EVEN as the ‘age miracle’ creams do their usual rounds in the market and attract you through ads, natural ways to stay young continue to rule the fitness roost. The twist? You get to not only look good but also stay healthy. This approach practically goes beyond the oh-my-I-have-wrinkles mentality and helps you to view a more logical side of ageing gracefully.

More than wrinkles, the few things that really tell you are ageing are:

• Muffin Top: That ugly abdominal fat can make you look you are in your late 30s even when you are only 25 years old. The same goes for people older than that. Cut that fat and you will find yourself looking at least five years younger.

• Heart problems: Do you already have a blood pressure or a heart problem while you are still 35? If yes, this is the biggest indicator of your ageing faster than usu

• Gray hair: Grays are often the results of a stressful life. Ever wondered why even the youth aged between 18 and 25 have now started getting gray hair? That’s because a lot of stress has gotten into their lifestyles.

And why exactly are we discussing this? A study conducted in UK recently talked about the effects of exercises like jogging and cycling on the overall looks of people. About 20,000 people were questioned many of whom were found to be doing mundane things like housework or gardening to keep themselves fit.

The survey found them to be ‘younger looking’ and more relaxed about their ageing than those who did not exercise or did any kind of physical activity at all. Muscle power is one thing that is a definite advantage of physical activities like cycling, jogging and trekking.
Many other findings of the report have obvious parallels in India. It is usually found in India that women begin to lose their fitness when they are about 35. The most obvious reason being they are married, have children and feel more settled. At this age, their husbands have better incomes, more comfortable lifestyle. It cuts down on their housework as now they can afford a maid. Men in India, on the other hand, usually attain a more settlement in their professional life. Since they have left college a long time ago, they have somehow also left any charms for physical exercise. However, a disturbing trend in the country is the presence of abdominal fat, blood pressure problems etc among the IT professionals who are barely 26.
What should they do? The three most practical things that one can do are: jogging, cycling and housework. These three exercises have been proven to have delayed ageing by as many as 10 years. The reasons are simple – they help to burn extra fat, increase your muscle power and hence stamina, improve self-image, rejuvenate and energize the body.
Apart from jogging and cycling, even house chores such as sweeping the floor, gardening, cleaning fans, coolers etc are great exercises that would help delay your ageing process.

Team ALW often engages in activities such as jogging and trekking quite regularly. Quite a few of our team member are regular gym goers apart from others are who are very particular about their daily exercises and Yoga. Quite a few of our women testify of doing housework at least twice a week while the team often goes for trekking expeditions on weekends.
The reason why we are sharing it here is simply because if it’s possible in an IT company like us, it’s possible anywhere. Keeping fit can never go out of fashion and anti-ageing creams can never work wonders inside your body. You have to work from the roots. Start today.