Ageing is an inevitable event. So cheers to always keeping a twinkle in every wrinkle!
To age is one thing but to age gracefully is another and all of us have an option to choose from the latter. This simple journey begins with self- acceptance and a few lifestyle changes that will show rewarding results in the long run.
It is rightfully said, with age comes wisdom and patience. We tend to perceive difficult life situations with better control systems. As we become older, we face an increasing number of important life transitions, such as employment changes, retirement, children leaving home, the death of loved ones, physical challenges and even the loss of independence. Healthy ageing is typically determined by how we handle and grow from these stressors. Such external stressors have a huge impact on your internal body organs, especially the largest organ i.e. ‘The Skin’. It is a display board depicting all of your internal secret life stories. Shhhhhhh!
And so, we owe it to our skin. It surely requires that special attention, care, and even a systemised skin care routine. Let’s look at some of the ways to escape ageing velocity, for we can only slow the process, but gracefully.
Five tips for ageing gracefully
1. Take a Healthy Diet
Journey of healthy skin begins from the inside out. What you consume is directly reflected in your skin. Fruits and vegetables are natural sources of rich antioxidants, which assist to prevent skin from free radical cellular damage and give your skin the essential nutrients it requires, to be soft, supple, and free of blemishes.
Create a rainbow platter with colourful fruits and vegetables. Be sure to fortify your diet with-
- Beta-carotene content, commonly found in carrots, broccoli, bell pepper. Known to improve skin tone and appearance.
- Folate and vitamin K, found in spinach, kale, and brussels. Known to increase collagen production and increased protection from UV rays.
- Vit C a.k.a super oxidant, found in oranges, papaya, strawberries, blueberries. Known to promote radiant skin and increase elastin and collagen.
2. Smile More
Smiling often, is a free skin therapy!
This simple smiling activity has a number of physiological health benefits, such as
- Enhanced endurance
- Increased skin elasticity
- Stress and anxiety reduction
- Strong immune system
3. Learn New Things
No matter what age you are or what genre of activity interests you, learning new things is not only good for your personality, but also beneficial for your overall health. Good mental health reflects in your physical health, especially skin tone and suppleness. Some of the activities that are proved to be therapeutic are-
- Learning pottery making or painting.
- Listen to music or create some of your own.
- Solve puzzles. This activity really charges up the neuron networking in your brain and improves the analytical capability.
- Practice yoga or join a new sport like badminton, basketball etc.
- Learn a new instrument like a ukulele or a harmonica.
A common observation, every women entrepreneur, irrespective of age, have an appealing shine on their face.
Secret: Just keep that neuron network activated and see life changing results on your skin tone.
4. Practice Mindfulness
Life can be overwhelming and while stress can have major health consequences, sometimes simply resetting the mind is enough to make us feel better. We have to learn a mechanism to turn off the default button and steer away from the endless loop of thoughts.
One way to approach a state of mindfulness is by yoga and meditation. It has multiple benefits like-
- Reduces chronic stress patterns
- Increases oxygen content in body , thereby rejuvenating overall skin health
- Improves skin tone and reduces wrinkles
- Slows down the ageing process
5. Time for Skin-vestment
It is a known fact that as you age, your skin's metabolism begins to slow down due to the decline in collagen and elastin proteins. This is when you need to start investing in your skin's health with a regular skin care routine and effective skin care products. You can begin your journey with products that are rich in -
- Ceramides and Hyaluronic Acids
- Niacinamide Serums and Glycerine
- Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Vitamin E
- Retinol rich products
- AHAs or Alpha Hydroxy Acids
- Natural Plant Extracts like Mango Seed Butter
Fundamentally, loss of skin hydration is linked to skin ageing. Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, Niacinamide and glycerine are perfect humectants that have with a particular capacity to bind and hold water molecules. They are active ingredients towards hydrating your skin and thereby decelerating the ageing process.
Topical Vitamin C is always on a hunt for free radicals therefore acting as one of the best antioxidants for your skin. They are some common properties like-
- Act as a natural skin filler
- Prevents skin sagging
- Reduce pore size
- Reduces dark circles
- Decelerates hyperpigmentation.
Retinols which are based on vitamin A and are the most widely used and researched anti-aging substances, that help to
- Reduce fine lines and wrinkles
- Increasing the collagen production
- Formation of new blood vessels in the skin
- Improves skin tone and smoothing of overall skin texture
- Reduces age spots
Alpha hydroxy acids act by eliminating dead skin cells from the top layers of the skin. They also promote firmness by increasing the thickness of deeper layers of the skin. Some of the advantages of products rich in AHAs are-
- Increased skin firmness
- Reduced hyperpigmentation associated with a skin problem called melasma.
- Moisture retention
- A perfect exfoliant
6. Exercise
A sedentary lifestyle comes at a huge cost and will not only cause muscular fatigue but also curbs a healthy appetite, triggering chronic lethargy to set in.
Recent studies have shown a relationship between a sedentary lifestyle and distortion of telomeres in DNA which speeds up the ageing process of the organism as a whole.
Baby steps to look and feel younger
- Start by walking for 20 minutes, daily.
- Take the stairs instead of the lift, this will improve the flexibility in your muscles and posture. It will also help you reduce your carbon footprint.
- Take adequate sleep of about 7-8 hours.
- Take conscious note of your routine and replace bad habits with positive new ones.
- Go for a hike or join a half marathon.
Conclusion
There is no product in the world that will make you look beautiful because you already are. To feel comfortable and confident in your own skin is the new motto of the skin care industry. You cannot change the past or future, but you can work on the present condition of your skin with the right product, clear perspective and a lot of positivity.
