It’s no secret. People in the U.S. are living longer. While the second half of your life can bring several rewarding decades, it can also bring concerns about the aging body. Aging is a gradual, continuous process that begins in early adulthood. You may notice that many bodily functions begin to change during early middle age.
You can’t control these changes, but you do have a lot of say in how you feel. Aging doesn’t have to slow you down, and you can enjoy optimal health at any age. So, what’s the secret? Adopting a healthy routine that supports physiological changes and promotes your best health can help you make the most of your life.
The Importance of Routine
Age-related changes are inevitable, and without proper attention, these changes can throw your body and health off-balance. Taking a holistic approach to your health is one of the best ways to be proactive and keep this balance in check. Part of a holistic approach is to develop a routine to promote healthy aging from every angle.
Not only can routine help structure your day, but it can help you stick with healthy habits that incorporate the best nutrition, regular exercise, everyday stress management, and naturally derived supplements that work synergistically. And, it's never too late to develop and maintain healthy habits.
A powerful routine can make the difference between operating at optimal health levels or risking common health issues. The 1MD Nutrition™ comprehensive approach to healthy aging includes a properly planned daily routine that supports whole-body health, weight management, and energy levels so that you can achieve long-term health goals.
Start Your Day Right
Drink water to rehydrate. Your body loses water overnight, so you’ll need to replenish. Staying hydrated promotes healthier circulation, which supports the delivery of nutrients and oxygen through the body while also ensuring that you perform your best throughout the day.
Morning is also an ideal time to fit in your daily exercise as it provides several benefits for your overall health. Morning workouts allow you to exercise with fewer distractions, kick start your metabolism to help you burn fat during the day, help regulate your appetite, and promote healthy energy levels for your day ahead.
A goal of 30 minutes per day is great, but if you are not feeling very fit, even as little as 5 minutes of exercise will provide health benefits. One of the simplest ways to get exercise is to lace up your shoes and take a brisk walk or take up some yoga in the morning to promote flexibility, mobility, cardiovascular health, and overall strength.
Fuel Your Body
Breakfast is called the ‘most important meal of the day’ for a good reason. Your body fasts as you sleep, so replenishing your nutrient supply in the morning is the best way to get your metabolism in gear and promote healthy energy levels for your daily activities. It makes sense, then, to fuel your body with as many nutrients as possible.
When you start your day with CardioFitMD®, you get all-in-one daily nutrition with fundamental superfoods and 20 key letter vitamins and minerals. These are all included to address the most prevalent deficiencies in the United States, working synergistically to get your body off to a healthy start.
Heart Health
As part of normal aging, heart muscles and blood vessels become stiff, affecting blood pressure. Nitric oxide production, an important neurotransmitter, also decreases. A daily dose of beetroot helps promote nitric oxide production, so nutrients and oxygen are efficiently circulated for proper energy for the day ahead.
CardioFitMD’s broad-spectrum fiber provides additional arterial and heart health support by binding with cholesterol in the intestines. This helps prevent the cholesterol from being absorbed into the bloodstream to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Digestive Health
The digestive system is not as strongly impacted by aging as other systems, but some changes are noticeable. Namely, the stomach empties at a slower rate, and enzyme production, and therefore food breakdown, slows. In addition to physical changes associated with normal aging, Americans only get an average of 15 grams of fiber per day, falling short of the Institute of Medicine’s daily recommendations.
CardioFitMD® provides 20% of the recommended daily serving of fiber and two billion CFUs of Bacillus coagulans probiotics, both of which promote healthy gut function, digestion, nutrient absorption, and regular bowel movements.
Healthy Weight Management
As digestive systems begin to slow with normal aging, so does metabolism. In addition to this, hormone and body composition changes also occur with age, all of which can make it challenging to maintain a healthy weight. Daily fiber helps support metabolic activities to promote healthy digestion and will help to make you feel full longer, which can help support healthy weight management. Fiber also promotes metabolic health and weight management by slowing the absorption of sugar to help maintain healthy blood glucose levels.
