So, for those of us who are serious about slowing down the aging process - it’s important to understand just what the aging effects of alcohol are.

Most of us already know that excessive consumption of alcohol causes liver damage - but did you know that that drinking alcohol makes you more likely to develop osteoporosis?

Alcohol interferes with the body’s ability to absorb calcium so the more alcohol you drink - the greater the risk of brittle bones and other related calcium deficiency problems will be.

Alcohol also has an aging effect on the skin. Alcohol causes the small blood vessels to widen, producing flushed skin and often broken veins.

The older we become, the higher the likelihood of alcohol related skin problems. And what’s more, because alcohol is dehydrating, those of us who enjoy a regular drink will also be more prone to premature wrinkling.

Consume a lot of alcohol and you are getting ‘dead’ calories - so alcohol isn’t great for the figure either. In fact - as a rough calculation - we need to walk one mile for every unit of alcohol we drink in order to walk off those added calories. If we don’t rid ourselves of alcohol calories, they’ll most likely be stored as fat around the abdomen, hence the term “beer belly”.

One beer or a full unit of alcohol every evening adds 15 pounds to your stomach in a year. On top of that - drinking alcohol is likely to stimulate your appetite causing you to eat more than you need.

Women fare worse than men when it comes to managing alcohol. Alcohol doesn’t need to be digested. It’s quickly absorbed into the blood where it remains until it’s broken down by the liver.

Sadly, lighter people - and that’s usually us - are more likely to become drunk because heavier people have more blood and water in the body to dilute the alcohol.

It’s also a fact that the it takes women longer to process alcohol - as alcohol is stored in fat which women have more of. As we get older of course we store more fat so - over the age of 40 - we find that it takes even longer to process and eliminate the alcohol.

But it isn’t all bad news when it comes to drinking as the French have proved. French people eat a diet that contains one of the highest levels of fat in the world and despite this they have a staggering 42% lower incidence of heart disease than Americans.

They owe their increased resistance to heart disease largely due to wine consumption - although it is probably true that the healthier French diet has something to do with these statistics. French people eat a much higher proportion of fruit, vegetables and wholefoods with much less heavily processed food than the average American.

Scientists have linked the protective effects of wine to an organic compound known as ‘resveratrol’ that’s found in red wine. A glass or two of this wonderful substance taken daily decreases the likelihood of atherosclerotic disease occurring. And the wine with the highest concentration of resveratrol in the world - Californian red of course!

Drink wisely and the aging effects of alcohol on the body can be positive. Drink unwisely and your health and looks will suffer.

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Even the most committed gym bunny may want to top up at home between visits. Setting up a home exercise area can be a great way to stay fit without spending a fortune.

The key is - don’t try and reproduce what the best gyms offer. You certainly can’t buy the highest quality machinery without serious money. That’s really what a gym membership buys - use of great equipment without the outlay.

But do you really need the high cost hardware to keep fit?

It certainly didn’t used to be that way - go back fifty years and no one would have thought time on a rowing machine or vibrating plate were essential to keep them fit.

Even high calibre sports men and women years ago trained in a much more simple way - using exercise routines often based on army keep fit manuals. High tech fitness equipment back in your grandfather’s day was a ball or a skipping rope.

Having a place to go where you feel comfortable and relaxed to practise your routines in private will help you stick with your exercise program. If you don’t feel comfortable, you keep getting interrupted - or if the equipment needs to be continually removed and stored - you may find yourself less keen to start exercising each day.

So - here’s ten tips to get you started.

1. Pick your space and make it your own - a private and comfortable space will add to your motivation to exercise. But keep your home exercise space clear and uncluttered
2. Use a large storage crate to keep your exercise equipment in so you can keep it tidy and out of sight. A large wicker basket is ideal.
3. Make sure you have a source of music - exercising to music is much more enjoyable and feels more sociable. Music keeps you moving and energetic.
4. An exercise ball is a great bit of starter kit - not expensive and easy to use. It stores easily, doesn’t take up much room and can be used in all kinds of routines. Buy a good quality ball that will last and make sure it’s the right size for your height and weight.
5. A simple skipping rope is great for a cardio workout the old fashioned way - who needs an exercise machine? It’s cheap (or you can even ‘borrow’ one from the kids), stores easily and most of us know how to use one without instruction.
6. Get a simple set of dumbells for resistance and strength training. A set of dumbells take little room and are relatively inexpensive. Dumbell training can also be incorporated into your cardio exercise routine or core exercise program.
7. A good mat is absolutely essential. The mat will absorb impact during aerobic exercise and give you a a comfortable surface for floor exercises. Exercise mats roll and store easily and don’t cost much. Save money by using an old rug or carpet but make sure it has a no slip base.
8. Weights for strapping to your arms and legs are good to aid muscle building exercise. You can start with a set and see how you go - again they cost little compared to large pieces of equipment.
9. If you want to really save on costs - or try out weight training before you spend any money - replace your weights with tins from your store cupboard - choose itns you can comfortably hold in your hand.
10. Sort out some comfortable clothes to wear to exercise in - you don’t need special expensive kit. Cotton stretch leggins and a tee shirt are ideal.

