When it comes to anti-aging – it’s all about prevention. And starting that prevention from an early age.
So what is aging? Ultimately it is the ‘time-related deterioration of the physiological functions necessary to thrive, survive and reproduce’. Aging occurs when our cells can no longer perform their basic functions.
As a result, everything in our body starts to slow down or breakdown – our skin starts to show wrinkles and sag, our memory starts to fail us, recovery from our workouts seem slow and our energy levels seem non-existent.
While aging is inevitable, there is some serious evidence to show that our lifestyle habits can have a direct impact on our longevity and the quality of our life, not to mention our looks too!
You need look no further then some of my favorite celebrity beauties like JLO and Shakira to see the results of living a healthy and active lifestyle. These fierce females just don’t age!
Now I know what you’re thinking these beauties have access to the best health coaches, nutritionist, personal trainers, doctors, dermatologists, beauty experts and everything in between. But it’s actually not as hard as you think to maintain a beautiful body, glowing skin and keep your mind as sharp as your stilettos!
Here’s my top five natural anti-aging beauty secrets to decelerate the aging process!
#1 – Cut the Sugar, Up the Plant Life!
Your diet is probably the single most important thing you can change when it comes to age prevention. Now when I say the word diet, I don’t mean following some complicated, ultra restrictive diet, being consistent and following a healthy eating plan can have huge impact on your aging.
Here’s my top anti-aging diet tips that have worked to keep my curves tight and my body fit from the inside out for the last 20 or so years:
- Cut the Sugar – sugar is inflammatory, inflammation can cause your skin to age faster by hardening the skin and causing wrinkles. Sugar can also impact your mood; cause cyclic eating patterns and lead to belly fat!
- Up Your Protein Intake – reduce your carb intake to somewhere between 20 to 30% and up your protein intake to at least 40%. High protein diets help maintain your lean mass, which results in a faster metabolism and firmer body.
- Eat Your Antioxidants – eat more plants! I’m talking about vegetables and fruit! They’re full of natural vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants that help regulate our metabolism and fend off free-radical attack from stress, pollution and even the rays from the sun.
- Try Fasting, Calorie Reduction – eating less food, less often has been shown to result in a longer and higher quality of life. Eat somewhere between your basic calorie needs to the calories you need to maintain your current weight. Be intuitive to your eating and stop before you’re full, consider fasting a few times per week, or limiting your eating to only certain hours of the day.
- Eat More Fibre – high fibre diets help keep the gut healthy, why is that important? The gut is a direct link to our immune health, not to mention it can also help control absorption of excessive toxins and hormones that can cause damage throughout the body. Fill up on leafy greens, and hearty veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and kale.
Here’s Your Complete 1-Day Anti-Aging Diet Guide.
#2 – Lift Weights, Use HIIT
My life used to revolve around the gym. I competed in fitness for ten years and although I did achieve some amazing outcomes I wouldn’t recommend this type of dedication to anyone, nor is it required to have a fit body. Here’s what I’ve learned over the years and what you can do to maintain tight curves, defy gravity and aging.
- Try HIIT – Performing High Intensity Interval Training by switching between intervals of high intensity work with intervals of low intensity work, helps boost your mitochondrial power. It’s also been shown that this type of exercise increases blood flow, ensuring oxygen and nutrients are getting delivered throughout the body.
- Lift Something Heavy – lifting weights not only keeps your body tight, it has a re-generative effect on the cells and helps kick-start mitochondrial activity. Weights also help keep bones strong, preventing on-set of osteoporosis and can reduce the appearance of cellulite.
- Conditioning Work – endurance activity such as running, snow boarding or even punching and kicking can help keep your cardiovascular system aerobically fit for the long run.
Not sure how to build a proper workout to keep your body tight and curvy – go here!
#3 – Stock Up on Anti-Aging Beauty Supps!
Supplements help provide the body with more of something that it’s missing. In the case of aging, supplements flood our system with needed nutrients to keep the skin glowing and the body firm. Here’s my go-to anti-aging beauty supps!
- Vitamin C – helps stimulate collagen production and increase skin firmness.
- Matcha Powder – full of the antioxidant EGCG, which protects skin against UV damage.
- CoQ10 – promotes energy production and protects against cell damage.
- Resveratrol – active ingredient in grapes and red wine that activate longevity genes in the body.
- Glutathionine – super antioxidant that helps detoxify the body and keep the complexion looking even.
- NR (nicotinamide riboside) or NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) – increases NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine diculeotide) helps protect DNA and reduces inflammatory response.
- Collagen Protein – helps bolster collagen production in the body and improves the elasticity of the skin.
Here’s a full rundown on my daily antioxidant supplement regime – go here!
#4 – Have a Kick-Ass Skincare Routine!
Perhaps the one place we show our age the most is on our skin, especially on our face. Protection from the elements is the best line of defense when it comes to keeping our face looking fresh! In addition, to flooding our body with nutrients from the right foods and the right supplements, we can also do ourselves a favour and follow a consistent skincare routine.
- Sunscreen Everyday – Wear a minimum of SPF 30 to help protect the face, but don’t forget to also apply to the neck and décolletage area too! Pick one that’s lightweight and packed with extra antioxidants and DNA repair enzymes.
- Scrubbing Bubbles–Regular exfoliation helps remove dead skin, make-up, dirt and keeps the skin looking fresh!
- Oils, Oils, Oils – I use all kinds – argan, coconut, rosehip oil, vitamin E, some for daytime use and some before sleep! Good for wrinkles and hydration!
- Retinol – aka Vitamin A helps reduce fine lines, decrease pigmentation, control breakouts and stimulate collagen & elastin – what kind of magic is this?
- AHA – great for exfoliating and polishing away skin dullness, while improving skin texture!
- HA – applying HA to the skin can pull moisture into the skin and keep it hydrated and plump!
Your diet can also make an impact on your skin – here’s eight foods for glowing skin!
#5 – Get Your Anti-Aging Beauty Sleep
Sleep is necessary to rejuvenate and recover the body; sleep is probably the best natural anti-aging process we have, so why not get the most out of it! When we sleep our stress hormone cortisol goes down and our growth hormone levels go up. Growth hormone is critical to cellular repair of our skin and muscle tissue.
- Wash Yo Face & Moisturize – use a balm to remove make-up, a cleansing foam and moisturizing night cream!
- Get Min 8 hours – anything less is sub-optimal! Research has shown less than adequate sleep is linked to lower levels of ghrelin, a hunger hormone that can lead to overeating, and more rapid rates of brain aging.
- Shut Off Earlier – LED light from our tv, laptop and digital devices can result in sleep loss and disruption of our natural circadian rhythms.
- Journal – get all the shit out of your head that’s going to cause you to have conversations with yourself all night. Put your thoughts on the day to sleep, before you rest your head.
- Sleep on Your Back – try not to sleep on your face, and don’t cheap out on your sheets or your pillow. Pick something soft to minimize skin irritation and compression. Find a beauty sleep pillow that contours your neck and cradles your face.
- Use a Sleep Supp – have troubles relaxing, falling to sleep and staying that way. Try a natural supplement that includes ingredients such as GABA, valerian, magnesium, 5-HTP and melatonin.
Here’s a full breakdown on how to get a better sleep.
Now you know my anti-aging beauty secrets, what’s yours? Share in the comments below.
Until Next Time,
Be Fierce & Rule the World,
Lauren Jacobsen
