As I often like to start my posts with a disclaimer, here is one. I am in no way a medical professional, neither have I sailed the Seven Seas in search of the fountain of youth. I am however a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean… but who isn’t? Moving on. What I will be sharing in this post are tips that have worked for me over the years and have helped me maintain a more youthful appearance.
I’ve realised I don’t look my age as I constantly get asked for an ID when shopping for wine. I’m also constantly getting mistaken for a teenager. I’m talking about having as much as ten years shaved off my age at a guess. I used to find it annoying at first, especially the wine thing, for obvious reasons, but I’ve come to realise it’s a blessing in disguise.
Celebrities will go under the knife, pay thousands of pounds, and never miss a session of Botox just to appear younger. Wouldn’t it be nice to find natural ways of achieving this without the extra cost and hassle? I got you!
Tips to Shave Years off Your Appearance
1. Take vitamins and supplements
There are several vitamins and supplements that have been proven to delay the signs of aging. A few are Biotin, Collagen, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, CoQ10, etc. There are more out there but these ones are commonly known to be effective. If you can find yourself a daily supplement that has a combination of at least 4 of the above-listed vitamins, that tidies things up even better.
Other than the supplements I take daily I am currently experimenting with collagen peptides in powder form. Collagen helps keep the skin plump, firm, and elastic, all of which are associated with youthful skin. A quick tip, collagen is a protein. Increasing your daily protein intake will also help your cells regenerate quicker. This is because protein (amino acid) is the building block of every cell in your body. You want your cells to heal quicker, eat more protein.
Before running off to the closest drugstore to grab your supplement of choice you may want to pay a quick visit to your doctor for a second opinion, especially if you are on another medication.
2. Eat a balanced diet
If I got a pound for every time I heard a medical professional advise us on the importance of eating a balanced diet, I’d be richer. I will reiterate again on their behalf. Eat a balanced diet! Everything begins with what you put into your body. Vitamins and supplements are in no way meant to replace a balanced diet. It’s always written just below the instructions. The food you eat will determine what happens to your body.
A quick tip:
– Eat your five a day – 5 different fruits or vegetables a day. If you want to go Gangster with it try eating 5 fruits and 5 vegetables a day. Include blueberries and green tea to your list, they are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants slow aging.
3. Drink more water
We keep hearing how we should drink more water, and how the human body is made of 60% water. It’s not a myth, it’s fact! If you aren’t drinking enough water, you will get dehydrated. Think of your organs (especially your skin) like a sponge. When a sponge is hydrated it swells and becomes plump. When you squeeze out the water and let it dry it becomes hard to touch. The same happens to your organs. More water in your system means your organs are well moisturised and lubricated. You must understand that the tiniest cell in your body needs water as well, and your skin is made up of a collection of cells. If you aren’t drinking enough, you won’t be giving your skin cells what they need to regenerate.
4. Exercise
When you exercise your metabolism speeds up which means your system works better. Food will be digested quicker, nutrients will be absorbed into your bloodstream better, toxins will be removed from your body more effectively, and your body burns fat quicker. Fat stores toxins, which means losing fat automatically leads to loss of toxins.
Another point to consider is that youths have less body fat in general compared to full-grown adults. Without going into the science of it, it’s safe to assume that being in shape as you mature will give you a younger-looking appearance.
5. Sleep more
Having your beauty sleep is just as important as exercising. Exercise and rest are two peas in a youthful pod. I can barely keep my eyes open, to be honest. sigh! People that know me can testify that sleeping is one of my hobbies. This isn’t always a positive as one can miss out on lots of important opportunities, especially work. However, all things being ideal and well looked after, don’t ever skip out on your beauty sleep. Your whole system needs a daily reboot otherwise you will start to malfunction like an overheated computer system.
CDC recommends that adults sleep for 7-9 hours daily.
6. De-stress
Stress will make you age quicker than a US President in his second term. Stress increases your blood cortisol level and cortisol leads to various diseases and in extreme cases death. Stressors could be people, places, a job, the food you eat, etc.
A useful tip with dealing with stress is learning to breathe. Try breathing exercises every morning before you start your day and every night before you sleep. Another alternative is music. Listen to tunes that raise your mood and fill you with an inner sense of calm. Try Yanni, works for me.
7. Wear less makeup
As a woman I love getting dressed up, getting my hair done, wearing makeup, etc. I am also a strong advocate for “there is a time and place for everything”. I’ll give you an example. When you are headed for the gym, that’s not the best time to put on a full face of makeup. Makeup clogs your pores. The cloggation that will take place will have you fighting off acne for weeks. It’s not worth it.
My advice is this, if you can do without makeup please go ahead and do so. Let wearing a full face of makeup be an occasional thing, not a daily thing. The more you wear makeup the more you will need to wear makeup.
Don’t be afraid to go on a ‘no-makeup’ journey. The aim should be to look your best in your most natural form. It’s easy to fake a look or cover up a flaw. How good do you feel when you step out of the shower and stare at your unedited self in front of the mirror? This in my opinion should be our number one priority regardless of gender. You must always feel like a perfect work of art in your most natural form.
8. Upgrade your skincare routine
This one gets tricky as what works for one skin might not work for another. I’ll explain. If you have dry sensitive skin, for instance, it wouldn’t be advisable for you to follow the routine of a person with oily skin as their routine is built for the main purpose of stripping the skin of excess oils. Imagine how scally your already dry skin would look and feel if you strip it of the oils it’s lacking. Disaster! You must find a routine that works for your skin type and stick to it.
Some skincare tips to have in mind:
– Use an anti-aging oil like Retinol (Vitamin A)– Retinol is best used before bedtime and an SPF moisturiser should be used during the day.
– Exfoliate– this should happen again depending on your skin type. Try an exfoliating acid like Salicylic or Glycolic acid. The general advice is to exfoliate 1-3 times a week. Please do not overdo it otherwise you will end up irritating your skin which could lead to more skin issues.
– Don’t be a product junky– We’ve all been there. Clears throat. Research and shop for products that work for you and stick to them.
– Use a moisturiser with SPF protection regardless of your skin type and complexion– The Suns UV rays is one of the main causes of skin wrinkling and aging. SPF moisturisers should be wone regardless of race or complexion. I repeat, all complexions need SPF protection.
– Visit a dermatologist if you can– Please don’t get all your skincare tips from random TikTok videos, especially if you have a condition you are struggling with. The change you are hoping for could be one visit to your dermatologist away. If you must get skincare tips online (YouTube for instance) please make sure they are from certified doctors. Nothing beats a face-to-face visit though. Pick what works best for you.
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