Normal Energy and Stamina
Typically, energy declines with age because of normal changes. Genetic and environmental factors influence alterations in cells that cause aging muscles to lose mass and strength and become less flexible. Regular activities can require more energy, making common fatigue a daily issue. To help promote and maintain healthy energy and stamina while also supporting a reduction in everyday anxiety and fatigue, Rhodiola in CardioFitMD® helps support your body’s natural response to stress so you can stay active every day.
For the ultimate breakfast…
create a CardioFitMD® smoothie. Start with one scoop of CardioFitMD® powder added to 12 fluid ounces of water. Then just add your favorite nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, drink it up, and head out the door with confidence to take on the day.
Keep Going Strong
There are so many factors that contribute to your health, and doing all of them all the time can seem like a lot. The good news is that your day is already off to a great start. Your body is fueled with essential nutrients that are beginning to support cardiovascular, circulatory, immune, and digestive health.
With the tips below, you can continue what you started to maintain stamina and energy for everyday activities to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.
Plan Your Snacks
It is important to plan your snacks to help avoid the temptation of convenience foods filled with unhealthy fats, added sugars, and processed ingredients. Healthy snacks include:
♦ Trail mix with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit
♦ Apple slices and almond butter
♦ Fresh fruit
♦ Yogurt with granola
♦ Hummus and vegetable slices
Eat at Regular Intervals
Regularly eating throughout the day supports your metabolism, which keeps digestion going, blood circulating, nutrients delivered where they need to go, and energy sustained. A healthy goal to set for the day is to eat every three hours, so plan to have a snack at mid-morning and mid-afternoon each day, with a balanced lunch and dinner.
Balanced Menu
Just like your snacks, plan your lunches and dinners ahead. Following the USDA’s ‘healthy plate’ recommendation will ensure you get the nutrients to continue supporting your body throughout the day.
♦ ½ of the plate should be fruits and vegetables
♦ ¼ of the plate should be whole grains
♦ ¼ of the plate should be proteins, either plant-based protein like tofu, beans, and lentils, or animal-based protein like fish or poultry.
Keep Drinking
Water is so important that it starts your day and needs to be part of your entire routine. Fill a large bottle of water each morning and keep it with you all day, keeping in mind that you should finish it by the end of the day.
Move Around
If you were not able to get a morning workout in, now is the time. Or you can always add a second workout to the day. Try some cardio in the morning and then yoga or weight-bearing exercise during the day. Regular activity supports metabolism and digestion, circulatory and heart health, and promotes healthy weight management.
At the End of the Day
Below the surface, the cells in your body are also aging, which means they may not function as effectively. Eventually, old cells must die, as a regular part of the body’s functioning, and during sleep, these cells are removed and replaced with new cells. A lack of sleep can speed up the cellular aging process, so one of the most important parts of a healthy routine is promoting uninterrupted sleep.
Spend some time alone, even if it is just 15 minutes, and give yourself time to breathe deeply, read your favorite book, meditate, or take a hot bath. Then, wind down and go to sleep. Promote relaxation in your room by turning off electronics, making it dark and cool to maximize the release of melatonin for a more restful sleep.
Final Thoughts
Establishing a daily routine that incorporates a holistic approach to your long-term health is the best way to promote whole-body health, including heart, digestive, immune, and metabolic functions. A powerful routine with balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and healthy lifestyle habits will keep your health on track. And what’s more, when you start each day with CardioFitMD®, you get comprehensive nutrition in one scoop, once daily, for healthy aging and a lifetime of health.
Dr. Heather Shenkman
Dr. Heather Shenkman is a board certified interventional cardiologist. She completed a six year program at Albany Medical College, graduating at the age of 23. She completed her residency at Henry Ford Hospital, cardiology fellowship at the University of Rochester, and interventional cardiology fellowship at the esteemed Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
