Eating less will help keep you young -- and thin

October 9, 2:57 PMFitness ExaminerStefan Pinto

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Being broke doesn’t mean you have to look your worse. Having no money could actually cause you to think differently. Ask yourself “how can I transform this into an opportunity to make myself better?” Situations that are unexpected are often seeds of opportunity in disguise, “a sudden overwhelming external stressor can serve as a catalyst, helping us break the cycle and break free,” advised Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, author of Compulsive Acts: A Psychiatrist's Tales of Ritual and Obsession.

Your level of will power is a mechanism that kicks in -- especially during times of difficulty. By making the conscious choice to use this capacity wisely, you can avoid the peril of “shutting down” and free yourself from the stressful trappings of wants, conditioned needs and common-place quick fixes.

Eating less will help keep you young -- and thin

Budget eating applies just as much to calories as it does to currency. According to Newsweek, “there has been evidence that a diet extremely low in calories extends the life span of species.” This doesn’t necessarily imply that you just eat less calories, it also suggests you should eat quality calories. Ken Crawford, president and CEO of Trim Teams an organization that promotes  weight loss through motivation and accountability recommends becoming more “calorie aware” and gives the example of eating at McDonald’s, a common institution for mindless caloric intake. “A McDonald’s Premium Spicy Chicken Sandwich has 510 calories, a surplus of 325 calories for women and 280 calories for men.” Mr. Crawford calculated his surplus based on the calories burnt during 30 minutes of walking (women generally burn 185 calories and men, 230 calories). “Once someone begins to practice their calorie awareness they will understand the consequences of eating 510 calories versus the effort required to burn off fewer calories.”

Effort required. The body’s capacity to burn calories requires effort. And the more you eat, the more effort, i.e.: toil it puts on your body. And the more toil you put on your body -- including exercise -- the more rapidly cell oxidation occurs. This is what is commonly called free radical damage. And free radicals are what ages you. So, in order to slow down aging, naturally, it is crucially important to be aware of not only how much you eat, but what you eat. The anti-oxidants contained in your food are the essential substances that prevent (slow down) this oxidation by fighting free radicals and slowing the aging process.

Indeed, when you are broke, the price of food is priority number one, but take into account the nutritional value as well before putting the item into your shopping cart.

For one week’s worth of nutritious food, here’s what $16 will get you at a Trader Joe’s supermarket:

• $2.49 Bag of broccoli (3 servings)
• $3.99 Prepared Rosemary chicken breast (4 servings)
• $1.99 Organic Whole Wheat Wraps (10 servings)
• $2.89 Granola Pumpkin Flax Cereal (6 servings)
• $0.89 Garbanzo Beans (3 servings)
• $1.39 Tongol Tuna (2 serving)
• $1.69 Almond Milk (4 servings)  

Exercise at a lavish gym for $14 a week

When researchers at King’s College in London looked at the chromosomes of people who exercised regularly compared to those who don’t, they discovered considerably less cell damage. Moreover, the participants only engaged in moderate exercise -- less than 30 minutes a day, five days a week. This concept of “exercise to stay young,” is a realistic approach to the proverbial “fountain of youth,” and the key here is, once again, not the quantity of exercise (time spent), but the quality of exercise.

According to the Archives of Internal Medicine, the aging process is affected by lack of exercise, “The rate of decline is twofold greater when comparing sedentary with physically active middle-aged men.” Furthermore, the article explains that when looking at the health benefits of exercise in an aging society, it is important to understand that “Aging is associated with a linear decline in maximum aerobic capacity.” A “linear decline,” in other words, a successive deterioration.

When put into a situation of “like-mindedness” goal oriented people will either strive to “fit in” or excel, a conclusion based on Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini. So a lavish gym, say, Crunch Fitness might charge anywhere from $50 to $65 a month, depending on location (or the advisor). The appeal of a gym like Crunch lies in its mission of taking the work out of working out; the place is fun. And, if you don’t know how to work out, Crunch (and most gyms) offer free classes.

Take Away

• Eat less calories to reduce cell oxidation
• Spend money only on nutritious food
• Save money by buying only food that comprise several servings
• Perform, short quality workouts daily
• Exercise with like-minded individuals

Armed with the right information, and the proper resources, there is no secret to staying young and keeping fit, two elements that should not be affected by one’s wherewithal, but rather serve as the impetus for finding the solution. If keeping fit and staying young is important to you, please come back next time when I write about how what you drink can help keep you looking (and feeling young). And, no, it's not wine.