6 Ways to Look 5 Years Younger

Birthdays bring along a pile of mixed emotions – you’re happy to celebrate another year of blessings, but you’re also dreading the onslaught of age.

But just because you are adding another year to your age is not a reason to look aged and frumpy!

Here are 6 ways to look 5 years younger:

1. Exercise and Tone Up

This is one of the best tips to look younger.

You do not have to sign up for a gym membership or invest in expensive equipment – you can easily do a fitness routine by going brisk walking or jogging in your neighborhood or heading over to the community pool.

Exercise is the best way to have glowing skin, because it increases the blood flow throughout the body, giving the skin cells its much-needed nourishment. Exercise is also the best way to counter the dreaded diseases such as heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure.

You may also experience saggy skin in many places as you age – so it is best to start exercising in order to defy gravity and make you look years younger!

As you age, you may start to experience postural problems that may lead your spine to become curved. Remedy this by signing up for a Pilates or a yoga class.

The physical benefits, and the psychological benefits such as relaxation, can make you look far younger because it counters stress, the number one factor which makes all of us look old and tired.

2. Makeup

Old folks believe that makeup leads to premature skin ageing, but the use of cosmetics – that is, if  properly done – can lift the years off your face.

Instead of using brownish shades of lipstick, switch to darker pinks or light reds in order to look younger; conceal those dark under-eye circles; use liquid foundation and cream blush instead of the usual powdered ones; and finally, learn to contour and do eye makeup properly.

The skin has the tendency to lose its elasticity over time, and you may find that the skin proximate to your eyes may begin to sag – the use of proper contouring makes it appear as if nothing has ever changed.

However, prevention is better than cure – use SPF lotions whenever you go out.

Sun damage can be very harmful to your skin, and it may even get leathered, wrinkled and age-spotted as you become even older, so investing in a high-quality, high-SPF sun-block will make you look younger years from now, when all of the others have liver spots and leathery skin.

Use moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated and supple.

3. Diet

You may hear of various diets that you should try, and there might be some fad diets thrown into the fray.

However, for those who want to look younger through diet, you can try diets that are specifically designed to fight ageing, such as the raw food diet, Okinawan diet and the low GI diet.

These diets are especially designed to incorporate the combination of nutrients and antioxidants, which help flush out the toxins while fighting wrinkles.

You can also try the Mediterranean diet, which consist omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish, and antioxidant-rich foods such as olive oil, fruits and vegetables. Try to eat many fruits rich in Vitamin-C, which also provides additional collagen, broccoli and its liver detoxification, and yogurt which strengthens and whitens teeth.

On the other hand, here are some food that you should completely avoid because they are fattening and unhealthy – fried food, which contains fat and calories and leads to greasy mitts; processed carbohydrates, which may lead to Type II diabetes, and of course, sugary drinks.

While it is good to eat healthily with controlled portions, dieting too much also has its bad effects.

You may lose weight visibly and the scale may tell you that you’re close to that dreamed weight, but if your face looks saggy, hollow and haggard because of too much dieting, it’s probably not that good an idea. Haggardness is synonymous with ageing ungracefully.

4. Go Easy, Sugar

Consuming a huge amount of sugar leads to obesity and Diabetes, two things we do not want.

However, what most people do not know is that too much sugar leads to wrinkles as well. If you have high blood sugar levels, glycation happens.

Glycation is a process in where the collagen of the skin is attacked and damaged, thus leading to saggy skin and tons of wrinkles. If you pair high blood sugar levels with smoking and too much sun bathing, it may even lead to worse skin problems – like more wrinkles.

5. Smoke no more

We all know what smoking leads to – heart disease, eventual loss of the senses smell and taste, bronchitis and even lung cancer.

It is also one of the reasons why some people look far older than their real age. Smoking irritates the skin and robs it of nutrients and oxygen, which then leads to lackluster skin.

6. Relax and Sleep

We all know how busy life is today, but when the pressure gets too high, try to take a break and just sleep it all off. Stress is one of the reasons why people look so haggard and tired.

So every once in a while, stop and smell the flowers, kick back and shut it all off for a little bit of time for yourself. After you have recharged, you will find that you don’t get easily distracted and annoyed by little interruptions and minor setbacks.

Lack of sleep triggers hormonal changes, which makes you age faster than you think. Try to sleep at least six to seven hours a night if you really cannot do with an eight-hour sleep per night.

Finally, spend your time doing the things that give you great pleasure. Take up a hobby if you have not done so yet – it is ultimately very rewarding, and you can meet lots of great people in the process.

Once you start enjoying life’s simple pleasures, it shows on your face – and what better anti-aging tip is there than smiling and being happy?

Cover photo: shoowdecoliriios.blogspot.com