Aging can be devastating as everybody wants to retain the vibrancy and energy of their youth.
Unfortunately however, aging is also inevitable. A lot of factors determine how and when you start aging. Some of the most influential factors are genetics and lifestyle choices. Whereas you have little control over genetics and how they affect your aging process, you have a lot of say in your lifestyle choices.
Given you can control your lifestyle habits, you can actually manipulate them in order to look younger than you really are. Before you learn what to do in order to have a youthful appearance, it is important that you learn the signs of aging. It will make fighting them much easier.
So, What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Aging?
1. Wrinkles
One of the earliest signs of aging is the appearance of thin lines and wrinkles. In fact, these wrinkles make an appearance at quite an early age possibly when you are around twenty five years old. Normally, the lines start appearing from the corners of the eyes, especially when you laugh. That is why they are also called laugh lines.
As time goes by, the lines become deeper, and start appearing on other areas of your face as well. You may find deep lines appearing between your brows and between your nose and mouth.
Once the wrinkles start appearing, you may resign yourself to the fact that you are getting old. This can be more than disconcerting.
2. Dark Spots
Another common sign of aging is the appearance of dark spots. This is also referred to as hyperpigmentation. It can be caused by many things, but especially sun damage, acne or inflammation. Regardless of what leads to the appearance of these spots, one thing is certain. They are unappealing to the eyes.
3. Thinning Hair
As you advance in age, your hair may become increasingly weaker. Running a comb through your hair may result in countless strands easily falling off your scalp. Your hair may also stop growing any longer and it might even lose its shimmery glow. Growing white hair is also a landmark of aging.
Dull, thinning hair might become your predicament for the later years of your life. You may find yourself thinking longingly of the long mane of hair that you once had. And just like with the wrinkles and dark spots, having your hair fall off at the slightest agitation can take a huge toll on you.
4. Dry Skin
Old age is also characterized by dry, scaly skin. The reason behind this is that as you age, the oil glands in your skin tend to produce less and less oil. Extremes in weather only make the situation worse.
If you are exposed for long hours to a lot of sunlight, or to heavy wind, it will only be a matter of time before your skin becomes excessively dry. Having cracked, scaly and dry skin can be one of your worst nightmares. You may find yourself restricted to wearing clothes that cover most of your skin.
5. Broken Nails
If there is one thing that can easily give away your age, it is broken nails. As you grow older, you may find it hard to maintain your nails at their best. They may tend to break when you least expect it, even when they have no reason to. The end result is chipped, broken and unsightly nails that can detract a lot from your appearance.
6. Weak Bones
Additionally, as you grow older, your bones tend to become weaker. This is because, with time, they tend to lose some of the minerals essential to their well-being.
It is, therefore, no surprise that some diseases, like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, are more common among older people than they are among youngsters. Research also shows that as people grow older, they tend to become shorter.
This can be explained away by the fact that as you age, your joints become compressed. This, together with many other changes that occur in your body as you age, culminates in becoming shorter and arched.
7. Poor Vision
As age knocks at your door, it may also deprive you of your once perfect eyesight. This loss of eyesight is usually gradual, and it is not until it reaches critical levels that you start noticing any changes.
The loss of eyesight can be attributed to the fact that as you age, your lenses become less flexible. This means that they do not focus as well as they should, which in turn makes it hard to see things clearly. You may find yourself needing to use glasses, especially reading glasses.
8. Dull and Sagging Skin
With age comes dull skin. Your skin may also lose its tautness, which results in sagging. When you start developing folds on your face and other body parts, you slowly start facing the brutal reality that you are becoming older by the day.
You may find yourself wishing you could wave a magic wand and have the tight, flawless skin of your youth restored to you.
9. Lack Of Energy
Moreover, as you grow older, you may find yourself lacking the vitality and energy you once had. You may find yourself gasping for breath even after the slightest exertion.
The tasks that you once did without feeling the slightest tinge of tiredness may become impossible to perform in your old age. You may also find your desire for sex dwindling, thanks to a lower production of the hormones responsible for arousal.
10. Changing Sleep Patterns
Yet another sign of aging is a change in your sleeping patterns. You may find it difficult to fall asleep and when you do sleep, it might be disturbed sleep. Sleeping profoundly may become a thing of the distant past. You may also find yourself waking up earlier than usual.
How To Look Younger Than You Are
Now that you know what to expect when you advance in age, you are better equipped to fight the symptoms of age. You may be convinced that a visit to the surgeon is necessary when you want to appear younger than you are.
