How does one stay youthful?
I have been asked this question a lot lately. Why? Because I’m almost 40 and I barely look over 20. OK, maybe 25, but still– youthful 😉
My youthful appearance is due to 3 factors: 1: genetics 2: attitude 3: maintenance
This post is about the attitude and maintenance of looking, feeling, and being youthful.
Looking youthful is a billion dollar business; here are some ways you can live and achieve youthfulness that in general won’t cost a fortune. First and foremost, the most important act you can do to stay looking youthful is to eat the right foods for your particular metabolic type. When you eat for your metabolic type you create harmony within your bodies metabolic systems (metabolism being the sum of all activities in which your body has to perform to stay alive) . When your cells and organs are in harmony, they function more efficiently. Here’s an analogy that probably hits home: imagine when you’re over worked and underpaid- how stressed out are you? And do you think this stress is aging you? Hell yeah it is. So, if you have body systems that are over worked and malnourished do you think those cells are stressed and aging quicker? Of course they are. Therefore to stay looking youthful, you have to eat what’s right for you because you are what you eat!
In the quest for youth it is inevitable that we must exercise and do it often. As we age we begin to lose muscle and bone density at a rate of .5 to 1% per year; in effect, after 25, you start your path to becoming the incredible shrinking person. Also, there is this necessary, but not-so-helpful-thing against aging called- gravity. Gravity is always trying to bring you down– literally. Why do you think people start looking like question marks? You can research these facts, but they are pretty much ironclad. We must be proactive in order to maintain our youthful appearance and that means getting our fitness game on! The most important exercise, if one does nothing else, is to walk at least 30 minutes a day. I personally exercise/move/play every day. Also I have recently discovered and implemented the The Seven Steps to my morning regiment. It is considered to be the “fountain of youth.” Mull over this idea; the fountain of youth is said to be a liquid, how about if it is your cerebrospinal fluid (fluid surrounding brain and spinal cord)? And in order to stay looking young, you must keep this fluid moving, i.e keep your spine moving. See these links for Tibetan Rites and WillPower and the Seven Steps to learn more. Joseph H. Pilates, creator of Pilates exercise method has been credited with saying, a flexible spine, a more youthful a body– there must be something to it. (also see archived blog post on exercises you can do every day)
Additionally, because I think this is very much connected to exercise and exercise supports this behavior, is to practice ideal posture. Proper posture gives the impression of not only confidence and strength, but also happiness and youthfulness. Practicing proper posture regularly is inevitably an exercise because you are engaging your core to stand more erect, you are engaging your shoulder girdle by pressing your shoulders down away from your ears, you are engaging your gluteus and leg muscles in order to walk gracefully, etc. and hopefully at some point it surpasses exercise and becomes a natural state of being. Proper posture is essential in the youthful maintenance program because without it, how are you to convey your youthful aura and persona? If you have time, also read How To Have Proper Posture When Exercising; Knowing Your Kinetic Check Points
Next, in our youthful attitude and maintenance program is the development of a health healing personality. This is a personality that is usually sanguine, joyful, enthusiastic, and easy going. A personality that takes the ebbs and flows of life with resilience and fortitude. A personality that takes pride and initiative in the things they can control, such as ones actions and reactions, but also has the sangfroid and humility to have compassion for the things out of their control. The development of a health healing personality is a choice and practice and when applied regularly helps to prevent stress and disease. A person in possession of a health healing personality also exhibits joie de vie– a joy for life. It is my opinion that in order to maintain youthfulness, one must generally be joyful. This characteristic, more than any other, is the trait that most people will be drawn to and will give the impression of- eternal youth. There are many paths to reaching a health healing personality and I implore you to find out how you can attain one for yourself. It’s worth looking in to and you can get started by reading this book The Self-Healing Personality: Why Some People Achieve Health and Others Succumb to Illness.
Now let’s talk about products because products play a part in the maintenance of youth. My philosophy on products to maintain youthfulness is that it be as natural as possible. The most natural products out there to me are virgin olive oil and virgin coconut oil. Almost every evening, I rub virgin olive oil all over my body and face and the results are amazing. Olive oil is filled with antioxidants and vitamins that combat aging and sun damage and leave your skin moisturized and uber-supple! I eat a teaspoon of virgin coconut oil every day to promote healthy hair, skin, and improved metabolism. Click on these links to begin your research in the benefits of virgin olive oil and virgin coconut oil.
I advocate using beauty products that are paraben, petrochemical, synthetic dyes and fragrances, sulfate, GMO free etc. Some products that I personally use are Bare Escentuals, Josie Maran, Boscia, Ole Henriksen, and Tarte. See this link for more natural products. Furthermore, I personally rotate my cleansers, moisturizers, serums, eye creams, along with my staple virgin olive oil treatments so that my skin continues to derive the benefits from the products and not build a tolerance to them. The same goes for my shampoo and conditioner, cycling different brands because having thick and shiny hair that is full of body is certainly an aspect of youth.
Last thoughts… Do not interpret from this blog post that I am against aging– I love growing older. Moreover, we should love getting wiser and love every experience that makes us learn more about life, its’ magic and intricacy. Along with all that, we should love being strong and healthy. With the right attitude and maintenance program, we will keep looking, feeling, and being youthful.
TNT (Till Next Tuesday =)
Comments are cool! Kindly, leave them below! Thank you!
P.S. I wrote another blog about the Top 10 Things You Will Lose If You Don’t Use Them— and basically, 6 out of 10 things, if you do them, will keep you more youthful!
InspireHappy 