life.
“Enter every activity without giving mental recognition to the possibility of defeat. Concentrate on your strengths, instead of your weaknesses… on your powers, instead of your problems.” Paul J. Meyer
Paul J. Meyer’s Personal Success Plan proposes you:
Crystallize your thinking. Know what you want. Determine a specific goal, and dedicate yourself to its attainment. You can’t move forward until you know what you’re moving toward.
Develop a plan for achieving your goal and a deadline for its attainment. The first step is to plan. Plan your progress carefully, in small, achievable steps that won’t overwhelm you, and choose a deadline. A time limit is a greater motivator for success than you realize.
Develop a sincere desire for the things you want in life. Develop a sincere desire for those things you want is a motivator for your activity. It’s what pushes you to do what you need to do. Focus on creating a habit of success, and doing what successful people do to have success.
Develop supreme confidence in yourself and your ability. The #1 reason that people aren’t as successful as they want to be, is because they lack confidence in themselves. Concentrate on your strengths, focus on your power. Remember what you’re good at, and focus on it. Ignore the rest.
Develop a “dogged determination” to follow through on your plan regardless of obstacles, criticism, or circumstances or what other people say, think, or do. “Construct your determination with sustained effort, controlled action, and concentrated energy. Opportunities never come to those who wait, they’re captured by those who dare to attack”, states Paul J. Meyer
“Dogged determination” can be called, “Guts, Courage, a Raw Refusal to Quit.”
90% of all failure comes from quitting. As a result, the secret to success lay in the fact that you must refuse to Quit!
Focus your confidence and desire on your strengths and power and against the mental enemies (the 5 de-motivators of… fear, doubt, worry, indecision, and negative thinking). We like to make excuses and say we can’t do it, but that’s exactly what holds us back from reaching our potential.
Pay attention to your self-talk. Are you telling yourself that you’ll be successful? Are you telling yourself that you can do it? Do you believe that you will accomplish your goals? When you can overcome that self-defeating, degrading self-talk, tremendous things will happen.
If you are experiencing negative thoughts or any negative emotions it’s usually because you are focusing on – – fear, doubt, worry, indecision and negative thinking.
Attitude is everything! Attitude is a habit of thought and a conscious choice. Who you are now is a function of specific choices that you have made and habits you’ve embraced. You are where you are and what you are because of the dominating thoughts that occupy your mind and habits that dominated your day. You have the power to change, to be, and to do anything … so use it!
They want to do business with me.
I got what it takes!
I do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Christ is my Savior and Lord of my life.
Anyone can become financially independent and free.
Coaches help clients create healthy and effective habits, not restrictions!
If building wealth and financial freedom are your destination, the journey always starts with your financial mindset, attitude and habits. Jeff Hayden
T. Harv Eker, author of “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind”, is convinced that anyone can be build wealth and become financially free. But, he opines that what holds most people back from accumulating wealth is an internal mental script or “money blueprint” that tells them that they can’t or shouldn’t.
In his bestselling book, Eker teaches people to identify their internal money blueprint and revise them. However, many critics rightfully argue that his focus on personal psychology as the sole driver of success ignores very real economic and systemic factors such as inequality, sexism and racism which can be possible determinants of one’s income bracket and net worth.
“If your subconscious “financial blueprint” is not set for success, nothing you learn, nothing you know and nothing you do will make much of a difference.” T Harv Eker
Yet, Eker argues that you have a personal wealth blueprint already ingrained in your subconscious mind that will determine your financial life and overall success. What he means is that you can know everything about saving for the future, investing to grow your money, and accumulating wealth, but if your subconscious wealth blueprint isn’t preset to a high level of life and financial success, you will never amass a large amount of wealth or achieve financial freedom.
What people have to realize is that we are all subconsciously taught and conditioned in how to deal with money and wealth, according to Eker. Unfortunately, many of us were taught by family members and acquaintances who didn’t own a lot of assets and did not have a lot of money, so their way of thinking about wealth became your natural and automatic way to think. And since you are a creature of habit, your internal thoughts and beliefs about wealth and money will determine your external results of net worth and cash flow.
“If you want to change your results, you have to start by changing your thoughts.” T. Harv Eker
Your wealth blueprint single-handedly, according to Eker, determines your financial life, because your thoughts lead to feelings, which lead to actions, which lead to your results. Thought is the ‘Mother of all Results’. It’s about a process of manifestation, that your thoughts lead to your feelings, which lead to your actions, which lead to your results.
