Your body goes through a lot of changes as you age— your skin wrinkles and becomes loose, your hair becomes brittle and changes color, and you stand just a little bit shorter than you did a decade ago. No matter if you are already noticing these changes or if they’re far in your future, there are a few things you can do to slow down the aging process and keep your youthful glow. Here are a few tips to help you stay young as you grow older.
Start On the Inside
The first step in maintaining your youth is to maintain your health, and that means taking care of yourself from the inside out. You can physically see when you’re not taking care of yourself on the inside, and the extra stress that’s put on the body by not taking care of it can speed up the aging process.
One of the best ways to start taking care of your insides is to eat a well-balanced diet. Constantly eating processed foods that are high in sugar, salt, and fats are not only making you physically sick by causing diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, but they’re also making you age prematurely by damaging your skin. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to completely give up the foods that you love, but it does mean you should enjoy them in moderation. If you find yourself struggling, try to find a manageable diet program that can help you cut back some of these unhealthy foods and show you how to make healthier choices. The earlier you start a better diet, the less work you’ll have to do to look and feel younger.
Take Care of Hygiene
Many people don’t realize that one of the best ways to stay young is to keep yourself clean. Not only does this prevent you from getting sick, but it can also reduce a lot of the physical signs that are usually associated with aging. For example, brushing your teeth is imperative if you want to avoid painful diseases like gingivitis, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. But it also keeps your teeth from yellowing, which can make you look older. A consistent skincare routine that includes washing your face twice a day can prevent wrinkles and acne that cause dark spots. And a full head of hair can make anyone look younger than they are, but you can’t have luxurious hair if you don’t keep it clean.
Luckily, there are ways to reverse some of these symptoms if you’re already noticing them. Whitening toothpaste can remove some of the surface stains on your teeth, which can instantly make you look younger. Investing in a balancing cleanser can help even out dark spots and acne scars. While having proper hygiene has the obvious benefit of making you smell good, it can also be your fountain of youth.
Exercise Your Brain
Everyone knows that getting enough physical exercise is extremely important in keeping your muscles strong and “movable”. But what many people don’t know is that, although it’s not a muscle, you can actually exercise your brain the same way that you would exercise your triceps or abs. The key to doing this is to keep your mind active and to constantly challenge it to focus by providing it with new information. This comes in many forms, from solving a puzzle to learning to play an instrument. There are many benefits to exercising your brain, like improved memory, sharper focus, and preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s. We often think of older people as not having very good control over their minds, but this doesn’t have to be the case for you if you continue to challenge your brain as much as possible.
Don’t Lose Your Fun
Most importantly, if you want to stay young, then you have to feel young! Don’t allow yourself to lose that sense of wonder that’s often associated with children, and don’t be afraid to play like a child, either. Whether it be weekly game nights with your friends, going to your state fair, or challenging your significant other to a game of tag, try to find a way to have fun the way that a young person would. These things usually require you to move a little bit more than usual, which has its own anti-aging effects. It may seem like you don’t have enough time in your schedule for having fun when you have a ton of adult responsibilities, so make sure you’re taking full advantage of your PTO to have some much-deserved, child-like fun.