Your conviction can be easily justified by the fact that that is what the media and influential figures would have you believe. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Simple, everyday habits can be a powerful tool in your war against aging. Remember the earlier assertion that making certain lifestyle choices can knock several years off your appearance? Little habits are more potent in the fight against symptoms of aging than you give them credit for. Here is how to look younger than you are.
1. Cut Down On The Sugar
One of the important steps towards having a younger look is to cut down on the sugar. Sugar is rarely associated with good health. It is, in fact, the prime culprit among the foods that cause sudden increase in weight. If you are fighting the ravaging effects of age, you will want to avoid sugary foods for an entirely different reason.
Research shows that consuming a lot of sugar promotes the activity of free radicals. These radicals are the prime cause of wrinkled and sagging skin. Therefore, if you wanted to hinder their activity, it only makes sense to steer clear of sugary foods, doesn’t it? With time, you will have your tight skin restored to you. Then, only you will know how old you are.
2. Hydrate
Water is more important than you may think. If you want to have glowing skin, be sure to drink plenty of water every single day. Water not only gives a glowing skin, it also makes it easier for your body to get rid of toxins and other waste products. The overall effect is that you appear and feel much younger than you are.
3. Take Good Care Of Your Nails
You already know that broken nails characterize aging. But that is not the whole story. You are not entirely helpless against broken and chipping nails. Make frequent visits to a salon to get professional manicures and pedicures.
You will be surprised at just how greatly professionals can transform your nails. Today, there are countless types of nail art under which you can hide your age. With beautiful nails, most people will have a hard time telling your age.
4. Moisturize
One of the common signs of old age is dry and scaly skin. One of the easiest ways to fight this sign of aging is to moisturize your skin every single day. Make it a habit to moisturize every night before you lay down to sleep. You could even moisturize your skin twice a day.
You can use natural moisturizers, such as olive and coconut oil. You could also use commercial moisturizers, depending on your preference. Just make sure that the moisturizer you use contains no harsh chemicals, as that can do your already vulnerable skin more harm than good.
5. Exfoliate
You should also make a habit of exfoliating your face every once in a while, preferably once a week. It has already been noted that aging gives your skin a dull appearance.
In order to get rid of this dullness, simply scrub your face. The scrub will get rid of the layer of dead cells that make your skin look dull and reveal a fresh layer of skin that lies beneath. Exfoliation also clears your pores, thus getting rid of any blemishes that you may have on your face. The overall effect is nothing short of amazing.
6. Get Enough Sleep
This may seem to contradict the earlier assertion that sleep is hard to come by in your old age. In as much as age robs you of sleep, there is still a lot you can do to ensure that you get eight hours of undisturbed sleep every night.
For one thing, you could ask your nutritionist for advice on what foods can help you sleep better. Secondly, endeavor to have a regular sleep pattern. Also, ensure that you keep away all electronics one hour before your bedtime. This will make it much easier for you to fall asleep.
7. Eat More Vitamin C
Vitamin C has been shown to stall the development of wrinkles. The good news is that you can obtain plenty of Vitamin C from citrus fruits. If you make a habit of eating at least two oranges a day, you should start seeing an improvement in your appearance.
8. Make Good Use Of Makeup
Makeup can go a long way in making you look younger than you are. However, there are specific looks that could make you look younger than you are and some that will have quite the opposite effect.
For instance, wearing light colored lipstick will make you look young. Dull- colored lipstick will make you look much older than you are. The same applies for eye shadow. Used correctly, it can brighten your appearance. Otherwise, it could look too fake and inappropriate.
Also, be sure to have your eyebrows trimmed regularly. Thick eyebrows will make you look old, which is exactly what you want to avoid. Be sure to remove all your makeup before you retire to bed. And not only that, ensure that you also clean your face thoroughly before you sleep.
9. Use Antioxidants
Another way to retain youthfulness is to make good use of antioxidants. These have strong anti-aging properties because they stop the activity of free radicals. They also help protect your skin against sun damage. You can source antioxidants from foods such as soy, green tea, berries and grapes.
10. Exercise
Additionally, make a habit of engaging in low-impact exercises. They are critical in making your bones stronger, as well as minimizing unnecessary weight gain. Who is to say that you cannot also gain some muscle weight in your old age? You can still be fit well into your old age.
Just make sure that the exercises you indulge in are of an intensity your body can comfortably handle.
How To Look Younger Than Your Age Review Summary
It is highly possible to fight the effects of age and you can fight them with relative ease. Just follow the guidelines above and work your way into a more youthful appearance in no time.
