We have always been fascinated by the prospect of being endlessly youthful and never aging. This aspect has been captured perfectly in Alphaville’s 1984 hit song “Forever Young”. The song alludes to the dream that we have all had, which is the idea of living forever young.
It is all good to wish about living forever young and never aging, but in the real world, aging is a real aspect of life. 29 is the generally accepted age when the ageing process starts. Obviously, genetics, lifestyle, and other factors such as sun protection and diet can affect this process, but it is still inevitable.
Why are we still aging? This is a very important question considering all the information available on the Internet, books, and TV programs dedicated solely to the issue of ageing. We will try to explain why we are experiencing lots of problems with our weight, health, and generally aging rather quickly.
You are probably wondering who ‘we’ are and what makes us qualified to talk about the issue of aging. Well, we are Rosemary and Chris, just a regular couple in our 60’s who want to live a long and healthy life so that we are able to enjoy our kids and grandchildren. We might not be professional doctors but we know are thing or two about aging and we are sharing this information with you here today.
Anti-Ageing and Health in the 21st Century
Aging is an inescapable part of life. We might wish to deny this fact, but growing older is a slow and irreversible process. When we grow old we start losing fat from our bodies and face and our skin starts to lose its elasticity. One common mistake is to indulge in face lifts, which are designed to make us look younger, but almost always make us look older.
7 Bad Lifestyle Choices To Avoid
The reality is that while we are unable to control our genetics or stop the natural flow of our biological make-up, we are not powerless to do anything. We can do something to delay and perhaps ever reverse the effects of aging. We can control our lifestyle! If we are able to change the following 7 bad lifestyle choices, we will be a step closer to attaining that endlessly youthful look.
1. Negative Attitude Towards Life
How do we approach life? Do we see the glass as being half-full or half-empty? The question might seem unrelated to aging, but it can have a profound impact on how you look. Your attitude towards life has a small but obvious sign written all over your face as you age. If you are a person with a permanent frown, the frown lines with be etched permanently on your face as you age.
If we are constantly happy, the facial muscles relax and we will have less wrinkles and lines as we age. It is impossible to watch out facial features every single moment our lives, but we can try to live happier and lighter. Let us get rid of the baggage we are carrying inside us and our inner lightness will reflect in our faces. If we are happy we will look happy and if we look happy we will look and feel younger.
2. Our Vices
In this modern world of today, smoking and drinking are some of the most common vices we engage in. Both are not only bad for our health, but also for our appearance too. Smoking has an effect of making skin dull while the effect of alcohol is apparent in the face.
Smoking has been scientifically proven as being bad for health. It deprives the skin of the oxygen it requires to nourish itself since it dehydrates skin. Alcohol dilates the blood vessels found on the surface of the skin and leads to skin discoloration. Broken blood vessels also makes skin look older.
Smoking and drinking might be the most common vices, but it doesn’t mean that they are the only ones. Other vices such as drugs also have a negative effect on skin. If we want to avoid premature aging, we need to keep our vices in check.
3. Our Environment
We all know the dangers of too much exposure to the sun and how it can affect our skin. It is something that’s not only bad for our health, but also makes us look far older than we are if we indulge in it excessively. If we stay in the sun for too long our skin dehydrates and becomes tough and leathery.
The sun might be a powerful agent for dehydrating the skin, but it is not the only one. Cold and dry wind is also capable of dehydrating the skin as much as the sun does, which has the same effect of lines and wrinkles in the skin.
To protect against sun damage and dehydration spend a maximum of 20 minutes in the sun to absorb the Vitamin D our bodies require. You should also use a moisturizer to protect against sun damage as well as the dehydrating effect of cold and dry wind.
4. Our Diet
Food might not appear to have an immediate effect on looking old, but what we put in our bodies can affect our appearance in many ways. Foods such as vegetables and foods are well-known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents and reduce the appearance of the signs of aging.
The foods that we love to eat such as flour, dairy, and sugar related products are pro-inflammatory and actually accelerate aging. The foods trigger an insulin response that affects our body mass and this gives our bodies the flabby, sagging look as we age.
A young body has a tight and toned look, but if we overindulge in the pro-inflammatory foods then this tones look disappears rapidly. If we want to maintain our youthful appearance for much longer, we should think twice before reaching for a second helping of the sweet cake.
5. Improper Weight
The good news is that getting fatter actually helps us look better as we grow older. Gaining weight to fill our arms and cheeks makes our skin look tight and full again. It will seem like you have the plumpness of youth back.
Losing weight as you grow older makes you look undernourished and skeletal. If you maintain the right weight, the loose skin on the arms and neck will be pleasantly filled out. Obesity is definitely never advisable, but older people should not fear putting on a few pounds to keep the signs of aging at bay.
6. Bad Personal Habits
Personal habits can have a profound effect on the way we look. For instance, if we exercise regularly we are likely to have fewer signs of aging. The reason for this is that exercise pumps nutrients and blood throughout the body and skin and even tones muscles to prevent sagging skin and weak bones.
If you sit in front of the computer all day and in front of the TV during your free time, your body will not receive the attention necessary for it to stay tones, healthy, and young. Unfortunately, this is the situation that most of us find ourselves today.
The small habits we pick up can take a significant toll on our bodies. It is important to watch out for those small but destructive habits since they can affect our bodies in very negative ways. Strive to pick up good habits that will help you keep your youthful looks for longer.
7. Bad Stressors
Scientific studies consistently show that people exposed to stressful environments not only have a higher chance of developing chronic illnesses but also show premature signs of aging. One of the main reasons for this is that stress usually makes you have poor posture. Posture might seem insignificant, but it can affect your appearance in a major way.
If you are bend over from worry or anxiety you will appear much older than a person that stands up straight and full of life. Stress also leads to the release of hormones in our bodies, which can lead to lines and wrinkles on our face. Fortunately, it is easy to de-stress by practicing activities such as meditation, tai chi or yoga.
The Bottom Line
Aging is an inescapable fact of life. We will all get older and there is nothing we can do to stop that. What we can control is how we age. We can indulge in vices, depression, unhealthy choices, and vices, but we need to be ready for the negative consequences later on in life.
Conversely, we can make healthy lifestyle choices starting today and age beautifully and gracefully. It is not a very hard decision to make. The choice is ultimately yours to make if you would like to look and feel young forever just like Alphaville envisioned in their hit song “Forever Young”.
If you are worried about aging, but are not sure about what to do, let us be our guide. We love to travel and researching health, anti-aging, and weight loss products and we always share our discoveries with you.
Apple cider vinegar is one of the products that we have discovered to be great for health. We are passionate advocates for this product. If you want to learn more about our discoveries, you should consider joining us on this journey today.
