If you’re still searching for the fountain of youth, it might best to stop wasting your time and actually use some proven steps to stay young. Age affects us all, and there’s not a lot you can do to stop the march of time. However, with a few secrets and some beauty products you can ward off aging wrinkles and the tell-tale signs of older age.
Increase your exercise
Unfortunately, many of the ways to stay young require some actual effort. Studies have found that just 2.5 hours of physical activity per week can significantly reduce the likelihood of death in the next two decades by up to 30per cent. Of course, it depends on your current age and health, but even walking to the local shop instead of taking the car could put years onto your life. Exercise will also reduce your body-mass index (BMI); another important step for staying young. Any figure below 25 makes it more likely you’ll age without suffering the diseases that many sedentary and overweight people fall victim to.
Change your lifestyle
Aside from exercising more and losing weight, there are a number of other steps you can take to stay young. Though it’s not always possible, sleeping for between seven and eight hours per night can add many years to your life expectancy. Quitting smoking, unsurprisingly, has many beneficial health side effects, whilst having a pet can also help you stay young. It’s been proved that people with cats have a 40% reduced risk of having a heart attack when compared to individuals without animals. Having dogs can reduce depression and loneliness; both factors contributing to early death. If you don’t want the full-time responsibility of a pet, pet-sit for a friend or offer to walk rescue dogs once a month.
Hydrate and maintain healthy skin
Staying hydrated and looking after your skin not only makes you look great, but it can improve your life expectancy too. A huge proportion of the human body is water and, therefore, even the slightest dehydration can have bad effects, from fatigue and headaches, to dry, flaky and scratchy skin. If you want to look great and have a blemish free complexion, then in addition to sleeping longer, you should drink more fluids. On a day-to-day basis, simply drinking more water can help. Meanwhile, if you’re taking up exercise to get fit, using additional sport drinks and rehydration sachets will ensure your fluid and electrolytes stay balanced, resulting in a more beautiful body, inside and out.
Take care of your joints
We all know that the aging process puts a lot of strain upon particular parts of the body such as the hips, knees and feet. There’s no minimum age for indulging in some pampering, and you are always advised to use your preferred hand and foot care products and body moisturisers to keep everything in tip-top shape. Taking plenty of calcium for strong bones is a good idea, whilst exercise, such as yoga, will help keep joints supple.
Avoid the sun
The sun, whilst its appearance may make you want to rush outside and enjoy the warm rays upon your face, can be extremely damaging to your skin. In fact, just 30 minutes of sunshine when you’re not wearing sunscreen can significantly raise your risk of developing cancer. In addition, UV rays can cause mutations and damage to dermal cells, increasing the appearance of sunspots, wrinkles and dry skin. If you love being outside, it’s a good idea to have sunscreen within easy reach at all times. Make sure you use a high factor, and readily reapply cream to keep the protection in place. Wearing a hat is important for preventing damage to hair and exposed areas of the neck, whilst sunglasses will protect the eyes.
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