There are expensive and artificial ways to slow aging…and then there are natural ways…you decide! These 7 easy ways to look younger are efficient and inexpensive.
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I was recently at a girls night and one of the gals mentioned…“I’d do anything to stay looking young. You have something for me, I’ll take it, I’ll do it. Botox, fillers, boob job, pills, you name it, I’ll do it.” And then I thought to myself, I wonder if she knows or has ever considered other, more natural ways of looking young, or slowing down the aging process, that 1) are way cheaper, 2) are easier and readily accessible, 3) don’t involve needles or surgeries, and 4) don’t have long-term and sometimes unknown negative side effects! BTW this girlfriend I’m talking about already looks young! I don’t actually care if people want to put stuff in their face, but what’s so wrong with preferring natural ways and then just aging gracefully??
Here are 7 easy ways to look (and feel!) younger, starting now!
You’re probably thinking these are Captain Obvious ideas but hear me out. When you do each one, consistently, every single day, not only will you look younger, but you will feel younger too. Your outside and your inside will thank you.
1. Drink water.
Did you know that water is actually one of the macronutrients your body needs besides carbohydrates, proteins, and fat? Water is magical. It not only cleanses your body, but it also makes your skin much softer and younger looking. I know the jury is out on studies as to whether water alone actually makes you look younger, but no study can deny yet that it cannot. I drink about one gallon or almost four liters of water per day minimum and ever since I’ve done so I’ve always received compliments that my skin looks healthy. I don’t wear makeup very often or very much when I do wear it, so people are seeing the real me. Any time I’ve gone to get a facial, the esthetician has always said that she could tell I drink a lot of water because of how hydrated my skin is and unclogged my pores are. Oh, btw, avoiding alcohol is huge in making your skin look better. So don’t drink a gallon of water and still drink alcohol, ha! Just cut the alcohol out. I was going to name this one, ‘Avoid alcohol,’ but was sure most people would stop reading and bounce, ha! Alcohol dehydrates you and could make wrinkles seem even more apparent. Besides that, alcohol is poison for your body. Anyone who knows me knows I like to drink but since starting the LIVEHARD program, I didn’t have any alcohol for 4 months. And I didn’t miss it at all. I recently went to a big, fancy party of close friends of ours where I decided to have one glass of wine. I felt terrible that night already and the next day. I definitely regretted it. It’s just poison. I feel 100% better without it.
2. Detox your adrenal glands.
I never knew what the heck adrenal glands were until I read the book Mein Bestes Training, which is a German fitness and nutrition book. It talks about detoxifying your adrenal glands. The adrenal glands look like little triangular-shaped hats that sit on top of your kidneys. They are responsible for regulating stress levels and hormones in your body and so if you detoxify them first thing in the morning you will notice over time less stress waves or mood swings since the stress hormone cortisol is a bit more under control. Also, ever since I’ve done the detox every morning, I feel so much lighter when I work out. Before, my legs always used to feel so heavy, like cement, while I was running. I don’t feel like my body and legs are heavy like tree trunks anymore when I’m jogging. I notice the difference very vividly when I don’t drink it for an extended period of time, say three or five days, when I’m on a business trip. My mood is even different and my workout performance. So this is a really important one for feeling younger, feeling like you have more spring in your step, and ultimately when you have lower stress levels you can see that in your appearance.
The potion: mix ¼ tsp of Himalayan salt with 1 tbsp of organic, fresh lime juice in 8 oz of water. Stir well and let the salt completely dissolve before drinking. Be sure to drink first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Here’s a link to a fancier adrenal gland cocktail, if you prefer.
3. Eat clean.
I’m sure you’ve heard of the saying: you are what you eat. It’s really true. The more healthfully you eat, the more you’re going to see it from the outside. Whether that means weight loss, muscle gain, getting more shredded, or just having more nutrients in your body, you can see it from the outside with your skin and with your expression when your body has what it needs. And that makes you look younger overall. Isn’t it interesting how when you see someone’s before and after picture when they’ve lost a ton of weight that the before picture of them years earlier looks older than when they’ve lost the weight and are more fit years later? Do you know why that is? It’s because excess fat makes you age faster and look older. So if you want to start looking younger today at pretty much low/no cost, you have to eat more cleanly. There are a lot of definitions of what people think “clean” is but stick to non-processed, colorful food, and you are going in the right direction. Check out Dr. Fuhrman’s Nutritarian® food pyramid for what clean eating means to me.
4. Get sleep.
Number four is a big one. Period. I have always been a night owl. I’ve always burned the midnight oil. I always said to myself that I was better or more performant at my work in the late evening hours. Once I finished my Master’s degree a few years ago and was really burning on both ends between work and studying, I decided to prioritize my sleep and no longer be this night owl. This dramatically changed the way I looked. Right then I started to prioritize my sleep such that I was going to bed around 9:00 PM and I was sleeping until 6:00 AM. Now I get up at 4:30 AM and that’s a different story that I can share later but for a long period of time I got a solid 9 hours of sleep and it changed my life. Sleep is also magical for your body. Your body is doing all kinds of things while you’re sleeping like digesting, building muscle, and restoring energy so you can perform at your best the next day. People who do not prioritize their sleep for a long period of time never give their body enough time to recover and perform for you. Definitely prioritize sleep and hydrate. Those two are huge. And they are cheap and easy to do.
5. Protect your skin.
You might think this is a pretty easy one but it’s one that a lot of people forget—myself included—which is just wear sunscreen bro! Protect your skin. All the other things I’ve been talking about will help you look young from the inside out. This will definitely help you look young from the outside. I mean you don’t want to end up looking like a lizard, right? Protect your skin. Wear sunscreen every day. Even if you don’t think you need it or it’s not very sunny where you live. Unless you’re in Antarctica, I would say definitely wear sunscreen every single day. Just like you brush your teeth every day, get in the habit of applying sunscreen right afterward. My mom recommended this product from Dr. Glen Goldberg.
If this is what this 71-year-old beauty recommended, then I’m definitely going to do whatever she says. You don’t have to use a fancy dermatologist sunscreen, just at least SPF 30. Your skin will thank you.
6. Move.
Number six is about staying active. Just make sure you move every single day. Moving not only helps you with staying fit and potentially lose weight, it also helps to keep your stress levels in check. Walking in particular, ideally without any music or podcast in your ears, is almost therapeutic in that you have time with yourself to think about and process things going on in your life. You know how brilliant ideas come to you in the shower? Same thing happens when walking. I always have my phone with me so I can jot down whatever epiphany I have so that I don’t lose it later. Walking alone won’t necessary make you look younger immediately but getting into the habit of carving out time for yourself to process life is huge.
7. Think positive.
And lastly, number seven is one of the things I say often. I don’t know who coined this phrase so whoever did I give them massive amounts of credit: “whatever you tell yourself, guess what, it’s true.” So be mindful, no pun intended, of the story you are telling yourself in your head. If you think you can’t, you’re right. If you think you can, you’re also right. Think about that next time you talk to yourself negatively. The more negativity in your head, the more negativity exudes in your outward appearance. Choosing to stay positive and make every day a good day will most certainly make you look younger.