Expectations: Slowing down aging, addressing hypothyroidism and hormonal changes

**VIII. Expectations**

As people age, most people believe that the decline in intelligence and physical strength, as well as the aging of muscles and other organ functions, are inevitable. Heart disease, high blood pressure, unstable blood sugar, and even cancer are all inevitable results of the aging process.

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That's not the case.

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We have heard and witnessed stories of people in their 70s, 80s, and even 90s still living active and healthy lives.

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Whether they are top-notch tennis players, tap dancers, artists, humanitarians, or people who have made various efforts throughout their lives, they all prove that entering old age does not mean entering a stage of being plagued by illness and declining physical function.

In addition to increasing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, excessive sugar intake also affects the aging process in another important way.

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The slow rise in blood sugar caused by consuming high amounts of carbohydrates can react with proteins to form advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which can impair the function of organs and blood vessels.

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One of the consequences is arteriosclerosis, leading to oxygen deprivation in vital organs, including the brain. 1-5

Given the above, how can you prolong your energetic prime? Besides having a positive attitude towards life, you must also view change as an opportunity and always maintain a spirit of challenge. The following answers should not surprise you; they are the same as other suggestions.

◎ Maintain healthy eating habits. Control your sugar intake and choose a variety of nutrient-rich foods.

◎Control your weight.

◎Exercise regularly. Regular exercise helps maintain energy levels, ensures adequate oxygen supply to the body, strengthens heart function, and keeps muscles strong.

◎Supplement nutrition to make up for nutritional deficiencies caused by soil degradation and over-processed foods.

It should also be added that one should take a proactive approach to health care.

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Find a doctor who is open to complementary medicine and supports you in being an active and capable participant in your health.

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Please note that this information is not only relevant to 60-year-olds, but also equally important to 30-year-olds.

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The earlier you adapt to a holistic healthy lifestyle, the longer you may live and the higher your quality of life may be.

**Aging** **Years** **Chemistry**

You may be adopting the Atkins method to change your lifestyle, but your Atkins sugar balance (ACE) may affect your entire life.

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No matter how much you focus on diet, fitness plans, and overall well-being, one thing that cannot be changed in life is that you will get older.

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Faced with this reality, what can you do? First, do your best to maintain your best figure, so you can fight the aging process; second, you need to understand that you must make some changes when facing the challenges of a new life.

As we age, our metabolism slows down, making it difficult to maintain a consistent weight.

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The only way to slow down the effects of time on us is to engage in more vigorous exercise.

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It's never too late to start a fitness program.

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If you are already someone who exercises regularly, you will definitely want to increase your activity level as much as possible without harming yourself.

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If activity levels can be increased, Atkins' sugar balance value may also be raised.

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If something temporarily restricts your activity level, you may need to lower your ACE value.

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You may have recently retired or can no longer walk and now take the shuttle to the office, or you may no longer be doing physically demanding work and thus leading a less active life. Worse still, you may have recently had surgery and are advised by your doctor to remain inactive for two months... All of this reduces your activity level, and to maintain your weight, you only have two options: first, find other ways to increase your activity level, change your old exercise habits, and increase physical activity.

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If your activities are temporarily restricted, you can engage in low-intensity exercise during the recovery phase, such as aquatic aerobics, stretching, or upper body exercises while seated.

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A rehabilitation therapist can offer exercise recommendations based on your health condition.

The second is to reduce sugar intake.

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If you can easily maintain your weight by consuming 80 grams of net sugar per day, you now need to proportionally reduce your intake until your activity level returns to normal.

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First, reduce your intake to 70 grams. If this amount helps you maintain your weight, that's your reset Atkins sugar balance value.

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If your weight starts to increase within a week or longer, then lower your ACE value to 60 grams or lower.

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The newly defined ACE is the amount that allows you to maintain your weight. (This does not mean we recommend compensating for inactivity by lowering your ACE.) Many people find that combining exercise with lowering ACE levels is the most effective approach in the short term.

**Hypothyroidism**

If you consistently maintain your set ACE and follow a fitness plan, but your weight is still increasing slowly, one possibility is that your thyroid function is beginning to decline.

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Have your doctor check your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels to determine if you are producing excessive amounts of thyroid hormones.

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If the indicator is very high, it means your body is working hard to overcome the decline in thyroid function.

**New** **Prescription**

Sometimes, a person can maintain their weight at the same level for many years, and can enjoy delicious food while exercising regularly, maintaining a good figure and vitality.

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However, even without significant changes in daily life, weight may suddenly increase. What could cause this? It could be a side effect of a new prescription drug.

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Many medications can make it difficult to control your weight, and this information is usually not printed on the drug's instructions.

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If your doctor prescribes a new medication, ask them for the following information:

◎Can this new drug be replaced by lifestyle changes or a combination of lifestyle changes?

◎Can any natural food supplements, or a combination of several food supplements, replace this new medication?

Will this medication make it difficult for me to control my weight?

◎If this medication causes weight gain as a side effect, can I switch to another medication that doesn't have this side effect?

◎How long is the treatment period for this medication?

If you must take this medication and it has the side effect of causing weight gain, you will have to maintain your weight by increasing your activity level and/or lowering your Atkins sugar balance.

**Hormones and Weight Gain**

When it comes to weight, women will face several challenges in their lives.

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Hormonal fluctuations may be caused by weight gain or water and sodium retention in the body.

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Similarly, taking hormones near or during menopause can cause a slow and imperceptible increase in weight.

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If taking estrogen causes weight gain, ask your doctor if there are alternatives.

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Recent studies on hormone replacement therapy have shown that this therapy not only has safety issues, but also carries long-term risks of causing breast cancer and heart disease.

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On the other hand, this therapy has a significant preventive effect on colon cancer and osteoporosis.

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Hormone replacement therapy involves the simultaneous use of estrogen and synthetic progesterone.

Men are not unresponsive to hormonal changes.

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As they age, the production of the main male hormone-testosterone-gradually decreases, and the effects of estrogen are no longer suppressed as they were when testosterone levels were normal.

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This can also make it very difficult to control weight.

**Facing pressure**

Many people who have long maintained a healthy weight see the stressful phase of their lives as the beginning of a difficult period in weight management.

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It's also the time when weight starts to rebound.

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After years of effectively controlling their weight, some people give up the healthy lifestyle they've maintained for years when they face dark times in their lives, such as divorce, unemployment, or widowhood.

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If you've ever had this experience, you'll realize that no matter how hard you try to maintain your health and control your weight, you can't truly avoid the disasters that may befall you or your loved ones.

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> At that time, you will find yourself returning to your old eating habits and starting to gain weight.

The close relationship between food and emotions is a research topic in the field of psychology.

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The purpose of our discussion here is to make you understand that if you have a history of overeating or consuming unhealthy foods, such as drinking strong alcohol, it is easy to revert to your old eating habits when you encounter setbacks.