Everyone experiences changes as they age, but some are more drastic than others. You don’t need to pay for expensive cosmetic surgery to feel more like yourself. Read this guide to learn how to look younger and start feeling younger naturally to begin improving your physical and mental health.
1. Apply Better Skincare Products
When someone begins to age, you likely notice it by changes in their skin. Switching your daily skincare products is one of the best secrets to looking younger. Use formulas designed to tighten and brighten your skin with natural ingredients, like vitamin C.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that stimulates collagen production in skin cells, which may slow down over time. Collagen allows your skin to stay strong and hydrated. If your cells can regulate collagen production, you won’t deal with premature wrinkles or saggy skin. Applying vitamin C serum or lotion every day could help with that.
Wearing sunscreen is another trick for looking and feeling younger naturally. It prevents microscopic damage while you’re doing yard work, walking the dog or sitting on a park bench in the sun. Your cells won’t burn and potentially enter premature aging processes because they cannot function. You can find sunscreen in facial lotions that don’t leave a greasy sheen behind when you’re ready to start your day.
2. Manage Your Mental Health
Having more inner peace instantly restores the feeling of being young. When you’re young, there isn’t too much to worry about. Responsibilities that come with age change that.
You can find more mental peace by talking with a therapist to work through issues that may have cropped up as the years passed. You could also use helpful tools to calm your stress and anxiety. Meditation slows intrusive thoughts caused by anxiety or trauma that ultimately make you feel negative about yourself or your life. It also reduces your stress because slow breathing brings your heart rate down.
Getting more control over your breathing has physical effects that reduce aging symptoms. Deep breathing — also known as pranayama breathing — boosts your energy naturally by sending a steadier flow of oxygen to your brain. It can be challenging to feel energetic when you get older because your body doesn’t have the same stamina. Memorizing breathing exercises is a great way to tackle the physical and mental effects of aging without medication.
3. Adjust Your Diet
In your 30s, 40s and 50s, you’ll likely notice your body changing in numerous ways. Eating a different diet can assist with those changes. Your digestive system will slow down because your cells and organs are getting older, so eating foods that are gentler on your digestive tract will make you more comfortable while getting all the nutrients you need.
Avoiding foods high in processed ingredients, fats and carbs will reduce the odds of problems happening every day, like:
- Heartburn
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
Whole foods, vegetables and fruits will provide the nutrients and antioxidants your body needs to function without causing secondary digestive side effects. A nutritionist can reflect on your current diet and suggest changes that stop sluggish, tired feelings after meals.
You can also eat to balance your hormones, which may rise or fall due to age. Changing hormones affect your cardiovascular system, your stroke risk and your energy levels. Purposefully reducing your sugar intake avoids spikes in the hormonal production of insulin, which is a direct way to feel younger by swapping a few sugary treats each day. Your hormones will maintain optimal levels and improve your health.
4. Improve Your Sleep Routine
Getting a good night’s rest is essential to looking and feeling better. No one feels their best after struggling to stay asleep through the night. Natural remedies are abundant for this problem, so you’re not out of luck.
Consider going to sleep earlier or meditating in the dark to slow your mind before lying down for the night. You might try natural sleep aids like melatonin, which triggers the sleep rhythms that kickstart your nightly circadian cycle. It may help with insomnia or the issue of staying in a deep sleep.
Changing your physical routine may help too. You could exercise earlier in the day to exert more energy and feel more tired at night. Static stretching in your bedroom can also drain muscle tension through yoga moves that calm your heart and mind.
5. End Unhealthy Habits
People develop unhealthy habits for various reasons throughout their lives. If you’ve picked up smoking or regularly had alcoholic beverages, ending those habits could be one of your secrets to looking younger.
Smoking affects your physical and mental health, especially if you’ve done it for years. Tobacco smoke shrinks your blood vessels and prevents standard amounts of oxygen from reaching your brain and other vital organs. A lack of oxygen also causes premature wrinkles and inflammation, affecting your appearance.
Alcohol impacts your body harder as you age because your cells cannot bounce back as quickly. By causing oxidative damage that results in hangovers, alcohol also increases your risk of health conditions such as:
- Liver damage
- Ulcers
- Strokes
- Diabetes
Being gentle on your body is the best way to look and feel younger naturally. Treat it with respect by ending unhealthy habits and replacing them with holistic ways to mitigate anxiety, stress or whatever initially led to the bad habits.
6. Drink More Water
Hydration plays a crucial part in understanding how to look younger. It hydrates your cells, which need water to function correctly. It also restores your energy so your body can thrive without energy drinks or extra caffeine. Help your body as it ages by getting more water through beverages and water-based foods.
7. Discover New Joys
People can tell when someone feels depressed. It may show in the bags under your eyes, your lack of energy or the worry lines along your face. Finding new things that make you happy will reduce the stress or sadness that causes those things. Consider starting a new hobby, joining a new social circle or revamping your life if it isn’t as fulfilling as you want it to be.
Start Looking and Feeling Younger
Now that you know how to look younger and feel better naturally, consider if any of these tips would improve your daily life. Small changes like drinking more water, eating healthier and practicing mental health improvement techniques will give you more joy — starting today.
