Reverse Aging – Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Daily Routines
Okay, so time to admit that every day, with every passing hour, all of us age. However, it is not hard to notice that some people age slower than others, almost like those who tend to ‘reverse age’.
More often than not, it is attributed to the magic of good genes or the result of cosmetology treatments. While both of these could be a contributing factor in any individual’s case, it is not so for everyone.
But what can work for everyone else are the little changes in daily routine which can play a vital role in reverse aging. Developing a set of good habits and routines that do not tax your body, mind and skin unnecessarily can work really well to stop rapidly approaching age in its tracks. Here are some ideas how:
Proper Sleep
Often sidelined, proper sleep is one of the most important factors in overall health. As mentioned earlier, the body’s health functions are naturally attuned to circadian rhythms. For any adult, a good quality sleep for at least 8 hours every night is very important. This also plays a role in helping one age slower.
Other than the aging effects it has on the brain and rest of the body, sleep deprivation can lead to the skin aging many times faster as well. The importance of this can be understood by the fact that even a single night without sleep makes a person look tired and older right away. Multiply that by many times for those who do not get good sleep, and during the right hours.
Exercise
Exercise is one of the best solutions to the reverse aging process. The increased blood supply to all the tissues of the body, the strength of the heart increasing and an overall freshness that comes with exercise is invaluable to reverse aging.
In fact, studies have shown that a person who exercises regularly has the advantage of looking nine years younger than another of the same age, but not physically active. Research has also shown exercise to slow down aging on a cellular level. This means that every cell of the body will age slower, have a longer life in the system, and will also be less prone to infections and mutations.
For those who find regular exercise to be too much work, even gentler versions like yoga and tai chi can be useful. There are a number of yoga tutorials and guides on the internet that are specifically linked to aging issues.
Meditative practices like yoga can improve health in many ways. It reduces stress, improves cardiac functioning, enhances breathing capacity and eventually helps in taking years off your face! Yoga also helps the body maintain its flexibility which it loses gradually with age. And the best part is that this reverse aging tool can be used anytime, anywhere.
In Chico, CA the CARD center has two great yoga programs, Integral Yoga class and 2 Gentle Integral Yoga classes.
Sunscreen Application
While all-natural vitamin D and soaking up the sun seems so good, it can come with a lot of unwanted baggage. In fact, the adverse effects of too much sun time take their first toll on the skin.
This refers to free radicals that are created due to UV light, that literally break and kill cells. Not only do these rays help in breaking down healthy cells, they can also cause mutations in their genetic structures, which can lead to serious health problems including cancer.
Apply sunscreen. Sunscreens do actually work and protect from UV radiation. For every person, the SPF may vary. It is always advisable to use a dermatologist recommended sunscreen, instead of randomly picking one up. Sunscreen acts like a shield that protects against the rays of the sun and can be very beneficial in the process of reverse aging.
Adequate Hydration
This is by far the most important, yet often neglected aspect of younger looking skin; keeping it hydrated. The more water you drink, the more youthful your skin will be. Every person’s water requirements vary, so to say that eight glasses of water is good for everyone would not exactly be accurate.
Instead, how much water you need depends on your age, weight, climate around you, and level of physical activity among other things. The better your skin is hydrated, the more it will glow and maintain its elasticity.
It is important though, that drinking excessive water is not very ideal either. It only puts more pressure on the kidneys that have to excrete it out. So drink adequate water, neither too little, nor too much.
De-stressing
Everyone faces stress at some point in life, be it about work, about a loved one’s health, income or problems in any relationship. And most people can relate to the fact that stress can make a person look much older.
Stress is also considered one of the leading causes of premature aging nowadays. Most people have too much on their plate and too little time to actually deal with the stress and relieve it. In this process, they appear to age many times faster.
The brain is connected to every single part of the body, including the skin. Anything affecting the brain adversely shows on the face in one form or the other. For instance, one very common example is that bout of pimples you get during exams.
So de-stressing becomes paramount when it comes to preserving your youthful looks and good health.
Socialising
To be very clear, this is not a reference to posting on your friend’s timeline, or commenting on their Instagram post. It means actually going out and hanging out with people. Not socialising leads to the person becoming lonely and depressed.
And nothing ages you faster than stress. It has been shown through research that loneliness doubles the risk of early death as compared to obesity. Loneliness is an extremely unhealthy state of mind that will reflect on an individual’s looks and persona in the form of dark circles, dull and wrinkly skin, to say the very least.
The depression that ensues from not socialising enough can lead to hypertension, insomnia, night terrors, and many other disturbances in the body. With serious effects such as these, it is impossible for it not to affect the skin and make the person look much older than their real age.
Home-cooked Food
The diet plays a vital role in reverse aging. Simple changes to the diet can take off years from the face. However, this is not possible if you eat out most of the time. There are not many healthy options when eating out and the quality of products being used is not known.
In this scenario, eating at home is a safer and much more beneficial option. Home cooking comes with the obvious benefits of knowing what is going into your meals. You have the liberty of adding in all the anti-aging super foods you want and cutting down on all the wrong fats and cholesterol. You can add in more fruits and vegetables to your meals instead of up-size fries.
These little alterations in meals will make all the difference and help you achieve your reverse aging goals.