Thoughts → Feelings → Actions → Results
The reason you think the way you do about money is conditioning. You were taught how to think about money. You weren’t born with money thoughts and beliefs. You learned them. You were conditioned around money, success, and wealth by:
Verbal programming – what you’ve heard,
Modeling – what you’ve seen,
And specific incidences and experiences you’ve had.
No personal wealth mental blueprint is true or false or right or wrong, says Eker. It’s just how you’ve been programmed. Some people are savers. Others are spenders.
There are several important question to ask yourself: What is your current wealth and success blueprint, and what results is it subconsciously moving you toward? Are you set for working hard for your money or are you set to have your money work hard for you? Are you programmed for saving money or for spending money? Are you programmed for managing your money well or mismanaging it?
Bottomline, your wealth blueprint, meaning your thoughts and beliefs, will determine ultimately your financial life and net worth – and can even determine your personal life, according to Eker.
“The vast majority of people simply do not have the internal capacity to create and hold on to large amounts of money and the increased challenges that go with more money and success. That, my friends, is the primary reason they don’t have much money.” T. Harv Eker
Six former chairs of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — Ajit Pai, Tom Wheeler, Julius Genachowski, Michael Copps, Michael Powell and Mignon Clyburn — urged the Biden administration to resolve a dispute over the planned use of 5G wireless spectrum that the aviation industry says poses an air safety risk, according to Reuters.
Major U.S. air carriers warned that plans by wireless carriers such as AT&T and Verizon to use C-Band spectrum for 5G wireless services starting January 5, 2022, could disrupt thousands of daily flights and cost air passengers more than a billion dollars annually in delays. United Airlines Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby warned that the 5G spectrum use “could delay, divert or cancel about 4% of daily flights and impact hundreds of thousands of passengers”.
The aviation industry and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have raised concerns about potential interference of 5G with sensitive aircraft electronics like radio altimeters. The FAA has issued directives for airlines to revise airplane and helicopter flight manuals to prohibit some operations requiring radio altimeter data when in the presence of 5G C-Band wireless broadband signals.
And, the FAA plans to issue further notices to airlines offering more detail on the potential interference and is in discussion about which altimeters could be used under the current mitigation plans.
The Biden administration wants eagerly to resolve the issue and has urged airlines to work with the wireless carriers to reach agreement. United’s Kirby has said that the FCC and FAA “need to get in a room and talk to each other and solve the problem,” adding that the issue “cannot be solved on the back of airlines.”
However, wireless carriers have shown no interest in further delays to using the spectrum. Verizon has said that “there is no evidence that 5G operations using C-band spectrum pose any risk to aviation safety, as the real-world experience in dozens of countries already using this spectrum for 5G confirms,” and added it was confident the FAA ultimately will conclude C-Band 5G use “poses no risk to air safety.”
“No matter what the market is doing, no matter how it’s performed, there is always a smart-sounding excuse to sell that is very often regrettable in hindsight.” Motley Fool
Over the past century, research continues to demonstrate that staying invested in stocks over the long term has consistently outperformed every other investing strategy. Since, you can’t predict (or time the market) with certainty and you can’t meet long-term goals with short-term investment strategies.
Stocks have outperformed most assets such as bonds, real estate and cash, over the long run. Ideally, anyone with more than 10 years to invest would buy stocks at good prices and exercise patience. Stocks return 7% to 9% a year over the long run — better than any other asset class. But that can be misinterpreted to imply that stocks return 7% to 9% every year. While the long-term average annual return works out to 7% to 9% a year, what happens in between is wild and chaotic.
Investing is just a fancy word for making your money work for you!
Taking an appropriate amount of market risk is necessary because it’s difficult to meet long- term goals with only short-term investments.
It is widely accepted that there are risks of losing your hard earn money money when you invest in stocks, bonds and mutual funds. However, what is less well known and not widely discussed are the greater risks in not investing in assets. Over time, cash loses purchasing power and value.
Yet, in December 2020, households were holding about $16 trillion in cash, according to Motley Fool. Having this much cash on the sidelines is risky. By not investing your money and keeping it in cash will certainly result in your money losing purchasing power due to inflation and may result in you not achieving your long-term financial goals by having money sit on the sidelines.
