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Moving to California and a meeting with Aubrey

Moving to California
Sorry for neglecting this blog, but I've had a lot of things to do recently because something big in my life is happening right now. For those who aren't friends on my facebook probably won't know what's been happening since December. I actually met the most amazing girl from LA in California. We are now in a long distance relationship and have been since January. From the moment I saw her I knew what I wanted, she is so beautiful, and to my surprise she also turned out to be so interesting too. We have a million things in common, she is just so similar to me in so many ways that it's unbelievable almost. I love her so much, and she clearly loves me. She makes me incredibly happy, and I just can't wait to get to California. So I'm working my boring job as much as possible right now to save the money to get to California to see her. I'll be staying in California for a month sometime between June or July, at least that is the plan. It's so hard being so far away, but I'm so determined to make it work. I've never felt so much of a connection with anyone before in my life. She is so perfect for me, and she feels the exact same way. She also happens to be a vegan, maybe that's why she looks so young too. She is also a supporter of life extension, transhumanism and all that, which I thought I would never find a girlfriend who had similar views on this as I do. If everything goes well I will be hoping to move to California by early next year at the earliest. From what I understand, raw food and healthy living is a lot bigger in California than where I live. Hopefully I'll get to meet a lot of like-minded people when I'm there! I'm really looking forward to it. So I'm really working hard lately and saving everything that I can to go to california to be with my girlfriend as soon as possible. I'm so excited about everything, I wish I could get there more quickly to be with her, but I am really trying, and she knows that. :)

On March the 7th I had planned to meet with Aubrey De Grey, for the first time. He was giving a talk there and we were going to meet up before the talk. Because of circumstances at the time I wasn't able to make it early in the day, but then at around 5pm I had a call from him asking me if I was still able to meet with him in Oxford, as I felt so bad on this day I thought I wouldn't make it, but I just had to go, even though it was already so late in the day, I quickly got ready and within 30 minutes I was out of my house and booking a train for Oxford. I arrived in Oxford quite late at around 9pm and then met Aubrey outside of the train station. At last! From the moment I met him it was obvious that I was going to get along so well, actually I get along with everyone anyway and since there was obviously a lot to talk about, it would definitely be an interesting and fun night. So we headed straight for the pub near the train station and we talked for almost 3 hours about everything that has been going on in my life over the last few years, and especially my relocation to California. We talked about SENS, my plans for the future with regards to what I want to do, which I told him that I definitely want to be involved in aging research at some point, and clearly California is the best place for that, it was just that things happened in the past that really changed my life a lot and I kind of lost track of where I was headed (I'll write more about this another time). We talked a bit about my girlfriend in California, who he already knows, and we talked about a lot of other general stuff which I'm not getting into here. It would take too long anyway haha. So after about 3 hours it was time to close at the pub and we headed off to find a hotel because all the trains had stopped running by this time. He walked with me in Oxford and made sure that I found a hotel to stay at for the night. I was worried that I would end up walking the streets on my own trying to find a hotel, and not knowing Oxford at all, this was a scary thought (thanks Aubrey again!). So we finally found a hotel that was open, booked a room, and then I said goodbye to him as he left to go to his hotel somewhere else in Oxford that had been already booked. It all seems like a dream now, it was bizzare meeting Aubrey after all this time, but he was extremely easy to get along with and I had a good time. It was also great to get to know Aubrey on a more personal level too, as I've always seen him giving talks and never got to know how he was outside of all that. I hope to meet again at some point in the future, possibly in California. So thanks so much for that Aubrey, again. Only next time I hope to be a little more awake if I meet with him because on that particular night before going to Oxford I must have had around 3 hours sleep in total. It was certainly worth making the effort and I'm so glad that I did.

Super Foods Part 2

6 Anti-Aging Foods and Drinks

Red Wine - Although I am not a wine drinker, it's impossible to ignore the benefits that consuming a glass of wine a day could have for you. Red wine is full of antioxidants and in certain wines such as pinot noir, they contain high amounts of Resveratrol which is found in the skins of grapes. Recently Resveratrol has undergone a lot of testing to see if extends the lifespan of mice who eat a junk food diet, becauase it's thought that the Resveratrol compound mimics some of the effects of calorie restriction. Resveratrol showed remarkable protection against the damaging effects of consuming a bad diet, and many people had rushed out to buy resveratrol supplements based on that study. Later came another study showing that Resveratrol failed to extend the lifespan significantly for mice that consumed a regular diet and were not obese, but it did confer some protection against aging damage, and there was an increase in lifespan when low dose resveratrol was combined with a mild level of calorie restriction. The amount of resveratrol that you will get from red wine is not anywhere near the amount given to mice in these studies, but there is a significant amount of evidence showing that drinking red wine, at least a glass a day, is very beneficial for your health. Studies have shown that Red Wine might protect you from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other age related diseases.