With this simple set up - you can start exercising at home or even give up gym membership for good

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Although loss of muscle tissue starts as early as in our 30s and 40s, it’s later in life that we really start to notice how much those changes affect us.

As muscle fibers shrink and become less flexible, our backs are no longer as strong as they once were and our stomachs start to look flabby.

Back pain is a very common complaint and a painful back is a very aging condition preventing you from holding yourself upright with confidence.

Back pain is so common partly because of the way muscles have to interact in order to allow you to stand and move. Weak muscles - especially if you are carrying excess weight or have poor posture - will show up in back pain very quickly.

Avoiding back pain is one of the reasons why core strength is so important - exercising core muscles can reduce back pain by as much as 25%.

The good news is that core strength can be regained with the right fitness program.

You may have heard people talking about ‘core strength’ and realized that it’s become something of a fitness buzz word recently. You may not have grasped just what was meant by the phrases ‘core strength’ or ‘core exercise’.

Core strength simply refers to the importance of a central group of muscles in your body - specifically the muscles of your abs and back. Whilst all muscles matter - some matter more than others as you get older - especially if you want to look younger and feel fit and healthy.

Core muscles support your spine and keep your body stable and balanced. Improving core strength is vital to give greater support to your spine and to keep your body strong and flexible.

So what are your ‘core’ muscles?

• Transverse abdominus - the deepest of the abdominal muscles, lying underneath your waist muscles and forming a belt protecting and stabilising your spine
• External obliques - the muscles at the side and front of the abdomen around your waist
• Internal obliques — lying under the external obliques and running in the opposite direction.
• Rectus abdominus - this is a long muscle that extends along the front of the abdomen. This is the ’six-pack’ part of the abs that becomes visible with reduced body fat and is so sought after by some physical fitness addicts.
• Erector spinae - a collection of three muscles along your neck to your lower back.

By doing abdominal exercise as part of a daily home exercise routine, youycan strengthen these core muscles. The muscles are less likely to become fibrous and will be more able to support your spine and keep your body flexible and balanced.

Whatever kind of exercise program you follow you need to target this set of muscles.

But remember - all these core muscles work together. Despite what you might hear people say in the gym or see in ads for fitness equipment - you can’t separate out one muscle above the others and concentrate on that without causing weakness somewhere else.

You need a fitness program that works all the core muscles for total body strength and balance.

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It’s a sad fact that, as we age, many of us find ourselves carrying an increased amount of abdominal fat or belly fat and - even worse - this kind of fat is actually dangerous for our general health.

Unfortunately, there are lots of misconceptions surrounding abdominal fat, the major one probably being that you can lose it simply by doing abdominal exercise. The truth is, you can’t.

While abdominal exercise is vital to build and tone abdominal muscles - it won’t get rid of the stomach fat on its own.

The body stores fat in order to help us survive famine. Because the body doesn’t want to lose this fat, it stores it in areas where it’s least likely to be worked off through exercise. Fat stored around the abdomen will be retained over a much longer period.

Although it’s true that abdominal exercise alone won’t lead to loss of stomach fat, it’s important that you do abdominal exercise to recreate the flat, strong stomach of your younger days.

Strengthening your abdominal muscles will also lead to a stronger back and less strain when lifting and carrying.

The best way to lose abdominal fat is through a healthy combination of diet AND exercise. For a really effective anti aging exercise routine combine cardio workouts with specific routines to tone and strengthen muscles.

Cardio or aerobic exercise is exercise that elevates your heart rate to around 60-85% of its maximum rate (the fastest it could possibly beat). When you’re in the aerobic zone, you should be able to talk, but not able to carry on a long conversation. If you find it difficult to talk at all when exercising like this then that probably means you are unfit.

Most experts agree that you should do some form of cardio exercise for between twenty to thirty minutes a minimum of three days each week. Obviously the more you do above this minimum the fitter you will become and the healthier and more energetic you will feel.