Ultimately, it’s important to remember your long term financial goals, why you’re investing and to understand the risks of not investing.
According to investing guru Jeff Gundlach, the single biggest reason why most retail investors fail is simple: Their money flows in and out of assets at exactly the wrong time — in just when things are expensive, and out just as they’re cheap. “Volatility scares enough people out of the market to generate superior returns for those who stay in,” Wharton professor Jeremy Siegel explains.
There’s simply too much uncertainty, and no one can accurately predict or time the market. To successfully time the market, it requires a level of precision that nobody’s been able to achieve. Always remember, only a small number of days provide a huge proportion of total growth. Missing them can completely derail your long-term performance.
Bottomline, you should be invested should be in the stock market right now. And, the best way to build wealth is to be invested in stocks, stay invested, and not get scared out because of temporary fears and market volatility.
“The single biggest reason why most investors fail is simple and widespread: Money flows in and out of assets at exactly the wrong time — in just when things are expensive, and out just as they’re cheap.” Morgan Housel
More women than ever are taking a seat at the investing table, according to Fidelity Investments.
Fidelity Investments’ 2021 Women and Investing Study was conducted “to gather insights into women’s attitudes and behaviors when it comes to managing their finances” and investing for the long term. The study findings show:
67% of women are now investing outside of retirement
50% of women say they are more interested in investing since the start of the pandemic
42% say they now have more to invest since the start of the pandemic
When women do decide to invest, they are realizing positive results and returns. Analysis of more than 5 million Fidelity customers over the last ten years finds that, on average, women tend to outperform their male counterparts by 40 basis points or 0.4%.
While these investing trends by women are encouraging, still only 1/3 of women see themselves as investors, and additionally:
Only 42% feel confident in their ability to save for the long term, including retirement
Only 33% feel confident in their ability make investment decisions
Only 35% feel confident their non-retirement savings are invested appropriately
Only 14% of women say they know a lot about saving and investing
Overall, women feel less confident when it comes to long-term financial planning and investing to grow their money and build wealth, according to Fidelity Investments.
Women who set financial goals, create a financial plan and take the following additional actions feel more confident in their ability to save for the future and make investment decisions to help their savings grow:
Determine current financial status (net worth and cash flow)
Pay themselves first, automate their savings and invest consistently a portion of every paycheck
Select diversified investments like stocks, bonds, mutual funds or ETFs
Take a long-term approach to investing
Starting early and track progress regularly
Making time to educate themselves about personal finance topics
Bottomline, 64% of women surveyed by Fidelity said that they would like to be more active in their finances, including investment decisions. Not surprisingly, the factors that holds them back include:
70% of women say to invest they would need to know more about picking individual stocks.
65% of women say they’d be more likely to invest, or invest more, if they had clear plan or steps to do so.
It’s never too late for you to get started setting financial goals, creating a financial plan and investing for the long term.
“Stocks that can boost dividends during periods of high inflation may outperform.” Fidelity Viewpoints
Key takeaways according to Fidelity Viewpoints
Dividends aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential to the stock market’s return—accounting for approximately 40% of overall stock market returns since 1930.
During periods of high inflation, stocks that increased their dividends the most considerably outperformed the broad market, on average, according to Fidelity’s sector strategist, Denise Chisholm.
Dividend-paying stocks’ regular, scheduled payments also may help to reduce the volatility of a stock’s total return.
The economy is gradually recovering from its pandemic-related slowdown and shutdowns, and inflation has hit its highest rate in 39 years. People are emerging from the pandemic and are spending money they saved or money they’re getting from the government. Thus, a combination of soaring pent-up consumer demand and persistent supply chain disruptions has tarnished an otherwise robust economic recovery.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the Consumer Price Index of food, energy, goods and services rose by 0.8 percent in November, pushing annual inflation above 6.8 percent. The level is the highest since 1982 and it also marked the sixth consecutive month in which annual inflation rates have exceeded 5 percent.
Currently, approximately 70 percent of Americans rate the economy negatively, with nearly half of Americans blaming Biden for inflation, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC poll.
This combination of economic challenges and consumer worries may make this an especially good time to consider investing in stocks that pay consistent dividends.
A few important things for investors to know about dividend stocks:
Dividend payouts typically happen quarterly, although there are a few companies that payout monthly.
