How To Stay Looking Young – Secret Tips

One renowned medical doctor recently stated, “Staying young and beautiful forever used to be science fiction…” Thanks to modern-day studies, it is now possible to stay young forever. The best part of this venture is that you do not have to drain your pockets to pay high-priced trainers or purchase out-of-reach anti-aging products. Read on for a handful of secret tips on how to stay looking young.

Meditate
I find it safe to start off here. Money stresses, job pressures, traffic jams, name it, take a toll on most of us. Not only on our physical health, also our emotional health. The result is anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, excessive anger, hostility, insomnia and heart attacks, amongst many others. All these can accelerate aging. One sure way to stop this destructive chain of events is too take a break.

I am not talking of a once-a-year holiday overseas. You need some kind of break on a daily basis. Try sparing some 20 minutes to sit in some quiet place, close your eyes, relax muscles, stretch your neck and shoulders and take a deep breath. You may want to repeat some mantra to veer off from everyday thoughts.

RELATED: Mental Health Is Not Just Mind, Its Body Too

Yoga is also an effective anti-aging therapy. The basic of it is that you are able to keep away little worries that prevent you from looking young.

Eat more fat, more protein
Research has shown that Omega-3 fatty acids help maintain bone strength while also stabilizing your mood. Omega -3 also reduces inflammation in the body, thus preventing visible signs of aging. The result is a radiant skin and one healthy body.

Include plenty of fatty fish such as wild salmon, walnuts and seeds in your diet as a source of Omega-3. If this is not enough, consider purchasing fish-oil supplements.

Studies have also proven that Omega-3 fatty acids increase the skin’s resistance to UV light.

On the other hand, proteins help build new collagen and elastin, which work together to develop that much desired young skin. Make sure to include some bit of beans, peas, fish, nonfat yoghurt, lean poultry, and other proteins in your meals.

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Iron is likewise an important nutrient when it comes to maintaining a younger look. Iron deficiency may result in a pale looking and splotchy skin. While men require a daily intake of 8 milligrams of iron, women require 18 milligrams. Eat iron-rich foods such as beef, kales, salmon, oyster, beans, spinach and tofu.

The power of super-fruits
I am pretty sure you have heard the recent hype of pomegranates. Researchers have found pomegranate juice to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Most importantly, pomegranates protect the skin from UV rays.

Goji berry is another super-fruit with anti-aging capabilities. The fruit contains a whopping 500 times more vitamin C by weight compared to an orange. It also contains more iron than spinach, calcium, 18 amino acids, magnesium selenium, zinc, and vitamins B1, B2, B6 and E. The goji berry also helps in the release of the human growth hormone which helps us look younger. You can snack on a handful of dried goji berries bit by bit throughout the day.

Sip green tea
This is one more health food which has recently taken the world abuzz. It is an effective compound in preventing cancer and managing weight. Two to three cups are enough to keep your brain sharp and maintain a young look.

Wash your face before you sleep
By the end of the day, your face has built up much oil and dirt as you ran your daily chores. This buildup may cause bacterial infections and breakouts. Even worse, acne scarring may follow suit.

Make a point of washing your face every evening before you go to sleep. This is to get the makeup and dirt out of your skin pores, thus preventing premature skin aging. Remember to do it gently since irritating your skin by scrubbing can accelerate skin aging. You may also want to keep a couple of face wipes near your bed so you can clean off your make any time of the night without having to go to the bathroom. Being exhausted is no longer an excuse to skip washing your face.

Get enough sleep daily
Again and again nature teaches us quite some important lessons. The skin naturally repairs itself while you are sound asleep. Sleeping alone makes you look younger than you actually are. Inadequate sleep makes you look dull and sallow and generally less attractive. It also comes with dark circles around your eyes.

So you are asking how many hours per night is enough. 7-8 hours is the recommended minimum. Sleeping less than 6 hours has been shown to biologically age you by an unbelievable 9 years more than you actually are. Inadequate sleep also promotes the loss of brain tissue which in the long run reduces your ability to learn and keep things in memory.

RELATED: Sleep Deprivation Effects

One more vital point to note is the position of sleep. You may think it doesn’t matter but it sure does. Sleeping with your face against the pillow promotes development of sleep lines which translate to wrinkles as you age. The best position is therefore sleeping on your back.

