10 Ways to Look Younger

aatl-look-younger.jpgSome older people view wrinkles as badges of honor. To them, each line and wrinkle symbolizes triumph over adversity.

Nevertheless, most of us want to look younger. We want our appearance to reflect our vivacious perspective on life.

__________________

Do you believe these myths about senior living communities?

__________________

Why Do People Want to Look Younger?

Dr. Laura Hurd Clarke, associate professor at the School of Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia, studied the experiences of people at a senior center.

“They frequently told me things like ‘We’re not old!’ or ‘We are young at heart!’ I began to realize that ‘old’ was something these adults equated with negative stereotypes of later life, rather than chronological age per se,” she notes.

She adds that there’s pressure on older people to maintain a youthful appearance to avoid being dismissed.

However, another reason people want to look younger is because a youthful appearance is healthier. Well-nourished skin and an athletic body present a vivacious appearance.

Ways to Look Younger

With that in mind, here are 10 ways to display your youthful vitality so everyone can see.

  1. Protect your skin. Too much sun exposure shows in your skin. Not only does it cause wrinkles and spots, it causes skin cancer. Even if you only have a mild case of skin cancer, it does no good to your ego to walk around with a skinned spot or bandage on your face where the doctor has removed the cancer.
  2. Nourish your skin. Wash your face before bedtime to stimulate oil glands to moisturize your skin. Don’t be afraid of using natural oils, such as coconut, to moisturize. In addition to your regular healthy diet, eat dark chocolate, coconut oil and red bell peppers to nourish your skin from the inside.
  3. Reduce wrinkles and age spots. Retinol has proven to be the most effective method. You can purchase it over the counter or get a prescription from your doctor.
  4. Exercise to maintain agility and prevent weight gain. Nothing makes people look—and feel—older than too much weight. Exercise will also help you maintain flexibility so you can move easily and without pain.
  5. Protect your hair. Many older women have been blow-drying and dyeing—and, as a result, damaging—their hair for years. Try to take a vacation from one or all of them as often as possible. Reduce your usage of shampoo. Try the no-poo method to wash your hair. Moisturize your hair frequently (coconut oil is a great treatment). Gray hair is coarser and more fragile, so treat it gently.
  6. Prevent thinning hair. About 40% of women have a problem with thinning hair after menopause. Biotin improves the keratin infrastructure of hair, but deficiency is rare. Protein and Vitamin C are essential building blocks for hair. Anemia may also result in hair loss. Your doctor can prescribe minoxidil, platelet-rich plasma injections, low-level laser therapy, and off-label finasteride.
  7. Protect your hands. The skin on the backs of your hands thins as you age. It’s important to protect it by moisturizing. A coat of clear polish will protect your nails.
  8. Avoid staining your teeth. Stains build up on your teeth over the years. The first step is avoiding foods and drinks, such as barbecue sauce, coffee, blueberries, and sodas, that will stain. The second is to see your dentist about teeth-whitening options. Avoid off-the-shelf methods, because they can damage your teeth.
  9. Brighten your eyes. Eye cream can prevent puffiness for both men and women. Also, make sure to get sufficient sleep.
  10. Don’t act your age! Change your social environment if you agree with the indications of an experiment performed on bees that scientists say has promise for aging. Change the world. Take up a new sport. Travel. Challenge yourself. Move somewhere new. Be impetuous.

Look Younger, Feel Younger

If you look younger, you feel younger. And feeling younger has benefits: One study shows that people who feel younger than their age live longer. Another finds that our own perceptions affect how we age. People who had positive attitudes about aging were less frail and had better cognitive function than those with negative attitudes.

The Admiral at the Lake nurtures an ageless spirit among residents. Residents design and direct the recreational, intellectual, social and spiritual life of the community. They come from nearly every walk of life and hail from Chicago, the suburbs and as far away as New York, California and New Orleans.

The Admiral at the Lake supports them with a quality environment that promotes health and wellness and fosters engagement, collaboration and liberating choices. Contact The Admiral to learn more about how you can change your life.