Many high-quality companies routinely raise their dividend payouts, helping hedge against inflation.
A stock’s dividend yield moves in the opposite direction of its stock price, all else being equal, so a high yielding stock may be reason for caution.
Fidelity research finds that dividend payments have accounted for approximately 40% of the overall stock market’s return since 1930. What’s more, dividends have propped up returns when stock prices struggle.
Dividends account for about 40% of total stock market return over time
US stock returns by decade (1930–2020). Over various decades, dividends have remained a fairly steady component of stocks’ total returns amid more highly volatile stock prices. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Source: Fidelity Investments and Morningstar, as of 12/31/2020.
To invest successfully in dividend stocks, one of the keys is finding companies with strong balance sheets and with secure payouts that can grow consistently over the long haul. Moreover, it’s important to understand the concept of dividend yield, which investors use to gauge how much dividend income their investment will produce.
Investing in dividend stocks
When selecting dividend stocks, it’s important to keep dividend quality in mind. A quality dividend payout can grow over time and potentially be sustained during economic downturns. It’s the primary reason investors must not focus solely on yield.
Steve Goddard, founder and chief investment officer of Barclay, prefers companies with high returns on capital and strong balance sheets. “High return-on-capital companies usually by definition will generate a lot more free cash flow than the average company would,” he says. And cash flow is what pays the dividend.
Although overall dividend health has improved markedly since 2020 and looks good heading into 2022, it’s equally important to check a company’s dividend policy statement so you know how much to expect in payment and when to expect it. Dividend yield is a stock’s annual dividend expressed as a percentage of its price.
It’s crucial to recognize that a stock’s price and its dividend yield move in opposite directions, as long as the dollar amount of the dividend doesn’t change. Investing in the highest-yielding shares can lead to trouble, notably dividend cuts or suspensions and big capital losses
This means a high dividend yield may be a red flag of a problem with the underlying company. For example, a stock’s yield may be high because business problems are weighing down the company’s share price. In that case, the company’s challenges may even cause it to stop or reduce its dividend payments. And before that happens, investors are likely to sell off the stock.
Fidelity Investments’ research has found that stocks that reduce or eliminate their dividends historically have underperformed the market by 20% to 25% during the year leading up to the cut.
Also consider the company’s payout ratio—the percent of its net income or free cash flow it pays in dividends. Low is usually good: A low ratio suggests the company may be able to sustain and possibly boost its payments in the future.
“As a rule of thumb, no matter what the payout ratio is, it is always important to stress test a company’s payout ratio at all points in the business cycle in order to carefully judge whether it will be able to maintain or increase its dividend,” says Adam Kramer, portfolio manager for the Fidelity Multi-Asset Income Fund.
“It all depends on the stability of the cash flows of a company, so it’s more about that than the level of payout. You want to test the company’s ability to pay and increase the dividend under different scenarios. In general, when the payout ratio is more than 50%, it’s a good reminder to always stress test that ratio,” Kramer explains.
Be sure to diversify as you build a portfolio of dividend-paying stocks. To help manage risk, invest across sectors rather than concentrating on those with relatively high dividends, such as consumer staples and energy.
Past performance and dividend rates are historical and do not guarantee future results. Diversification and asset allocation do not ensure a profit or guarantee against loss. Investing in stock involves risks, including the loss of principal.
“Making a plan to eat healthy can keep you healthy and active for longer.” National Institute on Health
“Aging—not cancer or heart disease—is the world’s leading cause of death and suffering. In spite of this, we accept the aging process as inevitable”, writes Dr. Andrew Steel, longevity expert and author of “Ageless: The new science of getting older without getting old“.
Dr. Steel suggest a list of proven life-extenders, such as don’t smoke, exercise, get vaccinated, take care of your teeth.
Strauss Zelnick, author of Becoming Ageless, and who successfully rejuvenated his metabolic health believes that, “You can eat to be younger.” He implores his readers to focus on what He calls “Forever Fuel.” He suggests that you do not have to forego eating your favorite foods; you’re just getting the best versions of them.
Unlimited Foods—Lean Protein, Salads, and Vegetables—eat as much as you want. I love bison, light tuna, chicken, eggs, grass-fed beef.
Limited Foods—Some fruits and dried fruits, nuts, and cheese—in moderation.
