5 steps to ageing gracefully

Chinese Medicine explains that our Yin (which represents our body fluids, hormonal regulation, immune system and so on), naturally declines as we age. However, we can speed this process up with poor health and dietary and lifestyle choices we make.

Any illness consumes your Yin, even a cold but you will usually bounce back pretty quickly. More serious illnesses that require medications especially for a long period of time will more dramatically accelerate ageing.

Dietary choices such as alcohol, stimulants such as caffeine, spicy/hot food, greasy/fatty foods and processed foods lead to poor digestive health which then creates nutrient deficiencies in the body. The result is that the body struggles to manufacture blood, body fluids and Yin.

Lifestyle choices such as late nights, smoking, recreational drugs, stressful situations all create inflammation in the body which leads to the consumption of your body’s Yin.

So does that mean you should live in a bubble and limit life’s experiences?

Absolutely not, as the theory of Yin and Yang suggests it’s all about having balance in your life. Obviously, there are some situations you can avoid such as taking recreational drugs or over medicating yourself for minor health complaints. But taking life’s challenges as a way of learning more about yourself and the choices you make is what makes life rich and fruitful. Respecting your body with a healthy diet and creating a lifestyle that enhances positivity, creativity and personal growth will aid in slowing down the ageing process.

Here’s 5 things you can start doing today to slow down the ageing process:

1. Detox your fridge, your pantry and yourself.

A great way to start cleansing your body is by cleansing your kitchen first. Grab a garbage bag and throw away anything processed, fatty, greasy, and foods that are low in nutrient value and high in calories.

2. Fill up your kitchen with Yin fuelling foods.

Go to your local farmer’s market and fill up your fridge with fresh produce and meats. Also go to your health food store and look at purchasing cook books that contain recipes for delicious and nutritious cakes, muffins, bread, ice cream etc. Having variety in your diet is essential and these foods shouldn’t be omitted; just replaced with healthier options.

3. Enrol into a meditation class.

Life’s stresses are here to stay; its all essential to help us learn more about ourselves and others. How you deal with these challengers is what is important. Incorporating meditation into your day will dramatically reduce stress levels and encourage better heath.

4. Reflect on whether your relationships are feeding your soul or slowly killing your spirit.

This can be a tough one as sometimes we get used to having people around us that may not be a positive influence. If you take a step back, and listen to the conversations you have ask yourself, is this feeding my soul? Once you start to listen more you will know whether this friendship is right for you. Remember we all experience personal growth at different rates and spending time with those that help us learn and understand from life’s obstacles will create a life more towards feeling grateful rather than victimised.

5. Address health concerns with Chinese Medicine.

If you are struggling with your health, try acupuncture or herbal medicine. These both work very well with other modalities especially western medicine. In fact, Chinese Medicine can make your treatment work more effectively. More so, if you have depleted Yin stores in your body and you need to be re-balanced, there are many treatments that can target your specific condition to get the desired outcome.

This may appear harder than what it actually is. Take it one step at a time as these type of transformations won’t happen over night. Ageing is a natural part of life and we should slow it down using nature as our pharmacy.