4 Wonderful Ways to Keep Your Skin Looking Young

In youth, old age is simply a mirage. Wrinkles, saggy skin, age spots, thinning hair? These are like reliefs in a myth that plague everyone around you, but never you. When you’re young, nothing is impossible: You’re full of energy, your skin glows even if you’ve just pulled an all-nighter, your hair shines like a crown, and you can eat a whole pizza by yourself and still weigh 100 lbs.

But then you reach a certain age and the signs of the time begin to show up everywhere. Crow’s feet, stretch marks, loose skin, weight gain, lack of energy — it’s all part of the fare, but you didn’t expect it, and now it comes as a shock when you realize that the myth is true, that people grow old, including you, and you desperately try to find a way to regain the very thing that you took for granted: your youth.

Although we can’t actually turn back time — unfortunately, there’s no such thing as the fountain of youth — we can nevertheless adopt certain lifestyles that help delay the unwanted signs of aging.

Taking Care of Your Skin

A proper skin care routine from an early age can help your skin look younger and healthier for longer. But what is a proper skin care routine?

1. Cleansing – This is the first and most important step in every beauty routine. Clean your face when you wake up and before you go to sleep. This will help your skin to get rid of makeup, oil, dirt, and other debris.
2. Toning – Use a gentle and non-drying toner. Apply some on a cotton pad and gently pat over your face and neck area. This will help tighten pores and balance your skin’s pH.
3. Applying serum – Serums are lightweight moisturizers packed with concentrated beautifying ingredients that will help your skin acquire a more youthful and brighter look.
4. Applying moisturizer – Moisturizers will help lock the moisture in your skin, helping it to always feel soft and smooth.
5. Applying sunscreen – It doesn’t matter if it’s cloudy. Applying sunscreen is a very important step to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. It’s been proven that sun exposure is one of the main reasons for the manifestation of wrinkles and dark spots, so applying a sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30 is absolutely critical.
6. Exfoliating – Exfoliating twice a week will help your skin get rid of impurities and dead skin cells, making your face look radiant.
7. Applying a face mask – Face masks are great and fun to use. They come in all kinds and forms: clay, cream, gel, sheet, etc. Find the one that best suit your skin, and use it as indicated.

10 Foods to Keep You Forever Young

Keeping yourself young and healthy requires a very nutritious diet. It is essential that we consume the best foods in order to keep our body nourished and healthy. Let me reveal my 10 favorite foods to keep you looking and feeling amazing.  

Green Tea – This amazing beverage is very rich in antioxidants, promoting longevity and good health. It’s very efficient in turning fat into energy, helping you slim down in a healthy way.

Walnuts – Have you noticed how walnuts resemble a human brain? This testifies to their uncanny role as a highly nutritious ‘brain food.’ They also help to lower bad cholesterol, while keeping healthy levels of good cholesterol.

Berries – Berries are great! They aren’t just delicious and colorful; studies have shown that these amazing fruits are a powerhouse of antioxidants that can slow the process of aging!

Leafy Greens – Green veggies like spinach, broccoli, and kale are superfoods because they are packed with essential minerals and vitamins that benefit the muscles, regulate blood sugar, and protect the cells.

Wild Salmon – Regularly eating salmon, which is rich in omega fatty acids, helps protect against heart disease. That’s why the American Heart Association urges us to consume fish at least twice a week.

Herbs and Spices – Both have had a very important role in food throughout history. Spices like cinnamon possess anti-diabetic properties and its powerful antioxidants help fight inflammation and lower cholesterol. Herbs like sage can improve brain and memory function.

Avocados – Another superfood, avocado contains high nutrient value and its unique flavor makes it a welcome addition to any meal. It’s a low-carb, high-fat food, and it doesn’t contain cholesterol.

Pomegranates – Packed with antioxidants, pomegranates protect cells from damage by fighting free radicals. It’s also rich in vitamin C, and a good source of potassium and vitamin K.

Ginger – Considered one of the healthiest spices in the world because of its medicinal properties, ginger’s characteristic flavor and fragrance comes from one of its natural oils called gingerol. It’s a powerful antioxidant and has incredible anti-inflammatory effects.

Olive Oil – From ancient times, olive oil has been an essential part of the Mediterranean diet and for good reason. This oil is rich in monounsaturated fats which make it extremely healthy. It also contains great amounts of antioxidants, and strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Exercise Keeps You Young

There’s no doubt that a nutritious diet is of utmost importance if you want to keep healthy and live longer, but maintaining an active lifestyle can contribute to these goals, too. Taking a short 30-minute walk in the park, running with the dog, playing with the kids, taking the stairs instead of the elevator — these are simple but effective ways of incorporating activity into your daily life. Those who are more intensity-inclined may prefer activities like swimming, jogging, dancing, weight training, and bicycling.

Recent scientific research has shown that exercise is so good that it can help reverse the signs of aging! Isn’t it fabulous? Personally, I don’t need scientific studies to convince me. I really do feel healthier and younger when I exercise regularly. Here are a few of my favorite activities to keep myself feeling good.

Swimming – This is one of my favorite exercises! Being in the water helps the body move vigorously without over-straining the feet and knees. It is also very relaxing. I can honestly say that it’s kind of an otherworldly experience.

Rebounding – Rebounding is fun! Honestly, I could be rebounding for an hour and it would feel like a few minutes; that’s how time flies when you’re having fun. More importantly, in the 80s, NASA stated that rebounding was ‘the most efficient and effective form of exercise yet devised by man.’ Need I say more?

Yoga – If you want to increase your flexibility while improving muscle strength and tone, this is the exercise for you. Not for nothing is yoga a millenary workout. It also promotes emotional well-being and enhances peaceful feelings.

Bodyweight – If you’re like me and don’t like weight training, then you might be persuaded to try bodyweight training. Resistance training is very important to keep muscles in great condition — even too much cardio can cause muscle loss. That’s why it’s important for you to do those dreaded push-ups.

Dancing – Dancing is another fun way of shedding those extra pounds while keeping your body and spirit young. So if you don’t like any of the previously mentioned workouts, you can always be a dancing queen and be young forever!

Enjoy Life

Making changes in your diet, following a proper skin care routine, and incorporating exercise into your daily routine aren’t the only ways to get healthier and feel younger. It takes a mental and an emotional state, too. The day to day stress has a lot to do with our overall well-being, and even though we can’t control the things around us, we can control how we react to them. So here are my 4 favorite ways to feel younger, happier, and calmer.

• Stop smoking – Yes, I used to smoke. It was one of my favorite things. I started with one cigarette, and before I knew it, I was smoking a pack every two days. I smoked when I was happy, I smoked when I was stressed out, and I definitely smoked when I was angry or depressed. One day I said to myself that I was tired of feeling bad all the time, and decided to quit smoking. I must say that I don’t regret my decision and I don’t miss cigarettes at all.
• Keep learning – Keeping ourselves young involves our body and our mind. Eating healthy and working out will help your body, but reading a book, learning a new language, or even using your other hand can have a really positive effect in your brain. So go on and sign up for that cooking class! It will be fun, you’ll feel alive, and you’ll meet a few interesting people.
• Avoid stress – I know this is much easier said than done, but it’s worth the effort. Being a responsible, hard worker doesn’t mean you have to be stressed all the time. It harms you in ways you can’t imagine. Productive people do not stress. Productive people tend to be happier and therefore younger and healthier.
• Be mindful – This seems easy, but it really isn’t. Our culture tends to encourage multi-tasking and this has made us chronically distracted. Mindfulness helps you to be aware of the present moment, making you happier.