In case you did not catch enough sleep the previous night, do not drink too much coffee to keep awake. The caffeine in coffee leaves you dehydrated. If this goes on for some time, your once plump skin will turn dry and dull.

Say no to alcohol and drug abuse
Alcohol, like coffee, dehydrates your body and reaps it of important nutrients. Alcohol also dilates the facial blood vessels. In worst case scenarios, your face may develop a flushed appearance, characterized with red, spidery veins.

If you must drink, make it a practice to drink one glass of water for every pint of alcoholic beverage. This will uphold your hydration levels.

RELATED: Effects And Consequences Of Alcohol Consumption

Smoking, whether first hand or second hand, leaves your skin saggy by promoting the breakdown of collagen and elastin. This is also true with other recreational drugs. You definitely have to quit them for you to look younger and more vibrant.

Boost your physical activity
Remaining active all the days of your life will considerably slow aging. This may be through carrying out of daily household chores such as washing utensils, cooking, laundry work, mowing the lawn, etcetera. You may also engage in vigorous exercise and high intensity training. All these increase blood flow through your body, which moves oxygen and nutrients to the relevant cells, including those in the skin, thus promoting a more youthful look.

Exercise has been proven to slow aging of cells by up to one decade. People who exercise regularly have a longer life span than the less active ones. It is a fact that your body will not naturally remain gorgeous forever. Therefore take time to keep yourself in shape.

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I would recommend some 30 minutes of exercise every day. Include both cardio and strength exercises in your workout plan. Run, swim, bike, hike, whatever you enjoy.

Banish boredom and isolation
Some times in our lives we find ourselves spending most time alone without much social interaction. This is one sure way of aging. Try all means possible to avoid boredom and isolation. If you have a partner, it is time to rekindle the flames. Sex, if done passionately, has proved beneficial. The loving touches promote the release of hormone oxytocin, which reduces stress and anxiety. The overall effect is an improved cardiovascular health and boosted immune system.

Take this a step farther by engaging in activities you love from the bottom of your heart. Any activity that makes you eager to jump out of bed is a powerful drug. Consider joining some book club, fitness club, getting into some art like painting, drawing, or playing musical instruments. Virtually anything that energizes you and makes you feel alive.

Do not skip meals
No matter how busy you may get, it is such an injustice to your body to stay hungry for hours on end. Constantly skipping meals may cause you to age and dry out faster. Learn to spread your meals throughout the day with healthy snacks in between.

Drink plenty of water
The body needs to stay hydrated at all times for proper functioning. Quite a large number of people are guilty of not meeting the daily recommended minimum. This is 8 glasses of water per day, or rather 2 liters. Anything short of this will often lead to dry skin dotted with flaky patches. If you find water tasteless, try adding fruit slices to make it yummier so you get encouraged to drink more. This way you will replenish the skin cells and develop a younger, healthier looking skin.

Stop picking at your skin constantly
By leaning your face on hand, you are transferring bacteria from your hands to the face. This is also true when picking dry skin from some healing blemish. The result is breakouts, acne and scarring, which is definitely not pleasant to look at.

In line with this, avoid popping your pimples before they are ready to do so on their own. This way you enlarge the pores and damage the skin. The best way is to camouflage the white heads with some colored skin tone.

Wear sunscreen
The importance of sunscreen on a sunny day can’t be over emphasized. Damage from the sun’s ultraviolet light causes the largest percentage of visible signs of aging, including a dull, saggy appearance, uneven skin tone, age spots and wrinkles.

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I know there are claims of sunscreens clogging your pores and brewing blemishes, but those are the substandard brands. The right brand will protect your skin from the harsh rays of the sun. Particularly go for fragrance-free, noncomedogenic and broad spectrum sunscreens.

Exercise your brain
A recent study by the American Medical Association proved that brain exercises have long lasting benefits. Two weeks of brain exercises was shown to be able to rewire the brain. If you don’t use it you will definitely lose it. So get down to filling crossword puzzles, Sudoku, playing musical instruments and several other brain games aimed at keeping cognitive decline at bay.

In a nutshell
It is my sincere hope that these tips were helpful to you. I hope you enjoyed reading through. Any thoughts on the same? Feel free to leave a comment and share the tips with a friend or two. As you have discovered, you can stay looking young by employing smarter everyday tactics that include proper diet, physical and mental activity and taking good care of your skin.

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