Now that I’m officially over 50, I feel confident about giving anti-aging, or better said “age me better” information. People ask me all the time, “what’s your secret to looking younger than you are?” My answer is, I don’t have one–except for being a huge fan of sleep, I’m aging just like everyone else but I do a few things many people do or don’t do regularly.
The secret to youth has been searched for as long as we can remember. Many researchers and beauty experts are in search to find ways to slow down the aging process. Many things have been tried from the insane to more reasonable ways to stay young. In my opinion, the most important thing for us to do is be consistent in implementing a healthy lifestyle and eating habits. Note that this is just a snapshot of some ways to feel and appear youthful and with vigor. There are a million creative and fun ways to do it. Of course we can’t do it in a blog post or two but it’s a start. I share much more with the Design Your Life with Beauty/ Age Me Better Program But this here is a great place to start.
What is it that ages us?
- Damage to the cells from free radicals, UV rays, pollution, toxins in the environment/ food and more
- Shortening of the telomeres (strands at the end of your DNA that act as a buffer’. Each time your cell splits via mitosis, it loses some of the telomere length. Eventually, when it’s gone, your DNA starts fraying, leading to imperfect copies of cells and mutations).
- Hormonal changes: menopause or low testosterone (but other hormones as well).
- Lifestyle changes – reduction in activity, social stimulus and true connections
- Lack of movement, resulting in damage to the body over time and poor mobility
- Reduction in mitochondria (energy centers in our cells), leading to low energy levels
- Lack of cognitive challenge, creativity and novelty, reducing brain neuro-plasticity
- Disconnection from your larger purpose in life
- The passage of time on our planet
Although we can’t stop the natural aging process (yet), we can still look younger if we just take and make the time for self-care.
So, what makes you appear older?
You may be relatively young but can still look older. There are specific features and circumstances that make us look older and age faster. These include but are not limited to:
- Dark circles
- Sagging skin
- Lines (wrinkles) fine and deep: It’s going to happen should we can treat these in various ways
- Discoloration
- How we carry ourselves including posture, how we dress, speak and groom, preventive health issues
- Dehydration
- Lack of sleep
- Chronic Stress and trauma
- The way we carry ourselves, posture, walk, and manner of being
- Our style of grooming
- Environmental factors
Until we find that elusive fountain of youth there are lifestyle changes we can make and tools we can use to slow the hands of time
Prefer to hear this in a podcast? Click here.
Do these sound too simple or repetitive? Have you done them consistently, I mean a part of your everyday life?
Of course, it is impossible to say in detail all the things we can do to stay and feel youthful, after all this is a written post. But this is a starting point. There is a whole world of options and resources, ranging from those you can do from home and at no cost to an extravagant spa and surgery options. Let’s start simple with the list below that works for everyone men or women.
Water-Stay hydrated on a regular basis. The best way is with precious water. Sip throughout the day. If you are a soft drink junkie, work on limiting it and slowly wane yourself off because it’s just not good for you. Sip water all day. If you are thinking you’ll have to pee a lot, trust me it’s a small price to pay for youthfulness and overall health.
Sleep – Having enough sleep will make our skin healthier. How much you need is very individual and probably more than you have been told in the past. I am writing a whole book and sleep dreams so stay tuned. Having a good sleep is also important because you are repairing every part of your body. This includes your which growth hormone is working during that time. It renews the old cell of our body, include the skin cell. Our skin will look fresh and young if we have enough sleep.
Food – Eating healthy and safe food everyday will make our body fit, slim and also look younger. What you eat is also unique to you. Do your research and see what works for your body, your genes your age group and health needs. There are a lot or resources available all you need is to do a little research.
Exercise – Through routine exercise, we will feel happier, energetic, and confident. It also increases our bone density and muscle which can make our body look 15-20 years younger. Beside aerobic, walking, and swimming goes also to the gym to do lifting exercise.
Relax and be Present – I use to be the worry-er princes, so I can speak to working on relaxing as a practice. By working on relaxation techniques and becoming relaxed, our face will look younger. Stress and worries appear on our faces. If we can manage our stress and feel at peace, our face will look younger and attractive.
Find Ways of Seeing Things from a Different Perspective and Be Optimistic – An open and optimistic mind with life-affirming re-framing of circumstances can bring more positive energy life to us. Ongoing negative thoughts tend to confirm failure affecting us in adverse ways which make us appear unnecessarily older. Hint: Meditation is one way to work on positive thoughts.
Medical and General Health Check-ups – Just like a car, our body also needs attention and care so it can work well every day. Having routine medical checkups whenever possible during our healthy time is important to recognize diseases as soon as possible.
Active Life – Always try to be active during your life. Physical, emotional and mental, and spiritually enriching activities can increase health in every way.
Social Life – Happy social life can increase our spirit, bring a peaceful mind, and make us feel and look younger. Communication with our friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, pets and others can bring happiness to us.
Skincare-Self-care Routine -Our skin is our largest organ. Yet too many of us abuse and neglect it until it’s too late. Let’s change that, it’s never too late and there are many ways of doing this. In my Design Your Life with Beauty. I help individuals create their own customized routine. A healthy diet to nourish you inside and outside, along with skincare like cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, treating and protecting. go a very long way to keeping you vibrant and youthful.
General Self Care and Grooming – Is your body weight ideal for you? If not, try to fix that to the best ideal weight. Also look to the skin, hair, nail and teeth. Those are important as they will show our age. Looks good and feels good will increase our performance.
Sun Exposure– Use skin protection and limit your direct sun exposure and for Pete’s sake don’t use tanning beds, over-expose yourself to direct sunlight, ever!
Now, take a delicious deep breath and you are halfway there…to youth-landia.
Note: Additional reminder and disclaimer. This is what I have used, or researched for pain, anxiety, stress and anti-aging. It is not to be a substitute anyone from consulting with a medical professional, nutritionist, holistic practitioner, or any other expert in these fields. Links to products are for informational purposes.