The Secrets Of Aging Gracefully

No matter how hard we might try, there is ultimately nothing we can do about aging. It’s something that in one way or another we will all go through the longer we continue living. Aging happens outwardly and inwardly – as my joints will already attest to. Around the age of 21 or so, we begin losing precious collagen and our skin starts slowly showing signs of getting older. For this reason alone I take a collagen supplement every single day; my hair, skin, and joints LOVE it! If we’re not careful, we can also start feeling frailer and not quite as strong as we once were. As you get older or less active, calcium starts leaving your bones and accumulating in your blood supply – where it doesn’t belong. No worries though, lifting weights (even if it’s just a tiny weight) puts that calcium back into your bones – keeping those bones healthy and less prone to injury. Plus, as our body gets older we also become a lot more susceptible to various illnesses and health conditions. There’s no wonder no one is too keen to get older, right?

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Getting older shouldn’t be something that you fear, though – nowadays we are afforded so many ways to age in grace and prepare our bodies for the different stages of life. Aging gracefully is all about accepting your age or better said appreciating your current age for all its worth, and not pretending to be any younger than what you actually are. I remember turning 30 and thinking that was super old, but now I’m approaching 33 and am loving my thirties! It has by far been the best decade of life thus far – financial security, self confidence, stable mental health, and all the “adulting” things. You couldn’t pay me to go back to my twenties now. If you are able to accept who you are and your age, then you’ll feel a lot more comfortable in your own skin, something that quite a few people will notice. As a result of being more comfortable with yourself and self-confident, you might also find that you are happier a lot of the time too. Self love and appreciation go hand in hand with mental wellness and generally a better outlook on life and all it throws at you. Am I right?

So, are you ready to take on life as gracefully as possible? Here are a few secrets that should help you with the whole process.

Sleep Well

First and foremost get plenty of sleep. We all need lots of sleep in order to feel refreshed and invigorated throughout the day, but most people find that they need a lot more sleep as they start to age. I used to function off of 5 hours (how?!?) and now I’m a zombie if I don’t get 8. I realize this is a luxury (we don’t have kids) but this is my life. If you get plenty of sleep, your skin looks more youthful. Have you ever compared your skin when you’re bone tired vs well rested? The results are visible yall! That’s because the skin can dry out when the body is tired, which will result in the appearance of wrinkles and dark patches/circles around the eyes or even under eye bags. Not only that, though, but plenty of sleep has also been shown to help improve mental functions and increase an individual’s concentration and memory.

Always Protect Your Skin From The Sun

Have you ever thought about what causes smile lines? I’m sure your first answer will probably be “smiling”! While it’s true that smiling and doing the same facial expressions over and over again will cause these pesky lines to appear over time, there are also a few external factors that will speed up their appearance as well. One of them is not wearing any UV protection whenever you go outside. Even if you do wear plenty of sunscreen on very hot and sunny days, you might still find that you are plagued by smile lines in later life because you failed to apply UV on gray and dreary days. The truth is there is always UV in the atmosphere, even when the sun isn’t particularly visible. So, make sure you are always protected so that your skin looks flawless for a lot longer.

Wear Clothes That Make YOU Feel Good

For me this is a touchy subject – I’m ALL about wearing clothes that make you thrive whilst others are more into “dress age appropriate.” I think nowadays designers do an amazing job designing for all ages that showcase your spirit rather than your physical age. Just because you’re 65 doesn’t mean you’re now stuck with ill fitting suits and mumus. I say be daring, be bold! Screw the old standards of society and those old rules like no white after labor day or blacks and browns don’t mix. Cheetah print anyone? Maybe you no longer prefer short shorts, or maybe you do. If one day I’m along in my years and have fantastic legs – I’m about showing them off, who wouldn’t? I guess my bigger point is I never want to “feel old” solely because I’m wearing something that makes me feel old rather than awesome.

Work Hard At Your Friendships

Now that I’m getting older, I no doubt feel like I’m leagues better at being independent – probably a little too independent sometimes. The goal as we age is to develop a great deal more self-confidence than what we had when we were younger. However, I still find that I need plenty of friendships… healthy friendships. The friends I keep around me are people I can always reach out to for support and help uplift me whenever I need it and vice versa. Your friends will always be able to lift you up whenever life starts to get you down and if they don’t – do they still belong in your life?

Embrace Changes In Your Life

The only consistency in life is change. You need to be able to easily adapt to changes in your life and roll with the punches. In fact, rather than simply put up with change, it is a much better idea to try to embrace it as much as possible! By doing so, you will become a lot more adaptable and will be able to deal with the various challenges life throws at you. In fact, you might even start to enjoy it more if you try to become less stuck in your ways! I was the absolute worst with this for so long – my OCD gets the better of me sometimes. BUT with aging and learning a lot from the past, I’m so better equipped now for the unexpected (and to handle in a healthy way).

Laugh As Much As Possible

Never underestimate how important laughter is in your life! You need to try and laugh at least once a day so you can feel its full benefits. Watch your favorite show or just have a good chat with friends – as long as it gets you giggling then you should try and do it at least once a day! Even when I’m bogged down with something, laughter makes it so much less daunting and is a fantastic reminder that all will be okay. As corny as it sounds, laughter truly is the best medicine and costs nothing.

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Moisturize Your Skin Well

It’s so important to moisturize your skin at any age. In fact, the younger you start, the better equipped your skin will be to fight the early signs of aging. Dehydrated and dry skin are always your worst enemies. But once you are of a certain age, then it is more important than ever to keep your skin topped up with plenty of moisture. That’s because it will help to reduce the visibility of wrinkles and other age lines. It can also reduce your risk of developing bags around the eyes. In fact, to improve your moisturizing game once and for all, you should start to use moisturizer that has some retinol in it. This is a chemical that is produced from vitamin A and can help the skin fight against those dreaded wrinkles.

I read an article recently that mentioned the best way to fight wrinkles is by being rich – which I found to be a load of crap. Are some skin regimens extremely pricey? Absolutely yes. Drinking water, however, is better than drinking none. One of my favorite moisturizers is the Olay whips series that I started using around this time last year – and is incredibly affordable. The article went on to say that women who carry Gucci purses don’t use Olay – which I also found to be snobbish and flatly wrong. I LOVE Olay products and think they do a fantastic job! Do I have other favorites that cost more? Yes. But the results are very much the same otherwise I wouldn’t have advertised Olay in the first place.

So my point of that rant – moisturize! And don’t feel like skincare should break the bank; it most certainly can but it doesn’t have to.

Keep On Getting Plenty Of Exercise

Just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you stop getting enough exercise. In fact, plenty of exercise at any age is the key to a healthy and fit life – keep that blood flowing! Of course, as we get older working out within our limits is a must. What I mean by this is avoiding injuries, making sure to stretch, getting those muscles warm prior to start, and working up to lifting heavy. Doing too much when your body isn’t ready is asking for an injury. Even keeping it simple by walking or going for an easy bike ride will be enough to keep your body and mind healthy – I keep bugging my parents about this!

Be Mindful With Your Diet

It’s also essential that you continue to watch what you eat. Try to eat as many fresh veggies and fruits as you can. Also remember to eat plenty of whole grains as these are necessary for a healthy heart and have a diet full of fiber to help your intestinal health. Remember – health is something we often take for granted until we no longer have it. It’s so much easier to protect your health rather than try to fix things later on down the road, heart health in particular!