Age Beautifully & Happily
Aging can be a source of immense stress, especially in a culture that devalues older women. Aging shouldn't be something to be afraid of or feared. Rather than recommend anti-aging skincare and cosmetic facials, let's focus on some ways you can age gracefully so that your inner light will radiate out from your pores.
1. Embrace Change
Change is inevitable and, as we said, getting older doesn't need to be scary. Rather than dwelling on how your body used to look, it can be more helpful to look forward to the future. Don't borrow grief from the future.
2. Stay Active
A healthy body looks different on everyone. However, staying active can help ensure that you feel healthy. Exercise encourages blood flow, reduces inflammation, and helps to maintain muscle pass.
3. Eat Healthy
As with a healthy body, a healthy diet is different for everyone. That said, there re a few rules that everyone can follow. A healthy diet doesn't just means cutting out "bad ingredients"; it should focus on what you can add to make your meals more nutritious.
4. Take Care Of Your Skin
For a lot of people, skincare means expensive retinol serums and preventative botox. Skincare doesn't have to mean spending a small fortune to look perpetually 25. Taking care of your skin can be as simple as keeping your skin healthy and hydrated with drugstore products.
Enecta Cannabis extracts on Unsplash
5. Hydrate
Jumping off of that last point, hydration can make a major difference in your lifestyle. Not only is hydration important for generating the collagen that keeps your skin looking and feeling elastic, but it also keeps things working on the inside as well. Hydration keeps your brain sharp, which is why dehydration can lead to headaches.
6. Kick Your Vices
Anyone who's struggled with addiction will tell you that it's far harder to kick than simply "stopping". Both alcohol and tobacco use come with health risks which can prematurely age you. Speak with a doctor if you need help kicking these habits.
7. Sleep Well
Sleep is incredibly restorative, and we aren't just talking about giving your brain a break. A good night's sleep can support your hormonal and immune systems to keep you feeling lithe and limber even on the dreariest days. Good sleep has also been linked to weight loss.
8. Monitor Stress
Stress can take a toll on your body, both inside and out. Not only can excessive stress lead to hypertension and fatigue among other problems, it can also affect your appearance. Stress can lead to premature wrinkles and greying hair.
9. Remove Makeup
Nobody needs to wear makeup and you shouldn't feel obligated to spend money on products you don't enjoy using. For those who do wear makeup—whether it's every day or once in a while—you should be just as attentive when you're taking it off as you are putting it on. Sleeping with makeup can lead to product settling in your skin.
10. Dress Your Age
With the rise of the digital age, we've also seen the death of personal style. Young people want to look older while old people want to look younger. Neither truly works; you'd be best off embracing the age you are and finding a style you feel comfortable in.
11. Have Fun
Growing older doesn't mean you have to put fun behind you. In fact, one of the ways you can look forward to aging is by reconnecting with your inner child. Your golden years are a wonderful opportunity to shake up your appearance and live out the life you've always dreamed of.
12. Get Outside
Getting into retirement age means that you have more time than ever to spend in nature. Not only will going outside give you a healthy glow, but it will make you feel better inside. Talking a walk through nature is one of the easiest ways you can exercise without putting strain on your body.
13. Wear Sunscreen
If you're going to go outside, you need to be wearing sunscreen. Of course, the sun provides vitamin D, but the last thing you want is an unhealthy dose of UV radiation along with your daily dose of sunshine. A good sunscreen will have you looking radiant without a ghostly white cast.
National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
14. Pamper Yourself
Sometimes, a little TLC is exactly what you need to make yourself feel better. While there are a bunch of self-care steps you can take at home, such as resting and applying skincare, it never hurts to pay someone else to take care of you once and a while. Go ahead and splurge.
15. Know Your Colors
Anyone who lived through the 1980s knows that while seasonal color analysis may have just been a fad, there is some truth to what colors look best on you. Color analysis is now more popular than ever, so you shouldn't have any trouble learning which colors to avoid and which ones to prioritize. It all comes down to undertones.
16. Eat More Fiber
Did you know that a lack of fiber in your diet can lead to dull and puffy skin? It's true; glowing skin is just one of the many benefits of fiber, along with keeping your body regular. It's difficult to feel graceful when you're weighed down.
17. Moisturize
Even though we already discussed skincare and SPF, we felt it was important to highlight the benefit of moisturizing. Moisturizing hydrates your skin the way water hydrates your body; this is especially important in dry months. Even if you don't do an extensive skincare routine, you should still invest in a solid moisturizer.
18. Smile More
As little orphan Annie said, you're never fully dressed without a smile. The best accessory to help you age gracefully comes absolutely free and should be deployed liberally. A radiant smile can make you appear twenty years younger.
19. Brush & Floss
If you're going to smile more, you'd best make sure to put your best teeth forward. Teeth are irreplaceable, so it's important to take good care of them, brushing them at least twice a day. You don't want to bleed when the dentist asks you whether you've been flossing.
20. Be Confident
If there's one thing we want you to take away from this article, it's that growing older doesn't have to mean settling down. You can follow all these steps to a tee, but it won't matter if you don't feel confident in the skin you're in—even if it sags a little. Confidence is key.
