Looking Younger at Any Age Without Cosmetic Surgery

In the ongoing quest for youth, many women today are turning to plastic surgery, facial fillers, and diet pills. Surgery always carries risks, diets pills can have serious side effects, and facial fillers are temporary. While all of these things can help you achieve a goal, there are safer, healthier ways to look and feel younger.

Many of the "secrets" to feeling and looking younger aren't secrets at all. They aren't quick fixes, and there's no pills for them. They're simple, effective lifestyle solutions that change your mind and body in a comprehensive way. Change is difficult, but implementing these ideas into your daily life will help keeping you looking and feeling younger at any age.

Limit your processed foods.Many processed foods contain free radicals and chemicals that can cause premature aging. They lack the antioxidants of fresh fruits vegetables, and the weight-beating fiber of whole grains. They're often empty calories that contain sugars and starches, which can contribute to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Eat more fruits and vegetables. Americans in particular don't eat enough fresh fruit or vegetables. Munch on leafy greens like spinach or kale for an antioxidant boost, or snack on some fat-fighting grapes in the afternoon. Fruits and vegetables contain fiber, which fights both cholesterol and fat to help keep you looking and feeling younger, longer.

Switch to higher quality meats, and eat less of them. Get rid of more harmful chemicals in your diet by eating better meats, preferably grass fed meats, and eat less of them. Grass fed meats contain skin and hair rebuilding proteins and fats, as well as cancer-battling Omega Fatty Acids and CLA. Grass fed meats are leaner, and contain overall fewer calories and cholesterol than their corn-fed counterparts. Meats raised on corn lack essential b vitamins, and the higher fat content will only pack on the pounds.

Stop smoking. This is a difficult task for many men and women, but an important one. Smoking causes lung cancer, premature aging, shortness of breath (and therefor easy fatigue), and inhibits absorbtion of essential vitamins and minerals. You can start repairing the damage to your skin and lungs once you give up the habit, and you'll see a difference in your appearance in just a few months! There are many new aides in giving up smoking that greatly increase the chances of a successful cessation of smoking. Try patches or gum to give you a leg up on kicking the habit.

Use natural skin products. Skin products with shea butter, olive oil, carrot juice, honey and honey butter, avacado, and chamomile are all excellent for your skin. Using too many harsh chemical products on ages it quickly. Keeping it moist with natural products slows down aging for younger looking skin.

Keep your smile in shape with whitening toothpaste. A natural toothpaste, like Tom's, contains no sugar and can keep your smile whiter. White teeth look younger, and they'll make you smile more.

Rinse in cold water. After your shower or bath, rinse in cold water. Cold water helps with circulation, aiding in keeping cellulite at bay. It also "lifts" the skin, making it tighter and more firm. It's an instant way to look younger.

Sweat! Exercise not only helps build lung capacity, allowing you to recapture your youthful endurance, it also help rid your body of toxins and debris through sweat. Beautiful skin requires cleansing from the inside out, so when you head to the gym or for a vigorous walk about town, you're actually giving yourself a mini-facial. In fact, you're helping the appearance of your skin from head to toe.

Stop over processing your hair. Hair that is too "done," with coloring, perms, gel, hairspray, and other products makes you look older. Find a more natural hairstyle and color, and look years younger, instantly. Work on reconditioning your hair with coconut oil heat treatments and Apple Cider Vinegar rinses to restore Ph balance and shine. You'll notice your hair looks and feels better, more youthful.

Wax or pluck your eyebrows. Don't overdo, but shaping your brows can take years off of your appearance in just a few seconds. Shapely brows give your eyes a lift, opening them up and making them appear more youthful.

Wear less makeup. As women age, they tend to wear more makeup. While some makeup can bring out out best features, too much can just accent crow's feet, laugh lines, and forehead wrinkles, making you appear older. For a healthier, younger look focus on good skin, not more makeup. Eating well and using natural, gentle products to clean and moisturize are far more effective than trying to hide wrinkles under makeup.

Spray tan some color into your life. Healthy skin tone makes you look and feel younger and thinner. Instead of damaging your skin in the sun, use a spray on tanner to give yourself an instant boost.

Exercise our heart and your muscles. Feeling young goes a lot way towards making you look younger. Activities that get your heart pumping, such as biking, running, or aerobics classes, will help you burn calories, increase lung capacity and endurance, and cleanse your skin. The AMA says you need 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise each day, but looking and feeling younger will take 45 to 60 minutes a day several days a week.

Resistance exercises will tighten and tone your body, keeping it looking young and svelt, and will build strength and stamina so you feel as young as you look. Many women are worried if they lift weights, they will bulk up and look manly, but this simply isn't true. Models and actresses use resistance training as part of the regimine that keeps them looking young and beautiful.

There are no shortcuts to exercise. Any program or device that touts fitness in 15 minutes a day is selling something. To look and feel younger, you have to put your heart into being fit and active. It's good for your immune system, your heart, your blood pressure, and your appearance. Being active is part of feeling young!

Get good sleep. One of the things that can make you feel and look old the fastest is lack of sleep. The fatigue keeps you from feeling your best, and it shows on your face and in your actions. Make sure you get at least 8 good hours of sleep a night.

Find your best weight. Being obese isn't healthy, and it will make you look and feel older than you are. So will being too thin. Find a good weight for yourself, and maintain it. Women look a bit better as they age if they aren't too thin, because fat is needed to help plump wrinkles and keep the face from looking gaunt.

Moisturize your face and body while you sleep. Sleep is a time of healing for the body. Take advantage of this and do a moisturizing mask on your face or any dry spots, like feet, while you sleep! Skin loses moisture while you sleep, especially under the eyes, so make sure your using an emollient-rich natural moisturizer beneath your eyes at night.

Find healthy ways to release stress. Stress will show in your health, and on your skin. Keep a journal, do yoga, walk your dog, or whatever it takes to work through your stress. Lowering your stress levels lowers your chances of hypertension and heart problems, as well as the number of wrinkles on you face!

Drink water. Water helps keep you looking and feeling young by helps flushing toxins out of your system and hydrates your skin for a youthful complexion.

These simple steps can have you looking and feeling younger in no time.

Resources:

Stress Effects on the Body. The Art of Stress free Living. Lesstress.com

Extensive Analysis of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, CLA, trans-18:1 Isomers, and Plasmalogenic Lipids in Different Retail Beef Types.Kraft, Jana, John K.G. Kramer, Friedrich Schoene, Jim R. Chambers, and Gerhard Jahreis. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, June 2008, 56:4775-4782.

Scientists Finding Out What Losing Sleep Does to a Body. by Rob Stein, Sunday, October 9, 2005; Page A01