Tried-and-true tips for looking and feeling younger
As the candles continue to crowd your birthday cakes, we can’t help but feel nostalgic for the ones that came before it. But no one has to get down about getting older. In fact, no one has to know your age—ever. With these health- and beauty-related tricks, you can look and feel your best today.
Keep calm
Age is but one of the reasons Americans find to stress every day. Unfortunately, too much of the stress hormone cortisol can jeopardize a person’s immunity, digestion and skin. Cortisol breaks down skin proteins that work to keep you looking smooth, firm and free of fine lines. So make a point to find relief by booking a massage, meditating, or just unplugging from the office to spend time with friends and family.
Load up on Vegetables
Studies have long speculated that following a vegetarian diet can add years to your life. But the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Internal Medicine confirmed the idea when their research found a vegetarian diet is associated with a 12% drop in all-cause mortality. And when you consider the beauty effects of certain foods—vitamin A in romaine lettuce revitalizes skin, lycopene in tomatoes protects you against sun damage and soy firms fine wrinkles—it makes total (tasty!) sense.
Do a little down dog
While the National Cancer Institute finds two and a half hours of moderate exercise each week can increase your life expectancy to 4.5 years, it’s yoga that particularly helps turn back the clock. Yogic breathing, says FITNESS, oxygenates cells, ridding them of toxins, helping prevent illness, and making skin radiant. That’s not all. Get a full list of reasons to do yoga from Yoga Journal.
Brew better health
Green and black tea have high doses of natural antioxidants called catechins. At the same time they relax blood vessels and protect your heart, they calm you down and boost your metabolism, which promotes weight loss and belly fat burn. Not to mention a cup of tea decreases mental fatigue, mimicking an energy you might remember only having in your 20s.
Makeover your makeup
We understand brand loyalty, especially if your concealer has covered up the most sleepless of nights, but there are new makeup formulas that work better to brighten your complexion. Case and point: CC creams. These “color correction” products even skin tone, cover up dark eye circles and spots, as well as protect against skin-damaging UV rays. Try these from L’Oreal Paris or Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting CC Cream.
Treat yourself
Not that you needed an excuse to pamper yourself, but a fresh manicure can make for younger-looking hands. English plastic surgeons report wearing nail polish can distract people from noticing common maturity signs such as veins, dark spots and wrinkles.
Invest in better brows
It may not seem like it, but poorly groomed eyebrows can make you look older. Though hairs naturally thin as we age, there are brow powders and pencils to fill in spots and offset the arch, or the part of the brow that makes eyes look younger.
Style your hair
The right cut and color can defy your age—it’s just a matter of finding a style that works best for you. A general rule of thumb is to go for a hue that doesn’t contrast with your skin tone or complexion. For something more fun, go for layers over edgier cuts, like spikes or blunt tips. The latter tends to clash with the contour of your face.
Have sex
No, really. Clinical psychologist David Weeks, PhD, finds that “the key ingredients for looking younger are staying active and maintaining a good sex life.” Plus, he says, sex can boost a person’s happiness and health, lowering their risk for heart disease and depression.
Volunteer
Help a stranger in need, see your mortality rate drop by 24%. Or at least that’s what researchers from Arizona State University find. Turns out helping others causes your brain to produce more oxytocin and progesterone—feel-good chemicals that reduce stress and harmful inflammation.