Examples of excellent cardio exercise include - dancing, running, power walking, swimming, rowing, biking and step aerobics. There are plenty of others and you should easily be able to find something you enjoy doing that fits your lifestyle and your fitness level.

Cardio exercise has many health benefits. Not only does it burn calories and reduce body fat - it will also strengthen your heart and lungs. Heart disease is a leading cause of premature death for both men and women so making time for regular cardio exercise is very important. Other positive results include increased bone mass and improvements in muscle tone.

It’s easy to get hooked on cardiovascular exercise because exercise of this kind stimulates the body to release endorphins and mood enhancing hormones.

Cardio exercise won’t increase your muscle mass - so you also need do exercises that specifically target your core strength. Reduced muscle mass is increasingly evident as you get older and it is vital that you follow a program that builds muscle and fights flab - especially the abdominal flab.

Muscle toning and strengthening exercises can be done with resistance training in the gym using special equipment or you can follow a core exercise programe at home or take up pilates or yoga. All of these are excellent forms of exercise for building muscle mass and increasing suppleness and strength.

The key to following an effective anti-aging exercise routine is to balance core strength training with some form of cardio exercise - to do it regularly and to make sure you keep it up. If you manage to build a routine that fits in with the way you live and that you enjoy doing - it will play a huge part in keeping you looking younger for longer.

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Relaxation helps you deal with the stress you’re already experiencing and helps ensure you avoid dangerous levels of stress in the future. You may believe relaxing is just collapsing on the sofa watching your favorite TV program.

That may help - but your mind can still be full of worries. For effective relaxation you need to clear your mind of anxiety. You need to learn how to do this effectively and you need to practise.

If practising how to relax seems a bit strange then try the following relaxation technique which works for a lot of different people:

• Lie down or sit in a comfortable chair in a quiet and undisturbed space with your eyes closed
• Tense each part of your body and then allow it to relax and empty your mind of all thought
• If thoughts come into your mind just listen to your breathing and focus on breathing in and out
• Visualize a scene of peace and serenity with yourself as part of it

You can adapt this technique to make it personal to you or use another that works better. Whatever relaxation technique you choose you need to practice it even when you’re not feeling particularly stressed.

Get into the habit of having a regular relaxation session using your chosen technique. As part of the relaxation session use a set process so you develop a set of signals which tell your mind: “I am now going to relax..”

For example - you may choose a certain sofa to lie on, take off your shoes and place them in the same spot, use the same special cushion for your head, play the same piece of music, light a candle which you only use for relaxation - you get the picture.

By practising relaxation when you aren’t feeling stressed and using the same process over and over - you train your mind and body to relax in response to key these key signals.

Whatever set of signals you use - always repeat them in the same order for your relaxation session. Then when you need to use relaxation as a coping strategy for stress - just follow the set steps and you will be able to relax much more easily despite the stress you are feeling.

This relaxation technique is a classic coping strategy for stress - using simple steps like this helps to diffuse the feeling of stress which otherwise can be harmful to your health and your looks.

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Here’s some simple tips - coping strategies in the jargon - that help you cope with stress better so for when life throws bad stuff your way - you’re ready.

Time out is a great coping strategy for stress. In a short term stressful situation - something like a highly charged argument or conflict - taking time out for 5-10 minutes works wonders.

If you are suffering ongoing stress - time out works here too. Taking a day away from anything that you feel puts pressure on you. If you’re experiencing stress at work - take a day off work. If you’re experiencing stress at home - forget the chores and go out for a day.

If you feel your family are demanding too much of you, put some distance between you by going out alone or with a close friend outside your family. If your children are young and a babysitter isn’t available, try taking them out into a different environment - a change of scene is like time out.

Successful coping strategies often mean putting in place some golden rules to avoid stress becoming a problem. The following are all practical ways of managing the things that cause stress. Following these simple rules will often help you avoid a stress reaction in the first place:

• Know your own capabilities and understand your limits
• Don’t stretch yourself too far or accept impossible targets
• Learn to ask for and accept help
• Learn to say no - As hard as it can be to believe, most people will respect your need for personal time away from responsibilities
• Do something you enjoy - breaking up chores and responsibilities with ‘play’ time is a prerequisite for good, mental health.
• Never allow yourself to feel guilty for time you spend by yourself
• Let off steam in a way that causes no harm to others.
• Punch pillows or scream and swear in an empty room
• Choose your friends wisely - supportive people are far more valuable as friends than those who are critical and judgmental

Stress can often make us angry. Sometimes we can even be abusive towards those around us and especially those we love. A great coping strategy is to learn to express your anger in an assertive rather than an aggressive manner.

