Guys, let's face it.

Aging is an inevitable process for all of us. However, you don't have to take it "lying down". As a matter of fact, you can literally manage the whole ordeal and either hang on to your body's prime condition or regain that which has been lost for years following a few very basic principles.

1. The first and most important aspect of your prime maintenance program has to do with what you allow to enter your body via your eating habits. You know what they say---"garbage in, garbage out"--- and it couldn't be more true than when it applies to your longevity and how good or bad you will age over the next few decades.

One thing that you will want to start doing immediately is to wean your body off of its cravings for and dependence on sugar. Sugar has a very insidious way of speeding up the aging process by weakening your body in a number of ways. In fact, Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., and author of "Lick the Sugar Habit" outlines the following detriments of sugar intake:

€ immune system suppression
€ upsets the body's mineral relationships
€ can raise the body's triglycerides
€ reduces the body's ability to defend itself against bacterial infection
€ causes a loss of body tissue elasticity and function
€ contributes to copper deficiency
€ interferes with calcium and magnesium absorption
€ can weaken the eye sight
€ can cause general premature aging
€ causes tooth decay
€ contributes to obesity
€ can cause gallstones
€ can cause heart disease
€ can cause appendicitis
€ can cause M.S. (multiple sclerosis)
€ can cause varicose veins
€ can lower vitamin E levels in the blood
€ increases cholesterol and systolic blood pressure
€ can cause cataracts
€ deregulates bowel movements
€ can cause myopia (near sightedness)
€ can compromise the lining of the capillaries
€ can make the tendons brittle
€ can contribute to Alzheimer's disease
€ can lead to the formation of kidney stones
€ feeds cancer
€ the body changes sugar into 2-5 times more fat than it does starch
€ may induce cell death

Need I say more about sugar?

Good. Let's move on.

2. Another thing that you'll want to get a handle on is alcohol. Not such a bad thing in moderation, excessive alcohol consumption inhibits the youthfulness and vibrance of the body by making it more susceptible to a number of diseases and infections which debilitate its ability to function.

3. Of course, some of the same diet intake strategies that are affective in weight loss help to maintain prime condition as well. Not making a habit of eating late or consuming a lot of dairy and animal fat products will help to both keep you trim and preserve the functioning of your arteries in order to help your body keep control of its blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well, measure which will protect you from developing heart problems.

4. In addition to things that you will want to restrict from you diet, there are several that you will want to make sure to supplement it with or at least make sure that you get plenty of in your regular intake.

First on this list is water. Cliche as it may sound, there wouldn't be enough room to discuss all of the things that it does to keep the body's systems clean and operable. Not to mention the aesthetic benefit that it has on the clarity of the skin.

Antioxidants will definitely need to be a part of your daily food regimen. These substances fight the aging effects of free-radical damage to the body. Some of the more popular antioxidants include:

€ Green Tea
€ Vitamin A
€ Vitamin B
€ Vitamin C
€ Vitamin D
€ Vitamin E
€ Selenium
€ Soy and Isoflavones
€ zinc