9 Secrets to Keep You Looking and Feeling Young

Eternal youth and beauty is a dream that a lot of us have. When you’re young, you take your smooth skin, silky hair and bright eyes for granted; in fact, you hardly even notice them. But getting older is just a part of life, there is nothing we can do about it. Most people dread and fear getting old, seeing the face in the mirror change and not being able to do the things they used too. But as you get older, you also get wiser, you have so many life experiences to draw from, and you know who you are and what you want. You want to be one of those people that have to do a double take when you tell them your age, so here are nine secrets to keep you looking and feeling young.

1. Eat Healthily

The phrase you are what you eat is often thrown around in the world of nutrition and fitness, and it is true to a certain extent. Food is your fuel, and you need to be giving your body the right nutrients and energy – you wouldn’t put petrol in a diesel car, would you? The same goes with what you eat. Fill your body full of junk and you’ll end up feeling the same way; give it a balanced diet with lots of fruits, vegetables and other nutrients, and you’ll be bouncing around like a spring chicken.

2. Keep Active

Regular exercise is an important part of maintaining those youthful looks. It keeps your muscles toned, reduces body fat percentage and keeps your mental health in check. There are so many benefits of staying active; it leaves you feeling refreshed, energised and alive, as well as reducing your risk of chronic diseases and conditions. If the gym is not for you, and it isn’t for many people, that’s okay. There are so many other, enjoyable ways to stay active. Light exercise includes walking, cycling, swimming, and yoga. Exercise regularly, stay fit and healthy, feel young and fresh.

3. Quit Bad Habits

Some of the habits we pick up throughout the years are known to age us. Smoking is one that can be hard to shake, but it has severe effects on how we look. People that smoke tend to look older than they are; their hair thins, their teeth and nails are a tinge of yellow and their skin wrinkles and sags sooner. Smoking is bad for your health and bad for your youth, a habit that definitely needs to be nipped in the bud to keep you looking and feeling young and fresh. Drinking alcohol isn’t that much better. Heavy drinkers age faster as alcohol releases stress hormones and effects nutrition. Their bodies become less effective at maintaining themselves, which makes the ageing process happen much quicker. Quit those bad habits, keep yourself healthy, and stay younger for longer.

4. Take Pride in Yourself

Feeling and looking young has a lot to do with the way you present yourself, and the way you present yourself is greatly affected by how you feel about yourself. If you feel confident, beautiful and strong, then that is how people will see you. Take pride in how you dress yourself; buy yourself clothes that make you feel like you’re strutting down the catwalk. Nothing quite beats the confidence oozing from you when you step out of the hair salon with luscious bouncing lock. Having the perfect smile is the cherry on the cake when it comes to making you look and feel your best. You can even straighten your teeth in the comfort of your own home using at home clear aligners from Straight My Teeth. Achieving that perfect smile has never been so discreet, effortless, quick and affordable. Alternatively, you can undergo cosmetic treatments to improve the appearance of your skin, remove wrinkles and dark patches on your skin or undergo a breast reduction if your chest size affects how you feel about yourself. Take pride in yourself and your appearance, and love what you see in the mirror to give you that confident, youthful glow.

5. Look After Your Skin

Your skin is the big giveaway when it comes to ageing. It is usually the first thing you start to notice. Was that wrinkle always so deep? Even if your skin is not showing signs of ageing, you need to look after it now. If you don’t already wear SPF on your face every day, why not? The sun is the prime culprit for ageing the skin, and you should be protecting yourself from it every single day, not just when you’re soaking up the Mediterranean sun. Make sure you are using products that are suited to your skin type. Using the wrong products can actually deteriorate the state of your skin and cause you to age faster. SPF, the right products and keeping yourself hydrated is the secret recipe for smooth and youthful looking skin.

6. Reduce Stress

Being stressed is not good for your health, full stop. Stress can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity, but is also detrimental for your mental well-being. It dampens your mood, reduces motivation, can cause sleeping problems and makes you feel drained and fatigued. Combining all of these physical and mental health issues related to stress quickens the ageing process. Find ways to deal with your stress. Yoga, meditation and journaling have been found to be effective methods in alleviating stress, worries and general negative thoughts. Taking a more positive outlook on problems and challenges that you face instead of immediately feeling stressed and down about them will have a positive effect on your mentality, and consequently keep you feeling happier, younger and ready to take on the world.

7. Practice Mindfulness

People practice mindfulness in loads of different ways – you just have to find what works for you. Mindfulness is all about that positive outlook and dealing with your thoughts and feelings rather than letting them eat you from the inside. Yoga is a great way to focus your mind, stretch your body and release the negative energy. Some people find writing down their thoughts and feelings in a journal helps keep them grounded, organised and mindful. Mindfulness also includes reflections; being aware of how your words and your actions impact others and adjusting these to be helpful, positive and make others feel good. When you surround yourself and give out positive energy into the world, people will see you as a ray of youthful sunshine.

8. Find Hobbies

Find things that you love to do and do them. Hobbies aren’t just for school children; people of all ages can enjoy all kinds of hobbies and activities. Whether it is painting, knitting, sewing or something a bit more adventurous, pursue what you love and enjoy. Try branching into a new genre of reading, like a thriller by J.D. Barker, this could be a good way to keep yourself engaged. When you are having fun and doing something you love, you shine. Why not push yourself out of your comfort zone and try out a new hobby instead? Learning new things and having new experiences keeps your mind (and your body, depending on what you’re trying) active and energised, which keeps you feeling young, fresh, and alive.

9. Watch Your Health

As you get older, health deteriorations become more and more likely. Even if you keep fit and healthy and eat a nutritious balanced diet, things can still creep up on you. Get your health checked by a professional regularly, and if there is anything you are concerned about, make an appointment. You cannot stay young, active and energised if you don’t have your health.

Keeps those signs of ageing away, grasp onto those youthful looks and keep yourself feeling young and energised with these nine secrets.