How To Stay Feeling Young and Healthy
How To Stay Feeling Young And Healthy
It’s no secret that our looks and health changes as we age. An unfortunate aspect of this wonderful life is that everyone experiences aging.
People become obsessed with age and try desperately to hold on to their youth however possible. I think I hit my thirties and suddenly became very aware of my age. Not in a bad way but, like, well—here we are.
The reality is very much a cliche, in that age is just a number. The true reflection of youth is your health, both mentally and physically.
While age doesn’t define beauty or health, it’s normal for people to want to hold on to their youthful appearance.
Making an effort to maintain your youth can not only boost confidence and self-esteem, but certain practices can also have positive health implications.
What Are the Benefits?
In fact, research has shown that feeling younger or self-perceived age is related to better health. Those who claim to feel younger are more likely to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Being overly conscious about your age can bring about negativity too. Many people are guilty of comparing themselves to others and weighing-up their achievements in life against their age.
This line of thinking is unhelpful and potentially dangerous. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “comparison is the thief of joy.”
Although you should do what you can to keep it in tip-top shape. That way, you’re ready for whatever life throws at you at any time. There are many ways to pass through life looking and feeling your best.
If you’ve decided to take action to stay feeling young and healthy, here are seven great tips to help you with your goals.
1. Eat a Healthy and Wholesome Diet
Maintaining a healthy diet is important at any age, but it is particularly important as you get older. Consuming healthy foods has a direct impact on your physical health.
Nutritiously dense foods boost your immune system. They increase your ability to fight off infections and reduce your risk of serious illnesses. Ones like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
Eating leafy green vegetables and fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids improve cognitive function, keeping your mind sharp. Omega-3 is believed to decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Apart from the direct impact that healthy food has on your health, it also gives you more energy and can improve your physical appearance. A good diet causes the body to produce more collagen, which is a type of protein that can make your skin smoother and softer.
An improved physical appearance and greater energy levels boost your self-esteem and enable you to stay active.
What Do I Do?
Look to wholesome foods to provide you with plenty of calcium, healthy fats, protein, and fiber. Be wary of your carbohydrate intake and stay away from sugar. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Different diets are better suited to certain body types so find one that works best for you. Ensure that you view your diet as a lifestyle choice and don’t be too restrictive.
2. Get Regular Exercise
Active aging is a buzz term going around for the last few years. It relates to those who continue to stay physically active as they get older.
Instead of letting nature take its course, they become responsible for the state of their bodies.
Exercising regularly can bring about so many benefits. It creates stronger and leaner muscles, combats certain illnesses, and makes you look better.
While most people are aware of the physical benefits of exercise, not everyone realizes the positive effects it has on your mental wellbeing.
Moderate exercise causes the body to release endorphins which are natural mood enhancers. Regular exercise can help keep anxiety and stress at bay.
Combining a fit body with a sharp and healthy mind can keep you feeling young and healthy for many years.
3. Prioritize Your Beauty Sleep
Sleep is essential for recovery. Your mind and body need sleep to rest, repair, and perform optimally the following day.
A good sleep affects your energy levels, your ability to think, concentrate, and your overall mood.
A lack of sleep makes it difficult to complete tasks, and it may give you problems remembering and reacting to things.
This can seep into the rest of your life, causing you to skip exercise and opt for fast food rather than healthy options.
Studies have suggested that too little sleep can cause people to eat bigger meal portions, and it triggers cravings for high-carbohydrate foods.
Sleep is all about routine. Prioritize your rest and try to get between seven and nine hours per night.
4. Adopt a Great Skincare Routine
The health of someone’s skin is often a good indicator of their age. As the largest organ in your body it’s an area that experiences the most exposure.
Your skin generally shows the most visible signs of aging.
Many things that you do can affect the health of your skin. Unhealthy habits such as smoking, heavy drinking, and eating junk food give your skin an aged and poor appearance.
Staying hydrated and eating a healthy diet can improve its appearance. However, the best way to keep your skin looking and feeling great is to adopt a daily skincare routine.
Exfoliation helps eliminate unwanted layers of dead skin on your body. Regular exfoliation can keep your skin healthy and vibrant but be careful not to over-exfoliate.
Applying quality moisturizer and anti-aging products help give your skin a smooth, elastic, and wrinkle-free appearance.
Start to follow a regular skin care regimen and stick to it.
I have and it’s life-changing, truly!
5. Reduce Daily Stress
Although stress is a natural defense mechanism of the body, it is often triggered in ways that are very unhelpful.
While stress is beneficial in times of danger, chronic stress on a daily basis can make life quite miserable. Being constantly overwhelmed makes you feel lethargic and spent.
By learning to combat stress, you can uplift your mood and feel better mentally and physically. One of the greatest ways of managing stress is to partake in mindful activities.
These not only help you to learn about what’s stressing you out, but they can help center your mind and bring clarity and calm to your existence.
Mindful activities include meditation, yoga, and rhythmic exercises. There are several free apps that give guided meditation sessions to help get you started.
6. Spend Time Doing What You Love
Enthusiasm and joy for life have a major impact on how you feel every day. By spending time doing something you love, you can experience increased motivation and ambition.
If you set aside time each day to do something you enjoy, you have a reason to push through. Even when times are tough.
This drive fuels your body, helping you to feel young, healthy, and energized.
Happiness and laughter naturally boost your mood, reduce stress, and relax your body. This leads to improved health.
7. Reduce Your Alcohol Intake
The moderate consumption of alcohol can bring about some positives. For example, a glass of wine is known to help cardiovascular health.
Consuming alcohol socially can also benefit relationships and bring about happiness.
However, excessive consumption of alcohol can do significant damage to your health. Internally, alcohol is hard on the body. It sets your liver into overdrive and can cause long-term damage.
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Externally, alcohol can be harmful to your skin. As it dehydrates your body, your skin becomes drained of moisture.
Continuously dehydrating your skin can damage it permanently, making you appear a lot older than you are.
There are strong links between alcohol and poor mental health. Overindulging in alcohol can lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.
Feeling mentally-low zaps you of your enthusiasm for life.
While you don’t need to eliminate it completely, consider reducing your alcohol intake to stay feeling young and healthy.
I hope you found some new ways to keep feeling and looking your best. Maybe a little reminder, we all need it from time to time.
Do you have any ways on how to stay feeling young and healthy?
Let me know, til then—cheers m’deres!
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Nancy Polanco is a freelance journalist, lifestyle content creator, and editor of Whispered Inspirations. She is a proud Mom to Gabby and Michaela and partner and best friend to Darasak. Having worked as part of a health care team for almost a decade, Nancy is happy to be back to her passion. She is a contributor to the Huffington Post, TODAY’s Parents, and an Oprah Magazine Brand Ambassador.
Some great tips. My concerns right now are sleep and stress. Probably related. I used to sleep so well, even when I worked shifts. Now I am lucky to get 6 hours of sleep, when I would prefer 8. But these are strange times and everyone is trying to do the best we can. Hopefully things improve soon. Stay well.
Yes, so true, I hope you are well!