a new you for the new year

How would you like to look and feel ten years younger in just ten weeks time?

What if I told you there is a secret to looking and feeling healthier, sexier, and stronger than you have in a decade, and that you could restore mental quickness, skin tone, and fitness in just ten weeks. Not only would you feel younger, but you'd be physiologically younger on the inside, too. At a time when the average American suffers from accelerated aging with an expanding waistline, shrinking muscles and mental performance, and an overall sense of fatigue—there is another option.

The answer utilizes a comprehensive and scientifically proven Ten Years Younger program that combines a Sweet Sixteen Vitality Food list featured in October's AAA Going Places Magazine with both an “Age Busting Fitness Program” and a “Relaxation Routine” to empower you to turn back the clock and give you all the tools you need to succeed.

Sweet Sixteen Vitality Foods

The Sweet Sixteen Vitality Foods provide the nutrients and comes with menu plans, delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes, plus shopping lists to make following the this eating plan a pleasure. The “Sweet Sixteen” foods are especially good for your heart and circulation. They also aid in weight control and support your bones and skin.

•  Green Leafy Vegetables. For every serving (1 cup) of green leafy vegetables you add to your diet, you cut your risk of a cardiovascular event by 25 percent. (Two cups daily)

•  Lean, not mean protein. Seafood, chicken and turkey breast, beans and soy, and non-fat dairy products are excellent lean protein sources. While these foods may not contain many anti-aging compounds, eating more of them does suppress hunger and makes it easier to feel satisfied on fewer calories. (One serving per meal)

•  Seafood . Studies show that seafood consumption can improve blood sugar regulation, brain function, and decrease inflammation in people with arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease or rheumatoid arthritis. (Two-three servings per week)

•  Beans and Legumes. Beans can lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) by 5 percent while raising your healthy cholesterol (HDL) 2 to 3 percent. Beans also suppress hunger and help to stabilize blood sugar levels. (One-half to one cup regularly)

•  Soy. Most groceries carry soy-based veggie burgers, hot dogs and sausage, and calcium-fortified soymilk. These products lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels and are packed with cancer-fighting compounds, fiber, antioxidants, calcium, and many anti-aging nutrients. (One serving daily)

•  Whole grains. Whole grains such as barley, buckwheat, wild rice, quinoa, and oats are actually tastier than refined, processed grains, they're more natural, and they help prevent weight gain and diabetes. (Three-quarters cup whole grains 2-3 times per day)

•  Cruciferous Vegetables. Fiber-rich cruciferous vegetables--cabbage, bok choy, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels spouts—are high in chemicals that detoxify and are great sources of Vitamin C and calcium. (One cup daily – raw, steamed or lightly sautéed so they retain their valuable properties)

•  Berries. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc. are among the brightly colored fruits and vegetables that are packed with antioxidant benefits. They're also full of fiber. (One-half to one cup to daily)

•  Nuts . Nuts are packed with protein, nutrients, anti-aging compounds, and fiber too. They‘ll help you feel full, and while they do contain fats, they are mostly healthy fats that will lower your cholesterol. (A handful daily)

•  Flax Seed . Ground flax seed is an excellent source of omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats are good for everyone, but ground flax seed is especially important for women with perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. (Women with hormonal issues should enjoy 1-2 tablespoons daily)

•  Fresh Garlic. Fresh garlic lowers your total cholesterol about 7 to 9 percent, raises HDL slightly, decreases clotting, lowers blood pressure, and boosts your immune function (One clove daily)

•  Fresh Herbs and Spices . By weight, they're the most densely packed anti-aging foods you can find. (One teaspoon dried or one to two tablespoons fresh herbs daily).

•  Green Tea. Green tea, a staple in the Asian diet, is loaded with anti-oxidants. Black tea, though good for you, doesn't quite measure up to its green cousin. (One to two cups of unsweetened green tea daily)

•  Non-fat Yogurt. Non-fat yogurt is the healthiest dairy food–it's loaded with lactobacilli, which are healthy bacteria that normally live within your intestinal track. (One-half to one cup daily)

•  Red Wine. O ne 5-ounce serving of red wine a day helps raise your good HDL, decreases your risk of clotting, lowers overall oxidation, cuts your risk for dementia (memory loss), and improves insulin sensitivity—helping with blood sugar regulation. (One serving daily)

•  Cocoa . Cocoa helps dilate your arteries—improving their function, your blood pressure, and the risk of clotting. Cocoa is rich in magnesium and packed with anti-aging and stress-relieving compounds. (One cup daily)

Although you may not have the time or appetite to enjoy each of these foods daily, try to incorporate these regularly into your diet to look and feel better.

Age Busting Fitness Plan

Yet, diet alone isn't enough to turn back the clock. Building lean muscle mass and enhancing aerobic fitness is absolutely essential to becoming physically younger. The average person loses 1% of their lean mass and aerobic fitness level every year after age 40, even if you do everything right. The average American is likely losing more than 1% of their fitness level yearly, but with the right program, you can reverse ten years of aging in just ten weeks time.

Research has shown that you need to add aerobic activity 5-6 days per week for at least 30-60 minutes to succeed with not just weight control, but also to rev up your anti-aging enzymes that keep you young and fit. The simplest approach to achieve this is to aim for an exercise level that allows you to talk in short sentences, but leaves you too breathless to sing. A brisk walk with a full arm swing, workout on an elliptical machine, or other sports will do. Your key to succeeding with an aerobic workout is consistency, and as you improve you'll need to keep picking up the pace.

But to be younger, you also need to add resistance (strength) training to build lean muscle mass. Lean mass is the protein retirement fund that helps you fight infections, deter cancer, and burn fat. Muscles also make you look shapelier and sexier, especially when moving. To build muscle mass, select and strengthen twelve muscle groups (such as your quads, biceps, abs, and back muscles) and work them hard 2-3 times per week. You should be able to lift a weight at least ten times to prevent an injury, but if you can smoothly lift a weight more than sixteen times, it is too easy and you won't build muscle. Studies have shown that you can improve your muscle mass by up to 10% in just ten weeks, and even people in their eighties have been shown to succeed.

The Relaxation Routine

Combining an anti-aging diet plan with aerobic and strength training are the keys to your success. But one roadblock that detracts from this goal relates to stress management. We all know that stress kills, but not everyone appreciates that prolonged and excessive stress increases blood pressure levels, worsens mental function, depletes muscle mass, and builds unhealthy and undesirable waistline fat, too. While some stress gives us purpose, drive, and challenge (good things), excessive stress can self-destruct the best exercise and diet plan. To establish a successful “Relaxation Routine” to manage your stress, aim to sleep at least seven hours nightly, exercise daily, limit caffeine and alcohol to not more than 1-2 servings daily, and share love, intimacy, and affection freely to maximize your stress management program.

Combining diet, exercise, and relaxation together can create a new you for the new year—enabling you to reverse ten years of normal aging in just ten weeks time. Not only will you be healthier, fitter, trimmer, and mentally sharper, but you'll feel terrific as well, and feeling great is what makes any program truly worth following.

Dr. Masley is a physician, nutritionist, chef, the Medical Director at Masley Optimal Health Center in St Petersburg, Florida, an award-winning patient educator, and the author of the new book, Ten Years Younger , by Broadway Books of Random House. For more information visit: www.tenyearsyounger.net