Stop Making Yourself Old! 3 Lifestyle Habits That Are Ruining Your Look

We may as well admit it. We all fear the aging process. We dread the day that we look in the mirror and see a grey hair here and a line there that weren’t there the day before. In a society that lauds youth and beauty over pretty much everything else, it can be distressing to see our youth and beauty slip away. But there’s no reason that we should resign ourselves to the aging process now that we know so much about the science of what causes our cells to show signs of age. Beauty may only be skin deep, but there are a whole lot of processes going on beneath the skin that determine whether it stays young, vibrant and glowing on the outside.

While we have been conditioned to think that eternally youthful skin is just a bottle of moisturizer away, the simple truth is that keeping ourselves looking youthful is more a matter of revisiting our lifestyle choices than it is buying the right products. Thus, these unhelpful habits need to be nipped in the bud if we’re to find the fountain of youth…

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Smoking

Even if cigarettes weren’t one of the leading causes of lung and mouth cancer, their capacity to age you would still be enough to wish you’d never picked up a pack. Smoking inhibits your lungs, preventing you from being physically active without getting out of breath. Hardly conducive to feeling young and full of vitality!

Smoking also ages your skin. It depletes your face’s stores of collagen leading to uneven skin tone and wrinkled, sagging skin. Nicotine and carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke also constrict the blood vessels preventing your skin from getting the nourishment it needs.

Going cold turkey on cigarettes is easier said than done so switching to Vapor Vanity or nicotine gum may be a more effective short term solution. This will help you to manage your cravings without damaging your skin.

Not getting enough exercise

If the thought of hitting the gym makes you break out in hives, it may lure you to the treadmill to learn that regular cardiovascular exercise is a great way to keep yourself looking and feeling young. It not only gives you a lean, svelte body but improves circulation allowing your skin to be well nourished and glowing. It also keeps you mentally agile, so that even when you’re close to retirement age you’ll still be as sharp as you were in your twenties.

Poor diet

Sorry, but if you insist on clinging to some of your culinary olver indulgences, you can’t expect to look young and healthy. A poor diet can age you beyond your years, especially if it’s full of processed foods. Processed meats like salami, bacon and pastrami are type 1 carcinogens and colorful candies can cause a sugar overload which kicks off the process of glycation. This may damage your skin’s stored collagen preventing it from looking firm and youthful.

Make sure that your diet is rich in healthy whole foods that can delay the aging process and that your alcohol intake is moderate. Ensuring that you drink at least 3 liters of water a day will also help you to stay looking and feeling young for years and years to come.