Holding in your anger is never a good thing as you’ll eventually let it out in a way that may damage you or people you love and care for.

Damaging ways of expressing anger can include:uncontrolled fits of temper, getting at people indirectly without them understanding what they’ve done or who’s behind their problems; turning it in on yourself - a situation that often leads to depression and high blood pressure

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Apple shapes tend naturally to store fat around the middle but don’t switch off if you’re not a natual apple shape. Unfortunately, the tendancy to store fat around the abdomen increases with age - for all of us whether apples or pears.

That means that apple shapes will become more apple like as they get older but the rest of us will also acquire more unwanted flab around our waists too.

As far as overall health is concerned there’s no doubt about it - the apple shape is more dangerous than the pear.

So just how worrying is this abdominal fat? Potentially it is quite dangerous and the more you have the worse it is for your health. The main reason that the apple shape is more dangerous than the pear shape is the way the fat is distributed. When you put on extra weight around the waist you also accumulate excess fat around the internal organs. You may hate the accumulated fat on your hips and thighs - but it’s does less damage there than around your major organs.

Type 2 Diabetes and insulin resistance are two common problems associated with larger apple shapes but there’s also an increased risk of breast cancer, ovulatory dysfunction, heart problems and sleep apnea. Quite apart from any of these serious health risks - as most of us know - abdominal fat just doesn’t look good.

Because of the increased risk of health problems - if you have acquired extra fat around your abdomen - it’s especially important you take steps to reduce your weight and get rid of of it.

Stepping up your cardio exercise routine will help but aerobic exercise alone won’t get rid of abdominal fat. You need to build in a core exercise program to target the important muscles around your middle - your core muscles.

Toning and strengthening you core muscles acts like a corset round your middle - pulling in your shape and keeping your abdominal flab in check.

Take a look at your overall BMI and if you are into the overweight zone - take some steps to reduce. Aim for permanent weight loss and achieve it gradually.

A combined approach of aerobic and core exercisess with healthy weight loss is the best way to deal with that middle aged spread.

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The causes of stress are things that our subconscious minds perceive as threats. Whether real or imagined our brain reacts in the same way to any ‘threat’ - by pumping stress hormones into our bloodstream.

These hormones bring about immediate changes in the body’s biochemical state. We’ve all experienced what happens next - raised blood pressure, palpitations, anger, fear, worry or aggression. In short, stress upsets our normal bodily balance.

Most times these extra chemicals flooidng through our bloodstream aren’t put to good use. Most of the time we feel stressed we aren’t fleeing for our lives or fighting off attackers.

The cause of the stress may be deeply felt and it can be with us over a long period. Our immune system is affected and we become more prone to mental and physical illnesses.

Of course there is a very good reason for stress hormones. The classic stress response - the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream - is there to save our lives. Raised adrenaline levels prepare your body to run away from trouble or to confront it with a superhuman effort in dangerous situations. Adrenaline is the reason many people survive in life-threatening situations.

Adrenaline is partly responsible for any great sporting achievment or supreme test of endurance. It’s the reason people survive fires, bombs, floods, wars and any other truly life-threatening situation. It pulls ordinary mortals through the really difficult times.

Unfortunately, when the stress response is applied by the body to less dangerous threats - some of life’s ordinary stressful situations - we use up huge amounts of physical energy out of all proportion to the threat we face.

Think about a situation which caused you acute anxiety recently - a job interview, standing up in public to say a few words, confronting a personal difficulty with a freind or colleague, an argument at home.

You probably felt your heart thumping, your brain racing, your blood pressure increasing and every sense in your body on high alert. When the situation was over no doubt you felt exhausted - physically and mentally drained. You may had a headache, felt weak or shaky.

That is the toll the stress response takes on your body. Worth it if it saved your life - but if it wasn’t really necessary or it happens all the time - then it does untold damage.

So what effect does this have on your health as you get older? You probably won’t be surprised to learn that stress accelerates the aging process.

Eternally youthful celebrities like Andie Macdowell and Meryl Streep realize that managing stress levels is key to looking younger for longer and take action to reduce stress in their everyday lives - with good reason.

When we suffer stress we lose our bodies natural balance which causes damage to hormone secretion, cell repair and collagen production. Worry, anxiety and stress really do etch themselves on our faces.

More worryingly perhaps recent research suggests that when the body is exposed over a long period of time to stress hormones this can speed up brain aging too.

So the number one strategy in your anti aging health plan is reduce your stress levels and manage stress that’s unavoidable in a positive way.

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