Wow, Guys! Your response and readership of my post “The Minimalist Approach To Effective Skincare” made it my most successful post yet, less one other.
Because of this, I’ve decided to share a few more secrets of mine regarding “helping yourself remain vital” as you age. I giggle when I see similar articles paired with photos of women between the ages of twenty-two and forty-nine, as if vitality is truly a big issue during this period in women’s lives. Just wait until you hit your fifties, when Father Time begins to picnic on your back porch. That’s when you will really begin wondering “what to do.”
The following few suggestions are ones I personally subscribe to regularly:
1. Drink a tablespoon of raw honey in a cup of warm water each morning – Doing so is a very effective and delicious way of boosting your energy for the rest of the day. Try it for a week and see the difference;
2. Don’t stop moving – I run four miles six mornings a week. When I tell people of like age this, their first comment always is, “How is that possible? Don’t you have knee, back, joint issues?”. I don’t. The reason, I never stopped moving and never will. I also do it smartly, at my own pace, in my own way, and on a treadmill. The benefits of this exercise keep me energetic and ready for anything, including other forms of more social exercise like hiking with kids, kayaking with friends, and playing tennis with family;
3. Keep your weight down – Lethargy comes with being overweight. Eat less and better;
4. Embrace “Quiet time” – Sit in the quiet. Don’t meditate. Don’t set your phone near you. Don’t allow another to do it next to you. Sit by yourself and be quiet. After you get over the struggle, you will relish the solitude…even seek it out;
5. Cut your hair short – There is nothing that makes a woman look and feel more haggard than brittle, over-toasted hair. I see it all the time. If you have it, lose it. Opt for a short cut and opt-out of over-processing whether you keep it short or allow it to grow back in again;
6. Stop hiding your age – The pressure alone will wear you out and you ain’t foolin’ no one. Be proud of where you are now in your life and make peace with it too;
7. Relative to #6, stop overdoing the makeup – Less is more (and you still don’t get a prize for this). Plus, true vitality will show up in your face, causing you to actually need less makeup as a result;
8. Take in some sun and fresh air daily – We are “creatures of the earth;” thus we need regular time outdoors. Get it;
9. Add color to your life – Colorful food, colorful wardrobe, colorful life choices. “Drab” just pulls you down. Joy comes from bursts of color, which inspires burst of energy. It all works together, my friend;
10. Finally, maintain a vital attitude – “You are as young as you feel.” Not a new statement, but classics hang around for a reason. I know women in their twenties that behave as if they are in their nineties simply because they constantly chant “I’m getting so old.” I know the exact opposite too. I rebuke such statements in my life as they bring nothing but a bad disposition and problems. Guard your words and psyche. Both are rather powerful
Today, I will spend time on the beach. I will eat a turkey sandwich for lunch and place on its side a cup of strawberries. I will play with my son, call my other kids, read, work, and get to bed by 10pm. Within all of that will be hidden the ten points above.
Try them out yourself. I promise, you will see a difference in your level of vitality. If not, toss them and go back to being a lump. That option is always one bland, unfit, and discouraging decision away…making Father Time a happy boy!