Keisha Brown, Gleaner Writer
L'Oreal Age Perfect Pro-Calcium is one of many products that can delay the ravages of time. - Contributed
If your goal is to look beautiful, feel young and be active for years to come, there are a few things you need to know to keep those wrinkles at bay. Have everyone guessing your age with these important tips.
Take antioxidant vitamins and calcium. Antioxidants can help you look younger and feel healthier. They fight free radicals and boost the body's defences against ageing. The main sources of antioxidants are vitamins A (and its precursor beta carotene), C and E.
Regular exercise can keep you fit and slow the ageing process. Working up a sweat is a great way to keep your skin hydrated and glowing. In addition to a host of important health benefits, exercise retards bone loss and improves immune system function.
Experts recommend that we sleep for eight to nine hours each night. Sleep allows our body to maintain and repair itself. Sleep slows the ageing process by helping the body conserve energy and other resources that the immune system needs to fight infection.
Drink six to eight glasses of pure, filtered water each day. Water hydrates the skin, flushes out toxins and keeps our internal systems working properly.
Don't smoke! Smoking causes premature wrinkling. Facial wrinkling increases with the amount of cigarettes and number of years a person has smoked.
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and avoid saturated fats. Saturated fats can damage the immune system, cause premature ageing, clog the arteries and interfere with metabolism. Eating less saturated fats can lower blood cholesterol levels.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Lower stress. Research suggests that long-term exposure to adrenal stress hormones may expedite brain ageing in later life. It is impossible to avoid stress, but you can avoid the ageing effects by reacting better to it. Exercise, yoga and prioritising can help reduce stress.
Practise daily skin care. The best way to avoid skin ageing is to stay out of the sun. Always use sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. Skin-care products formulated for anti-ageing can exfoliate dead skin cells and infuse moisture and nutrients into the skin to improve skin texture and maintain a healthy glow.
Use alcohol in moderation. Alcohol causes skin to dehydrate. Alcohol combined with the horizontal position of the body during sleep results in facial puffiness, skin stretching and faster wrinkle formation.
Incorporating these important tips into your daily life will keep you looking and feeling younger well into your golden years. So, forget the Botox and start living well.