Highly restricted foods—no processed foods, fried foods, or added sugars. Processed foods account for 70% of the calories that Americans take in. They don’t just make you fat; they age you.
While humans wither and become frail after a mere seven or so decades, capturing the trait known as ‘negligible senescence ‘ has become the holy grail of aging research. A 2015 study, published by the Mayo Clinic, found that using a combination of existing drugs reversed a number of signs of aging, including improving heart function”, according to the Guardian.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN, adds that, “During medical school we were taught that aging is a natural process and that people can simply die of old age. The thinking was that age wasn’t just a turning of the clock but an accumulation of mutations, cancer, arthritis, heart disease and dementia. Have you ever wondered, however, if it was possible to address those diseases not just individually, but collectively, by addressing the underlying process of aging itself.”
The role of carbs and added sugars
When you have sugar molecules in your system, they bombard the body’s cells like a meteor shower—glomming onto fats and proteins in a process known as glycation. This forms advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which cause protein fibers to become stiff and malformed. The connective-tissue damage and chronic inflammation resulting from sustained high blood sugar can lead to debilitating conditions, such as cataracts, Alzheimer’s, vascular tightening, and diseases of the pancreas and liver.
From a dietary standpoint, forswearing white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup—which studies have shown increases the rate of glycation by 10 times, compared with glucose—and simple carbs is a no-brainer. “Even though all carbs get converted into sugar, when you eat the good ones, like brown rice and whole-grain bread, you get less glucose, and you get it more slowly,” Karcher says.
Carbohydrates (Carbs) — like fiber, starches, and sugars — are important for your health. They are your body’s main source of energy and are a basic nutrient your body turns into glucose, or blood sugar, to make energy for your body to work. But eating too many carbs can cause your body to store the excess as fat.
The fruit, vegetables, dairy, and grain food groups all contain carbohydrates. Sweeteners like sugar, honey, and syrup and foods with added sugars like candy, soft drinks, and cookies also contain carbohydrates.
You should try to get most of your carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains rather than added sugars or refined grains.
Nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fats can help you stay healthy as you age.
Many foods with carbohydrates also supply fiber. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body cannot digest. It is found in many foods that come from plants, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains. Eating food with fiber can help prevent stomach or intestinal problems, such as constipation. It might also help lower cholesterol and blood sugar.
A very low-carb diet, like keto, triggers your body into nutritional ketosis. This stored energy is released in the form of chemicals called ketones. Your liver starts to make ketones — a fuel that kicks in when your body uses up glucose and glycogen, and doesn’t have enough sugar to run on. It does this by breaking down the energy reserves stored in fat.
These chemicals, ketones, help cells—especially brain cells—keep working at full capacity. Some researchers think that because ketones are a more efficient energy source than glucose, they may protect against aging-related decline in the central nervous system that might cause dementia and other disorders.
Ketones also may inhibit the development of cancer because malignant cells cannot effectively obtain energy from ketones. In addition, studies show that ketones may help protect against inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. Ketones also reduce the level of insulin in the blood, which could protect against type 2 diabetes.
But too many ketones in the blood can have harmful health effects.
While there’s insufficient evidence to recommend any type of calorie-restriction or fasting diet. A lot more needs to be learned about their effectiveness and safety, especially in older adults. In the meanwhile, there’s plenty of evidence for other actions you can take to stay healthy as you age:
Eat a balanced diet with nutritious food in moderate amounts. Avoid or limit consuming refined sugars and carbs, and processed foods.
Engage in regular physical exercise (150 minutes per week).
Drink alcohol in moderation or not at all.
Don’t smoke or take illegal drugs.
Maintain an active social lifestyle and build close relationships.
Get a good night’s sleep.
Finally, older adults may have different vitamin and mineral needs than younger adults. Find recommended amounts and information on calcium, sodium, vitamin D, and more.
“People are living longer, staying healthier longer and accomplishing things late in life that once seemed possible only at younger ages.” –David Brooks, The New York Times
The American Heart Association recommends no more than six teaspoons of added sugar a day. The sugar found in whole foods like fruits and veggies, says Kimber Stanhope, PhD, a nutritional biologist at the University of California, Davis. “These naturally occurring sugars come packaged with good-for-you vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients.” Eliminating or reducing your intake of added sugar and carbs can result in you gaining some significant healthy aging benefits, according to the American Heart Association.
