7 natural ways to delay the ageing process
The quest to preserve our looks and to stay young is a often a perpetual battle. There’s little wonder some of us turn to aestheticians and plastic surgeons for a little helping hand, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Fortunately though, nature has given us some ingenious ways to help retain or youthful looks. Here’s 7 ways you can defy the ageing process.
1: Cut down on sugar
It’s pretty much impossible to eliminate sugar but we should reduce our intake considerably for the sake of our skin. Sugar accelerates the ageing process by causing damage to collagen and elastin in the skin, so cutting down on your consumption of the sweet stuff can reinvigorate your looks.
2: Stay in shape
Staying within a healthy weight range will keep you looking younger: being too thin can have an ageing effect on the face, and being overweight can make you appear older. Exercise is immensely helpful when trying to maintain a healthy weight and has countless benefits to health, including better sleep and increased energy levels. It also improves circulation and blood flow to the skin and giving it a healthy, youthful glow. Strength training will help tighten and firm the muscles - building lean, toned muscles is one of the most effective ways to look younger than your years.
3: Make sure you get enough sleep
Our bodies restore themselves during sleep, it’s the time our cells repair the DNA damage from the day before. The concept of beauty sleep is not a myth - being sleep deprived can definitely be detrimental to our looks. Everyone’s sleep requirements are different, but aiming for at least 7 hours is a good target.
4: Get enough vitamin D
Some studies found that people with higher levels of Vitamin D age more slowly than those with lower levels, but it’s not clear why. Make sure you get enough of the ‘sunshine’ vitamin, but be careful not to overdo sun-exposure, which will not only have an ageing effect on the skin but will also increase your risk of skin cancer. 4:Drink plenty of water Drinking plenty of water keeps you hydrated which keeps your skin moisturised, helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
5: Yoga
Yoga soothes and de-stresses, and improves your posture and muscle tone. All of these help keep the ravages of age at bay. What’s not to like?
6: Have sex
Studies have shown that couples who have sex 3 times a week look up to 7 years younger than those who have sex less often. The reasons for this are not fully understood but it’s thought that the pleasure derived from sex somehow preserves youth, possibly by reducing stress levels and raising feelings of contentment. Other studies found that sex increases the production of human growth hormone that prevents ageing.
7: Be happy
Smiling uses fewer muscles than frowning, and displaying a big grin can trick the body into feeling better, and when you feel good you look good. Brilliant, right?
By guest journalist: @racheljanenash