Tomatoes - These are one of my favourite fruits. I grow my own tomatoes now, usually the small cherry tomatoes, sweet million variety, and they have such a delicous sweet taste that I have never experienced from store bought tomatoes, so I enjoy them everyday during the summer months. They are easy to grow and maintain also so I highly recommend that rather than spending money buying tomatoes, you should really consider growing your own this year. It's best to start very soon by sowing the seeds indoors and then take them outdoors when there is no danger of the plants dying. So why do I consider this one of the best foods? Well it's low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. It also contains something called lycopene which is beneficial in helping prevent cancers like prostate cancer, and there is evidence that adding green tea and broccoli to the diet of men could lower mens risk of this disease even further. As for anti aging benefits, lycopene is a strong antioxidant and there was one study had shown that the lycopene gives people better protection from sun damage, and that it boosts levels of procollagen in the skin so that your skin stays youthful for longer. Tomatoes also contain a significant amount of vitamin K which could also help keep your bones stronger. I recommend that men consume plenty of tomatoes for prostate health. Remember to cook the tomatoes, use tomato paste, or tomato sauce, as these have higher bioavailability. Make sure that you consume tomatoes with a little fat to help absorption also.

Nuts - Nuts are very good for your health and might help you live longer. Almonds contain significant amount of vitamin E, Magnesium and Monounsaturated fat. Almonds have been shown to protect again various diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and also help you lose weight and protect from the problems that come with that excess weight. Walnuts are also very healthy for you as they contain many minerals, one of the highest being Magneisum. Walnuts are also a good source of ALA which is converted to DHA/EPA, these are found in fish and are benfeicial for lowering inflammation and protecting against depression, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and many other diseases. Include just a handful of nuts in your diet everyday, you can mix them with fruit, put in your oatmeal, or as I do you can put them into a yogurt. Also eating nuts on a daily could extend your life by upto 3 years according to one study on seventh day adventists in California.

Super Foods

6 Anti-Aging Foods and Drinks

KALE - This is a leafy green vegetable from the brassica family of vegetables which include; Broccoli, Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts. It's probably one of the most nutrient dense foods that you can eat and is loaded with antioxidants and bioavaiable nutrients to maintain your health. It contains a significant amount of Beta Carotene, Lutein and Zeaxanthins which are good for the eyes, immune system and the skin and general health. Lutein was found to significantly increase hydration and elasticity and lipid levels of the skin in human volunteers that consumed 10mg of lutein daily for 12 weeks. There was further improvement if a cream was applied to the face containing lutein. In the group that just took the supplement skin hydration was increased by 38%, Skin elasticity was increased by 8%, and Lipids were increased by 33%. Kale is also a good source of calcium for those that are vegan, unlike spinach, the calcium is better absorbed from kale. Kale also contains Sulforaphane which is thought to have anti-cancer benefits as well as being antibacterial and antiviral. Kale also contains indole-3-carbinol which is able to boost DNA repair, increase the rate of which the body metabolises substances like caffeine, and also is able to block the growth of cancer cells. I would consider this a superfood. If you add kale to green smoothies then it is a lot easier to consume a significant amount so that the benefits of this food can be realised.

Blueberries - These are low in calories and they contain only a little sugar and are popular foods for those of all kinds of diets and those people who want to reduce sugar like those on low carb diets, this fruit is perfect! Blueberries are loaded with phytonutrients called Anthocyanidins which are powerful antioxidants thought to be responsible for the majority of health benefits that you get when you consume Blueberries. I highly recommend that you try to consume Blueberries often, a little everyday if you can.

Some of these benefits might include: Improved memory, protection against colon cancer and ovarian cancer, protection from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers disease, improved vision, improved arterial health, and improvement in skin health.Ellagic acid is another antioxidant found in various berries such as raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, pomegranates and is also is able to prevent UV damage from the sun.

Blueberries are a powerful anti-inflammatory food that will not only keep you healthy on the inside, but the outside also. . Eating 1/2 to 1 cup of blueberries a day is enough to start enjoying the health benefits of this superfood.

