“For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Never throw out anybody.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows.” – Audrey Hepburn
Many people are on a great quest to remain youthful and beautiful. Who can blame them? With so much emphasis placed on staying young-looking, it’s hard not to succumb to the pressure. Get a facelift to smooth out the wrinkles, apply this serum to diminish age spots, inject your lips to appear fuller, dye the gray away.
But does all that really keep you young? Healthy? Vibrant? After all, we seek those treatments in an effort to maintain the appearance of being youthful.
Why do we feel the need to try so hard to fake it, when it would just be easier to be more youthful?
No, you can’t turn back the clock, but you sure can slow down the hands of time by keeping yourself healthy and beautiful on the inside.
What is Beauty?
True beauty has nothing to do with the physical attributes of a person. Beauty isn’t a physical thing, it’s an internal thing that radiates from the inside out. It has everything to do with how you feel, which determines how you act.
The younger you believe you are, the younger you feel, the younger you act, the more beautiful you are.
Beauty is Easy As Mind Over Matter
It all starts with your mindset. Recapturing the zest and optimism you felt when you were younger is essential to leading a healthier, happier life in the long run. If you’re able to turn back your internal clock, you’ll be back to feeling like you’re 25 again.
Studies have shown that our mind’s perception of time has a huge impact on how our body’s metabolic processes respond. It’s not necessarily the body influencing the mind all the time, it’s your mindset about aging that has an equally important role in aging.
Florida State University College of Medicine psychologist and gerontologist, Antonio Terracciano has shown that mindset affects cognition: a belief in a higher subjective age correlates with cognitive impairments and even dementia. Terracciano advises:
“If people think that because they are getting older they cannot do things, or cut their social ties, or incorporate this negative view which limits their life, that can be really detrimental. Fighting those negative attitudes, challenging yourself, keeping up an open mind, being engaged socially, can absolutely have a positive impact.”
So if your brain is on board with the younger version of you, how else can you take care of yourself to maintain your beauty?
Get More Sleep
The easiest way to feel younger right now is to get plenty of zzz’s. “The only time your body can truly restore itself is when you’re asleep,” explains Henry Lodge, M.D., co-author of Younger Next Year for Women. “It helps build a more vibrant body and brain.”
You probably haven’t been getting as much sleep as you need. Set your clock straight by vowing to take six weeks to get eight hours of sleep every night. You’ll definitely notice the difference in the form of more energy and fewer dark circles.
Eat Plenty of Nurturing Foods
You definitely want to load up on the healthy stuff. Begin every meal with a big glass of water and a fruit or vegetable. That’ll ensure that you’re loading up on the beneficial vitamins and antioxidants those foods carry. They’ll make you feel refreshed, recharged, and reenergized.
It’s ok to indulge in dessert every now and then. Just make sure that you don’t overdo it. Give yourself permission to fully enjoy that piece of pie!
Stay Positive
The older we get, the more the world tends to weigh on our shoulders. “The goal is not to deny the less-than-pleasant stuff that is happening, but rather to focus on what’s going well,” says Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD., author of A Happy You. “Cultivating a greater sense of optimism will provide you with more positive energy to motivate you to do youthful things.”
Exercise Smarter
Strengthening your muscles leaves you less vulnerable to injuries and can build your stamina. “When done properly, weight-training makes microtears in the muscles, which leads your body to generate thicker, stronger, muscle fiber,” says Bob Greene, trainer and author of 20 Years Younger. He believes that the right kind of training has the ability to make you feel up to 30 years younger than you are.
