By Accelerating the Aging Process

by 

Joseph

According to a recent British study, alcohol drinking, smoking couch potatoes who don't eat enough fruits and vegetables are cutting their life expectancy by about twelve years when compared to people who lead just the opposite lifestyle.

This should not come as a surprise to anyone. Alcohol pulls water out of the tissues even killing brain cells and places unnecessary stress on the kidneys to detoxify the body (alcohol is actually a toxin and the higher the levels the greater the damage). Smoking produces carbon monoxide which competes with oxygen for a place on the hemoglobin molecule, thus interfering with cellular respiration. If these weren't bad enough, the chemicals that give cigarettes their appeal also make them addictive and carcinogenic.

Physical inactivity leads to muscle atrophy, decreased muscle tone, reduction in metabolism all of which contribute to weight gain. It also means that the cardiovascular system will not operate as efficiently because increased physical activity naturally acts as a stimulus for the heart to pump more blood to the cells to supply them with oxygen and nutrients.

People breathe more deeply when they're moving quickly, this brings in oxygenated blood to the lungs for distribution to all the cells of the body. Fruits and vegetables provide the body with vitamins and minerals that it needs for all of the cellular reactions and functions that are necessary for survival. Fruits and vegetables are also abundant in antioxidants, the very chemicals that reduce free radical damage and thus curbs the aging process.

Yet, for some reason there are millions of people who choose to take up bad habits. That's what it comes down to really: choice. No one is forced to not smoke, drink, get regular exercise and eat healthy.

But when you've smoked so many cigarettes that you smell like a chimney or cough so violently that you spew up blood; wake up with a terrible headache because guzzling down a gallon of booze the night before has killed off several million brain cells; receiving a report from the doctor that you've now got type II diabetes; and that your body is experiencing more and more aches and pains these should serve as a wake up call to stop what you're doing and start over. It's even better if you never get involved in any of those bad habits in the first place.

People have a choice as to how they will live, in this we must accept personal responsibility. Go wants us to lead holy lives, to love Him first then to love others as we would ourselves. This means to not do harm to yourself. We must take control of the situation if we are to improve the quality and quantity of our life. It shouldn't take research findings for people to realize that bad habits will kill them. All they really have to do is listen to their bodies.

(If you liked this article read "Those Bad Habits Really Will Catch Up With You One Day" to learn which foods and habits are most likely to cause you to gain weight.)

Article source

"Bad habits can age you by 12 years, study suggests" Yahoo! Health http://health.yahoo.com/news/ap/us_med_bad_habits_survival.html

"Bad Habits Can Kill You By Accelerating the Aging Process" copyright 2010 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.

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