In his book, “The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer”, Johnny Bowden identifies what he calls “the four horsemen of aging,” which are thought to be dangerous processes that age our bodies and are triggered by the foods we eat and the lifestyles we lead. Conquer these four horsemen, Bowden contends, and you can slow down the aging process.

1. Free radicals: Free radicals are chemically unstable molecules that attack your cells and damage your DNA. You can limit your exposure to them by avoiding cigarettes, trans fats, charred meats, and other sources.

Organic fruits and vegetables will also limit your exposure to pesticides and herbicides, which contain the harmful molecules.

2. Inflammation: Inflammation is a major player in many diseases of aging, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. One way to avoid it is to follow a Mediterranean-style diet.

Other great anti-inflammatory foods include turmeric, dark chocolate, and the anti-aging chemical resveratrol. Exercise is another great way to lower inflammation.

3. Glycation: Glycation is what happens when sugar mixes with proteins and fats to form molecules that promote aging. Advanced glycation end products, or AGEs (Isn’t that an appropriate acronym?), are thought to accelerate your aging process by churning out free radicals and promoting inflammation. One way to avoid ingesting AGEs is to turn down the heat when you cook. The browning effect of high-heat cooking causes these molecules to form. Limiting your intake of sugar-filled foods in general will also help.

4. Stress: Stress initiates the release of a variety of hormones that make your pulse race and cause your blood pressure to rise. The hormone cortisol, released to lessen these effects, also creates problems when it remains chronically elevated. Try practicing relaxation techniques to help manage stress, and get enough sleep every night.

U.S. News & World Report July 29, 2010

We all know that exercise is good for our health. Exercise helps to improve our cardiovascular system, and respiratory system; resistance exercise helps to improve muscle function and will prevent age associated muscle atrophy. But did you know exercise, especially high intensity exercise by flooding it with free radicals. Free radicals are chemical marauders that can affect every cell in your body causing DNA mutations, premature aging, cell death, muscle weakness, fatigue and chronic oxidative stress.

So how can you get the best benefits of regular exercise?without placing your body at risk in the process? Proper antioxidant support is one effective way: Extensive research shows that safe, natural substances including vitamins A, C and E, N-acetyl cysteine, lutein, rosemary leaf extract, turmeric, green tea, bilberry and grape seed extract are all potent free radical quenchers?and you can find all of them in a single daily formula from Vitamin Research Products called Extension Antioxidant.6-15

Supplementing with nutrients that will help your body to replenish its essential ATP levels is another key strategy?one that will improve muscle function plus increase your heart?s stamina and help it to keep up with the demands for more ATP during exercise.16

D-ribose is a pentose sugar that can help to maintain ATP regeneration in your body, especially following exercise. Studies document that D-ribose can supply extra amounts of ATP to your heart muscle in particular.17-18 Meanwhile, the popular antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) also plays a vital role in ATP synthesis, and can improve energy production when your body is under physical stress.19 It?s no surprise, then, that research shows that regular CoQ10 supplementation can boost exercise tolerance, lessen fatigue and improve physical performance in active subjects.20-23

Whether you?re a casual exerciser or an amateur athlete, look for the highly bioavailable form of CoQ10, preferably the second generation CoQ10-H2?, to combine with Extension Antioxidant and D-ribose?which are all available from VRP?for a supplement-based strategy that can reduce your recover time plus maximize your strength, energy and endurance throughout each and every workout.

www.vrp.com