Green Tea - Green tea is consumed more than any other tea in the world especially in China and Japan. The health effects from green tea are thought to be because of a compound named Epigallocatechin-gallate. Many studies over the past few years have been published and numerous benefits of drinking it were found. In one study it lowered the risk of all-cause mortality by 16% for those that drank 5 cups or more a day, and there was a 26% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those only drinking less than 1 cup of green tea per day. Interestingly in Asia where smoking rates are higher than the West, they have lower risks of cancer and heart disease and the reason behind this is thought to be the consumption of green. So for those that are still smoking, and are still trying to give up, it might be worth consuming green tea to prevent some of the damage induced by smoking until you can give up. But for everyone it looks like consuming green tea is beneficial and there are no obvious risks to consuming up to 10 cups per day.

Green tea and aging. There was a recent study done on Chinese elderly men which had shown that those that drank the most green tea had telomeres that were longer, at least a 5 year difference the researchers claimed. They looked at this by measuring the telomere length from taking blood samples and looking at white blood cells. This is just one of the many benefits from consuming green tea over many years.

Green tea also contains an amino acid called L-theanine and this reduces anxiety and depressive symptoms in humans by blocking cortical neuron excitation. Those that drank 4 cups of green tea daily had a 44% lower risk of depression.

Other benefits to green tea are; Possibly lower risk of many cancers such as lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, leukemia, and prostate cancer. Green tea lowers inflammation, improves allergies, improves skin health and also protects you from sun damage. There is some evidence in animals and humans that green tea might lower risk of autoimmune diseases such as Sjorgren's, Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis also.

Since green tea has virtually no calories it is worth trying to add it to your diet. It’s not all that uncommon for this amount of tea to be consumed in Asia. If you don't like the taste of green tea you can buy various flavoured teas like mint or lemon which might be easier to consume than natural green tea.

Part 2 will come tomorrow!

A state of mind

Every challenge in my life so far I've been able to get through it without much help from other people, without alcohol to make me forget for a moment, and without drugs to ease the pain of something. I understand that some people really do need help to get past problems such as anxiety or depression and I wouldn't say that in all cases people should avoid medication, but there are other ways to help. Five years ago I had something called SAD, this is caused by the lack of light that we get around this time of year. It's a recognised problem and affects a lot of people that live in the UK. Since that year and every year after that I've made sure that I do what I can to avoid it, and so far it seems to have worked. The main things that helped me I believe were increasing my vitamin D3 intake, making sure I always get my omega 3, and probably the most important is exercise. If ever I felt a little down and I was at home I would put on some good music and simply just do some exercise and I find that it's absolutely amazing how much better you can feel! You can either sit there and feel down and sorry for yourself for whatever reason, or you can do something about it. I guess that it my attitude when it comes to my health. I never sit back and let things just happen. The consequences of doing nothing is pretty obvious when you look at the rates of obesity and depression.

It seems I'm resilient and I bounce back from things fairly well, it's in my nature to be generally relaxed, care free, but also dedicated to something when I put my mind to it. I seem to be the only one in my family at the moment that bothers to eat healthy and stay fit. I also seem to be the only one in my family that has been able to avoid taking medications for anxiety or depression. There was a time when I had anxiety, but like I always do, I got control over the issue pretty quickly from taking magnesium supplements, and learning to control my reactions to things better. I did things to alter my own behaviour and although it took some time, I did it without help from anyone. My brother, sister, and mother, and I believe many others in my family, have taken some form of mind altering medication in their lifetime or right now, but I have been able to completely avoid this even when I was going through a very tough period many years ago with insomnia from a side effect of a medication that lasted 4 months. Now I'm completely fine and I got through it all by myself with no help, and neither did I want any because I trusted in own ability to get back to how I was before that happened. If you put your mind to it you can really improve your own state of mind or health without any intervention from doctors or psychologists. It just takes a lot of effort and persistence. You wont change things in one day, but things take time to get better, and they really do. You can speed up recovery from many types of problems that happen to us with good nutrition, meditation, yoga, supplements, but even these are not miracles.

2010 has been a hard year for me, but I made it, and now I feel so good and happy again. I alwys return to myself, I return to my optimistic and happy state of mind. It is who I am, and maybe some things might hit me off balance, but I will always become a stronger, better and more determined person. Through everything that has happened over the last 5 years I've learned from it and tried to improve and prevent them from happening again. Life is a big learning experience and I'm still young and I'm sure that Ihave many things to come in my life that will challenge me even more than what has happened upto now.

Never stop trying to improve youself, never stop loving yourself, never stop loving others, and do the best you can to live a good life that is healthy and fulfilling.

"live like you're going to die tomorrow learn like you're going to live forever" - Gandhi

I hope that everyone has a lovely christmas and new year!