LONGEVITY BIBLE

From the world's bestselling MBS series, promoted as 'The definitive guide to a long, healthy and happy life.' Discover how the ageing process works and what we can do to enjoy a better quality of life as we grow older, find out what history, biology, Eastern philosophy, Western science and the findings of top medical experts and researchers can teach us about maintaining optimal health, the importance of sleep, moderation, diet, a sense of purpose, connection, love and curiosity and how they help us live well and live happily. The insightful takes on ageing include Ayurveda, TCM, and archetypal stories about ageing. Read about the 122 year old whose youthful spirit and good health kept her young at heart. A nice balance of science, exercise, anecdote, recipes, tips and even a facercise. Ageing affects the functioning of the endocrine system and the glands and organs that produce hormones and regulate key body functions. The pituitary gland regulates hormone and loss of the growth hormone which stimulates cell growth, metabolism and muscle development, affects the strength and mass of muscle and bone, plus heart and immune function, and acts against diabetes and obesity. It declines quickly after the age of 30. The thyroid gland produces fewer hormones too, meaning a lower metabolic rate and increasing levels of fat. Cells become less sensitive to insulin secreted from the pancreas post 50, and glucose metabolism slows. Increasing amounts of parathyroid hormone affect calcium levels and contribute to osteoporosis. Melatonin, which regulates the sleep-wake body clock, also wanes, and that can affect the sleep cycle. Not to mention reduced libido, increased risk of heart disease and depression. Getting old is no fun. Sleep helps reset how we perceive the ageing body, not as frail and stiff, but as beautifully resourceful and capable of continual change. Armed with this handbook you can be the warrior architype, negotiate and refine to make better choices with our bodies and minds. Cultivate warrior energy with the yoga Warrior pose and other forms of exercise such as the Feldenkrais method which are sequences of slow repetitive movements to tune into your body. With breathing, standing, ankle and foot mobility, hot springs for a long life, what we need in terms of nutrition as we age, tonic herbs, and advice from the great yogi B.K.S. Iyengar who lived to the age of 95. Specific yogic techniques are designed to stop the nectar of immortality ebbing away such as locking the chin down to close the throat and direct energy back upwards and such techniques cultivate stillness and a peaceful heart. A heavyweight 400 page softback packed with colour photos and diagrams.