During Super Soul Sunday, Deepak Chopra told all of us that there are 10 specific things we can do to change our age…and none of them require expensive creams or surgeries where we inject toxic diseases into our bodies.  Even more than fighting the clock, we have the ability to live more peacefully. By following these ten “action steps” detailed by Deepak Chopra in his book, Grow Younger, Live Longer, we all can turn back the hands of time.

Here are his 10 suggestions:

1. Change your perceptions of your body, its aging, and of time.  Raised in a society focused on our body image, it is rare to find someone that has a healthy body image.  We all need to make the shift and think of our bodies as an energy fields, rather than flesh and bones.  For instance, if we are always in a hurry, it can actually speed up our biological clock.  Instead we need to be telling ourselves every day that we are increasing our physical and mental capacity…and then we need to do it. “People don’t grow old. When they stop growing, they become old.”
2. Get deep rest.  There are two kinds of rest: restful awareness, which is where you are relaxed physically yet have an alert and calm mind, and restful sleep.  Apparently we should try to get a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of restful sleep every night to fully be rejuvenated.  That news isn’t new, but this is and I’m in a little trouble…it’s best to go to sleep before midnight.  By sleeping 8 hours from 10pm to 6am, we will actually feel more rested than if we go to bed at midnight.
3. Love & nurture your body through healthy food. Another trick by Deepak to help us find a healthy balance is to include the 6 tastes into each of our meals…sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent.  In addition, he reminds us to eat foods which are deep blue, purple, red, green, or orange because they typically are higher in antioxidants and nutrients…boosting our immunity and overall health.
4. Take nutritional complements.   Essential nutrients are needed to maintain the delicate and vital balance of our bodies helping to prevent illness.
5. Enhance your mind & body integration. Our health is a state of balance and integration between the body, the mind, and our spirit. So…good health does start in our minds!
6. Exercise regularly. It is important we make a conscious decision to have physical activity a part of our daily life.  By doing so, it will enhance the mind’s ability to learn, adapt and perform. 
7. Eliminate toxins from your physical and emotional bodies. Toxins can build up and cause an imbalance in our bodies…and even disease.  We need to allow our minds and bodies the chance to purify themselves and restore their inner vitality and balance.  
8. Cultivate flexibility and creativity in your consciousness. It is important to cultivate the qualities of a youthful mind and in doing so we will “lighten up and be open to the wonder and delight of living a human life.”
9. Make love the most important thing in your life. By loving, we enhance our well-being emotionally, physically and spiritually.  So go ahead and fall in love…you will be younger for it.  Seriously!
10. Maintain a youthful mind. Our egos cling to the conditioned patterns in our lives and can be quite stubborn about changing.  However, change is the natural force of evolution.  Instead of clinging to old patterns, we should be opening ourselves up to new possibilities and playing a lot more!