Is your New Year’s resolution to get healthier, look younger or reverse the signs of aging? Well, the key to staying young is simple: take care of yourself! This is the only body you’ve got, so you better take care of it! Although we can’t promise you’ll stay young forever, we can promise to slow down the aging process and have you looking younger for years to come. Here are a few tips to make your resolution stick this year:
1. Stay out of the sun! The sun is the number one cause of prematurely aging skin. We’ve all seen those people baking on the beach- the ones who have a nice dark tan, but wrinkles from head to toe. You don’t have to avoid the sun completely, just be smart about it. Wear hats and slather on a strong sunscreen to avoid the damaging rays. Don’t forget to apply to your face, especially around the eyes which are the most sensitive. Squinting too much can also lead to unwanted wrinkles around the eyes, so don’t forget a good pair of sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection.
2. Moisturize! It doesn’t matter if you have oily skin – your face will look years younger down the road if you moisturize daily. Face lotion helps skin retain moisture, making lines and wrinkles less noticeable, and increases circulation. Also, you might want to start applying eye cream and even retinoid creams starting in your early 20s. Don’t forget about your lips, which can crack and bleed if left unmoisturized! Use a lip moisturizer with SPF to keep lips young and luscious!
3. Exfoliate your skin to remove dead skin and improve circulation. The results – soft, clean skin!
4. Your hair can also take away or add years to how old you look. Avoid damaging your hair as much as possible. This means limit how often you use a blowdryer, flat iron, curling iron, etc. All of these tools deliver high amounts of heat to your hair, causing major damage. Let your hair air-dry whenever possible. Avoid using a big brush to comb through wet hair – instead use a wide-toothed comb to avoid pulling and breaking your hair. Use a deep conditioning treatment at least once a month, and get a trim every 6 week to get rid of dead ends and keep your hair healthy and conditioned.
5. Sleep! Your body needs sleep more than you think. We all know what happens when we don’t get enough sleep – puffy eyes, bloating, dark circles – all looks that certainly don’t make us look young and refreshed. Plus, skin actually repairs itself at night.
6. Don’t smoke, and if you do quit now! Smoking contains thousands of toxins, depleting collagen levels in the skin, and causes poor circulation and thinning skin! Smoking also produces free radicals in the lungs which causes inflammation, lines and wrinkles.
7. Keep those teeth pearly white! Some of us are too quick to forget that our teeth can be a sign of aging, too. A bright white smile can take years off, but sometimes brushing just isn’t enough. Use a home teeth whitening kit to get rid of stains and restore that white smile.
8. Possibly the most important step towards looking young forever is to reduce stress. Stress ages us faster than we realize, both internally and externally. It increases the risks for disease and illnesses, high blood pressure, hair loss, gray hair and other signs of aging. Exercise, meditate, get massages – whatever you have to do to shut off your mind and relax!
Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to looking young and beautiful for years to come.
