There’s no escaping the passage of time youwillget older, and your bodywillage.
I spoke with Dr. Alan J.
A rigid person who cannot relax is not able to heal.
The body does a great job of healing itself, but it must be relaxed to do so."
Holding onto anger is actuallyassociated with coronary heart disease, while depression islinked to cellular aging.
Failing to wear sunglasses could mean more frequent trips to your plastic surgeon for Botox!"
This isn’t good news if you’re permanently attached to your phone.
If you’re like most people, you stare at your phone for almost three hours a day.
If you’re working on a laptop, sit at a desk and place the monitor at eye-level."
Sugar molecules attach to collagen and elastin proteins in the skin through a process called glycation.
This process produces advanced glycosylation end products, or AGEs for short.
AGEs are free radicals that lead to inflammation, breaking down collagen and elastin in the skin."
Owner ofFresh Approach NutritionKristie LeBeau, MPH, RN, RDN agreed.
“Not eating enough fruits and vegetables is another habit that can be aging.
Who doesn’t want that?
“This is a bad habit that really needs to not happen.
Your skin rejuvenates itself at night and cannot do this very well if it isn’t cleaned.”
There’s nothing sexier than cancer-riddled, crackly, wrinkly skin, right?
It may be an adjustment, but in 20 years, you’ll be glad you made a change.
Too many cocktails
If your goal is to look younger, alcohol is not your friend.
Meeting friends for cocktails every weekend can feel like no big deal, but it affects you over time.
Drinking alcohol prevents the production of vasopressin, and anti-diuretic hormone that the body uses to absorb water.
It’s best to skip the second drink and have a water with lime instead.
Running too much can leave you looking and feeling older.
“It has also been associated with blood markers that show damage to the heart muscle.”
Running is great for cardio, but does not help build muscle.
If outdoor running is your passion, don’t hang up your running shoes just yet.
Simply see to it to break up your routine with indoor workouts, strengthening, and rest days.
Frowning
Some bad habits like smoking are obviously going to affect our health and aging.
The simple act of frowning can make you look older over time.
“Smiling makes you younger and increases immunity,” Dr.Murray Grossantold me.
“Even just a ‘fake smile’ will reduce the number of colds you get.”
The next time you catch yourself frowning during the drive to work, take a moment to smile.
Not only will you feel an instant mood lift, you’ll look younger too.
Restricting calories
Healthy eating and steering clear of sugar is vital to looking younger.
“Restricting too many calories actually lowers your metabolism, sending your body into starvation mode.
“Additionally, your body will break down calorie-burning muscle tissue for energy.
The key is to eat a healthy small meal every three to four hours.
This keeps you satisfied, keeps your metabolism up, and keep from overeating later in the day.”
Make a plan each day to nourish your body with enough healthy food.
Multitasking
Multitasking is tempting for each one of us.
Especially with the constant barrage of social media, multitasking has become the norm.
Unfortunately, it’s slowly aging us.
This constant stress wears on the body, aging us and zapping our energy.
Dr. Casciari recommended focusing on one task at a time and not moving on until it is complete.
Going to bed late every night does not give our bodies a chance to repair and replenish.
This only adds to the aging process.
Skipping sleep even leads to a shorter lifespan.
“Sleeping within the seven-hour range is optimal,” Dr. CasciaritoldHealth.
Try going to bed just 15 or 30 minutes earlier tonight and see how you feel.
Too much television
Well, it turns out our moms were right.
Television really is bad for our brains.
A study inJAMA Psychiatryexamined TV’s effects on our brains.
These participants scored lower on brain power tests, meaning they weren’t able to perform as well cognitively.
Watching too much TV ages our brains to the point where we can’t perform like we used to.
Turn it off and go for a walk outside.
Sitting all day
If you spend the majority of your day sitting, you are not alone.
All this sitting is making us older.
Slouching
If you walk like an older person, you’re going to become one faster.
Slouching when you walk actually zaps your energy.
A study inBiofeedbackfound that when participants walked with a hunched over posture, they felt less energetic afterwards.
This was especially pronounced in participants who already had depression.
Slouching also pulls on your muscles and tendons, causing tight muscles and soreness.
Chronic slouching can even lead tochronic back pain.
Feeling stressed out not only robs your day of happiness, but makes you older in the process.
“Studies have shown that excessive worrying can lead to premature aging.
Frequent or habitual worrying increases cortisol and promotes oxidative damage,” PsychiatristJared Heathmantold me.
“This results in shorter telomere lengths that may reduce lifespan by two to eight years.”
Those darn telomeres again!
The stress hormone cortisol is to blame for this expedited aging process.
“Cortisol literally causes wrinkles in our plump little cells, causing us to shrivel like raisins.”
And it’s not just the stress on our cells that causes aging.
We are slouching, tired, and droopy.”
Start brainstorming activities to help you ditch the stress.
Try a new workout class or go for a walk with a good friend.
This sensitive skin around the eyes can look more wrinkled the more we touch it.
Soothing your skin with a quality eye cream can help offset those effects.
Not having sex
When you stop having sex, you may start to look older.
That’s because making love affects all areas of our lives.
Giving up sex is associated with more stress, a weakened immune system, and depression.
All of these factors leave us looking and feeling older.
Not sure where to start with this one?
Make a commitment to taking your sex life back.
“A lot of men would like to be touched more, seduced more.
Everyone wants to feel wanted.”
The good news is that all of these habits and choices are up to us.
Lifestyle factors have a huge effect on how our bodies age, so let’s start taking control today.
Choose one area to focus on and start making changes today.
Sign up for a continuing education class that sounds interesting to you.
Swap your normal fast food breakfast for a hearty bowl of oatmeal or smoothie on the run.
Try a new dance fitness class with some friends.
Small changes add up, so start today!
