How To Slow Down The Ageing Process

When people stop to ask you your age, and you challenge them to a guessing game. You silently pray that they don't say you're hem… about 50 when you are actually 35.  You pray that it would be the other way round.  That usually makes your day.  Of course we all want to look younger than our age and why not? When my friends ask me what I do to keep looking young, they get disappointed because they expect to hear the names of expensive creams, gels, oils, or to learn that I spend many days at spas and beauty salons and a fortune to rejuvenate or even go under the surgeon’s knife.

The older we get the faster life seems to pass us by: days become weeks, weeks turn into months, and before we know it another year passes by. We try to fit as much as we can into our day, only to realise there is just not enough time to get it all done. Whether you are older or younger, I bet you will look in the mirror one day and just be amazed at how much older you look than you remembered. As we continue to have our babies, looking much older may be more frequently noticed, and being youthful is the closest to youth as we can get. Since we can't stop the ageing process, we can at least slow it down. We try to break this down logically into 2 categories: the Mind-body Side & the Cosmetic Side.

Mind-body Side

1. Be Yourself

The truth is that the secret to younger- looking-you is first and foremost in your mind. Being yourself and not acting the society stereotype character of a 50 or 60 year old is the first sure way to take wrinkles off your face and bring more of laughter. That's my No. 1 recommendation. Ignore society's expectations.

2. Get Into the Habit of a Good Nutrition

This includes eating a proper diet and making sure you get complete nutritional requirements that will assist your body’s natural defense system against diseases and effects of stress. Taking a high quality vitamin pack each day can help to assure your nutrition. 

3. Be Active

Exercise is the best defense against stress, and to slow down the overall aging process, is being active. Yes, exercise is the key to increasing youthfulness and combating the negative aspects of stress. The body's cardiovascular and muscular systems flush out the old and bring in the new on a cellular level as these systems are forced to exert themselves. The body heats up, and sweat excretes what is released out of the body, removing elements that cause these systems to deteriorate when idle. Your skin is moisturised and replenished through this process as well, which helps keep a more youthful appearance. Over time, this continual maintenance through regular activity helps to slow down the aging process.

4. Limit Stress

Learn to know when you are stressed and cut it short. Stress increases your heart-rate without having positive affects like exercise. One of the easiest ways to speed up aging is to have a highly stressful existence. Every attempt should be made to limit the stress in your life. In order to tackle this issue, each of us must recognize the most stressful conditions we face personally and then limit our exposure. Understanding your stressors is the first step toward lessening them. The next step, after you know what stresses you the most, is to eliminate or minimise them, which, unfortunately, in most cases may not be possible. Getting a different job or divorcing your spouse is more realistic than it may originally appear, but they are not the options most would accept. A better alternative is a spa treatment. May be short term, but at least relaxes all the tension muscles.

5. Identify What Makes You Happy.

While accepting the fact that it is expedient that society must be considered when you act, as it is important to act responsibly so you don't those close to you, however your happiness and good health comes first, which is within your control. The logic is that if you are not happy and in good shape health wise, you will not have the time of day for anyone else. And that is the basic truth.

6. Make Your Rules

While not totally being anti-social, try to define the boundaries that if you go outside of, then you are moving towards the blues. Simply meaning, make your rules and stick with them.

7.Love and Appreciate Your Body

 Love your body and yourself. Stop trying to be what you are not – physically, mentally and socially.  There is always something good in everyone.  Look for that positive and special gift and run with it.

8. Live Your Dreams Not Others’

Trying to copy your friends’ success without knowing the roots of the success will frustrate you and may lead to unnecessary envy. Moreover trying to run on their footprints may burn you out earlier than you think. Instead, sit down and learn what you are good at, ask questions from experts, and start on your own journey to success.

9. Know when it is NO

Don't allow yourself to be pushed into anything you don't want to do. Resist it particularly when your body, mind and soul is saying capital NO. Saying No is crucial to your peace of mind.

10. Indulge in Healthy Living

Drink several glasses of water each day. Watch less TV. Walk More. Drive Less. Don't smoke. Use natural alternatives to prescriptions when available. Get 6-8 hours of sleep each night.

Cosmetic Side

1. Know and understand under-eye circles

Under-eye puffiness is the result of fluid retention, with the sun adding its own darkish colour.  The sun depletes our collagen supply making skin less plump and taut, and causes tiny blood vessels beneath the skin’s surface to dilate and burst. A chilled gel-filled eye compress will constrict them making them less noticeable and reduce puffiness.

2. Kick out Crow’s Feet

Since wrinkles result from a loss of collagen in the skin, you need an eye cream with retinal or some vitamin A derivative, such as retinyl linoleate or retinyl palmitate to plump the skin and soften fine lines by boosting collagen production and stimulating cell turnover

3. Define Your Brows

A good arch can give you an amazing lid-lifting effect. Use eyebrow stencils to create your perfect shape. By using stencils you can try on different brow sizes and shapes before committing to one.  Here is how to do it: Place the stencil over your brow and colour over brow hairs with a highlighter. A white eyeliner will work, too. If you like the shape, tweeze all the hairs that are not highlighted, then rinse away the pencil marks. For the softest, prettiest look, fill brows with powder, not pencil. But if like me you want to leave your eyebrows natural, invest in a gel to press and smooth it down. You don’t really want to have a dishevelled eyebrow.

Step 4: Don’t forget the concealer

A great under-eye concealer can make you look 10 years younger.  Go for one with light brown (or any colour close to your natural tone) undertones to cancel out that blackish cast under your eyes. Texture is also important: A non-tacky texture will smooth over fine lines instead of settling into -- and pronouncing – them. Try some on your hand: It should feel light and smooth and should not flake off or crack when your skin stretches. Look for a concealer that contains elastic-y Nylon 12, actual nylon that expands and contracts when you smile or frown your brow. Avoid concealers that are lighter than your skin.  They will add 10 years to your face.

Step 5: Brighten up

You know bright eyes light up your whole face — like afterglow without the sex. O.K, what if sex is out of it for now and still need that afterglow. We give you three bright ideas:

1. Remove the redness with Visine  eye drop. It is impossible to look your youngest if your eyes are bloodshot or dull.
2. The black or navy eyeliner brings out the whites of your eyes, regardless of your eye colour. But if you are more of a makeup minimalist, try a light-blue liner.
3. Smooth a light brown skin-similar shade of shadow across your brow bone. The hint of tint will draw attention upward and lift your entire eye.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons.