Five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year! Whether you were dancing in the streets at midnight or sleeping beneath the sheets long before the ball dropped, the world rang in 2007, which means you will celebrate another birthday before 2008's big bash. However, while "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" countdown and the counting of candles on your birthday cake may be unavoidable year after year, the way you age is certainly in your control.

Aging gracefully and comfortably (without the aches and pains of arthritis and osteoporosis) can be as simple as choosing the right foods in your diet, as well as exercising regularly. Because even more than preventing wrinkles, anti-aging also means preventing memory loss, heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. For this reason, the anti-aging diet is receiving much attention and can certainly complement your everyday life.

The anti-aging diet is a combination of both nutrition and lifestyle factors. Not only is it important to pile your plate with healthy choices from the food pyramid, it is doubly important to keep your body fine-tuned by exercising, avoiding UV light and cigarettes, and even doing crossword puzzles. Yes, researchers have proven that mental activity forms a strong connection between your brain cells and the way your transmit thoughts, so as you age, you are less likely to develop Alzheimer's. Even more, according to the American Dietetic Association, not only can mental activity reverse damage to your cells, but also with adequate amounts of vegetables and fruits, including blueberries and spinach, age-related losses in motor function and cognition can be reduced.

If you want to see your age grow to high numbers, then you need to make sure the scale shows you the lower ones. From weight training to cardio to yoga, a fusion of activity will keep you feeling young at heart and looking ageless in your jeans. Weight training will help you build muscle, maintain strong bone density, and burn fat. That's right. The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn. And while pumping weights will keep your muscles strong, cardio will help keep your heart pumping while yoga will keep your body stress-free.

Stress is one of many free radicals, which can cause damage to healthy cells, leading to internal aging as well as visible signs of external aging. Now, just as science has proven how dangerous free radicals are for our cells, antioxidants have proven to defend our cells by fighting against oxidation. Therefore, on the nutrition side of things, choosing antioxidant-rich foods, such as berries, may be one tasty way to living a longer, healthier life. According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, cranberries, blackberries and blueberries rank highest in antioxidant levels. In addition to berries, other anti-aging foods include garlic, fish, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, soy, water and red wine.

Don't let time pass you by. To stay looking and feeling younger than ever, make sure to exercise regularly, challenge your mind, avoid harmful UV light, and enjoy a low-calorie diet full of anti-aging foods. Start today and by 2008, you'll be ringing in the New Year without having aged a day. Eat your heart out Dick Clark!

Copyright (c) 2007 Charles Carter