Posted on 04 Mar, 2009 -
How to stay younger for an extra 20 years
The other day my publisher politely reminded me that I still hadn’t written an article for you that I originally promised several years ago entitled How to stay younger for an extra TWENTY YEARS.
Well… I must have been having a bad day when he mentioned it because my first reply was “Why would they want to live for an extra twenty years anyway?”
A few days later. The sun is out. I’m not thinking about how many things in the house need painting, fixing or tidying. But to an extent, I guess, the question is still very pertinent.
What are you going to do with that extra 20 years of youth, anyway?
A will to live life to the full is obviously not enough in itself to make you immune to illness, disease, death or decrepitude, but it makes sense that having something to live for will surely, at least, keep us a little more sprightly, youthful in our outlook, and lively in our appearance.
There has been a lot of talk, recently, for example, about the increase in dementia. One very important fact I read on the subject is that it is more likely to happen to people who live alone and don’t get much exposure to other people or stimulus. It makes sense that if you spend all day sitting on the sofa staring at the mantlepiece then your brain is slowly going to lose a grip on its contents.
TIP NUMBER 1: If you relish every day of your life and look forward hungrily to the future then surely you are getting more life out of your years anyway. We should not perhaps measure our life in time but in time spent well?
What do you mean by ‘younger’?
The next question it might be worth asking ourselves is: What do you mean when you think you want to stay younger for longer? Do you want to act like a younger person? Look like a younger person? Keep active for longer? Or just not die too early?
The answer, quite probably, is all of the above. So what can we do about it?
Acting younger: a crucial key in staying younger longer
I remember a friend once telling me that she’d scolded an ‘old lady’ in the butchers once. The ‘old lady’ concerned was having a go at the butcher because he wouldn’t do deliveries and at the age of 65 she was “too old” to keep coming to the shop.
“Old!” My friend had said to her crossly. “You’re not old! You’re barely old enough to retire.”
And this attack wasn’t entirely without reason. Only the day before my friend had attended the funeral of a friend of 85 in London. Riding home together in a taxi, the man’s wife had spent the whole time pointing out places she loved to visit including couscous restaurants, tapas bars and avant garde art galleries.
TIP NUMBER 2: Younger people are excited about the future. They love trying new things. They feel that so many things will still happen in their lives. They walk a lot and dance a lot. They are adventurous risk takers. They believe in opportunity. They believe in living life to the full and enjoying every moment.
Neurologists have discovered that the part of our brain that thinks about the future atrophies as we grow older. I wonder if it might be possible to keep yourself younger longer by exercising this part of your brain more?
How to LOOK younger for longer
TIP NUMBER 3: An important key to looking younger is animation. If we are full of excitement and enthusiasm and fun then we can’t help but look younger. Do things that younger people do. Smile like younger people do. Keep smiling that smile that YOU smiled twenty years ago.
“Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers and are famous preservers of youthful looks.” Charles Dickens
TIP NUMBER 4: Do stretching exercises. Gerontologist Carlota de Lerma Salter and her psychologist and nutritionist husband Dr Charles Salter have ‘Stretch Every Day’ as their top
recommendation for an age-defying lifestyle.
Why? Because buzzing physical health and a strong, flexible body are one of
the corner stones of youthfulness. Stay supple and you will look and feel
fantastic - not to mention the benefits for your back and your physical
capabilities as you continue to age.
Just ten minutes of stretching a day will work wonders on your looks and
make you feel fantastic. You’ll also find that just a few minutes of stretching in other parts of the body automatically makes your tummy muscles pull in your tummy.
TIP NUMBER 5: Exercise your face! Facial exercises can work in two ways to keep you looking younger longer. Firstly they will help keep your muscles stronger so that your whole face doesn’t drop so much. Secondly, exercising your face muscles will increase circulation in the skin on your face and bring more oxygen to it. According to Dr David Orentreich, dermatologist for Clinique, “Skin needs a good supply of oxygen to stay looking healthy… That means good circulation and muscle tone.” Oxygen and good circulation says Marja Putkisto, of the Method Putkisto, are good for “clearing away toxins, smoothing lines and giving a healthier skin tone.”
TIP NUMBER 6: Keeping your clothes more up-to-date with the fashion can have an enormous effect on the age you look - as can a younger person’s haircut. I’m not suggesting you go mutton dressed up as lamb, but as a personal shopper told me once, you should aim for ‘sophisticated’, ‘fresh’ and ‘sharp’. A modern pair of glasses is also very effective.
TIP NUMBER 7: Keep your hair length between your chin and your shoulders.
TIP NUMBER 8: If you wear makeup, switch to creams instead of powder at a certain age when dryness and/or crevices start making powder makeup age you. Using an eyelash curler can also give an instant lift to tired eyes.
TIP NUMBER 9: Get a good night’s sleep Few things age you overnight more than a poor night’s sleep. Your eyes are puffy, your skin sallow and dull and your face sags. (More on exhaustion in a few weeks!)
TIP NUMBER 10: Make your skin look amazing with Dr Perricone’s three-day nutritional face lift. Dr Perricone is a clinical professor of medicine at Michigan State University and the author of The Perricone Prescription and The Wrinkle Cure: Unlock the Power of Cosmeceuticals for Supple, Youthful Skin.
The key with this diet is to add foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids as well as the fruits strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. A deficiency of omega-3s has been linked to premature aging of the skin as this nutrient plays an important role in its upkeep. Eat salmon, tuna or mackerel each day for lunch and dinner with a green salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. Follow with some of your three berries. For breakfast, he says, “choose a sensible breakfast that is low in carbohydrates and sugars.” Why? Because Anything that is sugar or simply carbohydrates such as white rice, white breads or pasta can attach to collagen and cause stiffness of skin and very old looking skin.
Finally, make sure you drink 8-10 glasses of water a day to keep skin hydrated and supple.
Apparently your skin will become bright, dark circles go and you look years younger! Definitely worth a try I reckon!
How to stay alive younger - and remain fit as you age
TIP NUMBER 11: Dr. Royda Crose, teacher of counseling psychology at Ball State University, and associate director of the Fisher Institute for Wellness, has found that the key characteristics of people who live long and well are flexibility, resilience, connectedness, and engagement with life.
“Resilience” says J.John in his book, 26 Steps to Heaven, “is the capacity for recovery. It is our capacity to retain a positive attitude. Resilience is the ability to get through, get over and thrive after traumas, trials and tribulations.”
TIP NUMBER 12: In a 10-year longevity study of people aged 70 and older, researchers at the Centre for Ageing Studies at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia concluded that a network of good friends is more likely than close family relationships to increase longevity in older people. People with extensive networks of good friends and confidantes outlived those with the fewest friends by 22 percent.
TIP NUMBER 13: Try to avoid ill health. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables of all varieties and whole grains and avoid a diet that is too reliant on sugar and white carbohydrates like white pasta and bread. Exercise as much as you can - especially when the sun is shining. Try not to become or remain overweight. Think of life as vitality: the more vitality you get, the healthier (generally) you will be. Where the desire for such vitality is lacking, perhaps the cause of illhealth is psychological?
TIP NUMBER 14: Visit your doctor. I have heard several stories recently of friends of relatives who would perhaps not be nearing their death beds today if they had presented their symptoms to their doctors earlier.
And finally… it now transpires that I HAVE written this email before - differently of course, and in two parts. It was one of the first I ever wrote so not up on the http://www.bagofrevels.co.uk website yet but I’ll let you know when it is. It contains all the other gubbins about the best foods, the best nutrients and the super anti-aging regimes…
Enjoy the crocuses!
