If hip hop star Jay-Z’s smashing hit is anything to go by, we all want to live “forever young.” Much to our chagrin, while there have been numerous attempts to find the fountain of youth, this still remains an elusive quest. However, the search for ways to roll back the years, halt aging and keep our youth still rages on. Here are 5 easy hacks to stay younger longer. If you want to…
While getting older is inevitable, there are, thankfully, things you can do to put the brakes on old age or in other words, there are ways you age gracefully and healthily. Not everyone who is 40 feels and looks 40. To a large extent, you can be 40, yet be young, healthy and exuberant much like when you were 20 or even younger. Granted, signs of aging like reduced strength, wrinkles, and other diseases may creep up on you. However, such signs can be coped with and handled well.
Why is Aging So Important?
The world is aging. According to the WHO, “between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22%.” Japan, one of the fast-rising industrial nations already has 30% of its population 60 years or older. An aging population has far-reaching effects on nations at large.
Everyone will feel the wear and tear of the years but you’re not powerless in terms of ensuring you age well and gracefully. Aging well is critical because it saves you woes that aging presents. For instance, your whole pension fund can be swallowed up by expenses on medical bills if you do not keep yourself healthy over the years. Imagine the amount of pressure that your children would have to bear as you wobble your way into old age. Aging gracefully ensures that your family does not suffer and struggle to take care of you.
Just as aging is not a one-time activity, aging well is also a continuous engagement. Here are 5 easy hacks to stay younger longer.
5 Easy Hacks To Stay Younger Longer
Start Early
There’s a saying that goes: the best time to start was yesterday; the second-best time is now. This is also true for age and youthfulness. Most people while away their youth only to realize their value when age has caught up with them. If you want to be young while old in age, you need to start early. And the way to do this is by cultivating habits that would ensure a healthy life.
Let’s start with the glaringly obvious: don’t be counted amongst smokers. Smoking, aside from its many damaging effects, destroys the lungs. Even your smile will not be spared from the effects of smoking. So, if you’re thinking of living long and keeping your youthful glow, it would serve you well to stay away from tobacco and other harmful habits such as alcoholism.
Even if you think you are too old to start early, take solace in the fact that you are not as old as you would be, say, in 20 years. So, review your life so far and all the habits you have cultivated in light of your goal of achieving a youthful look and feel and make appropriate changes. It’s never too late to start.
Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
Exercise deserves all the shout-outs it gets from medical practitioners and campaigners of healthy living. With effective and consistent exercise, you are poised to live long, healthy and constantly rejuvenated. And there’s a ton of data to back up that claim. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “insufficient physical activity is one of the leading risk factors for death worldwide.”
Unfortunately, only 5% of adults take part in at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. And that has far-reaching effects. Regular physical activity helps to improve muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness. It also helps with weight control and ensuring a reasonably safe body mass index (BMI). Exercise also has beneficial effects on the brain.
According to research conducted by the Gerontological Society of America, exercise leads to marked increases in brain volume in older people aged between 60 and 79 years. The BBC also reports that elderly people who exercise generally live five years more than their counterparts who are not involved in the exercise.
There are various physical activities you can engage in. Some simple ones include walking and jogging. If you’re looking to do more rigorous exercises, you can consider outdoor activities such as soccer, tennis, etc. These are often more beneficial, not just physically but also mentally because exercises usually involve social interaction with instructors or other participants. Joining a gym is a great way of keeping yourself fit for the immediate and the long-term. At least there are experts in gyms who can help develop a daily exercise regimen that can help you stay fit.
Eat A Balanced Diet
You are what you eat and you will look like what you eat. Your diet is inextricably linked to your health and your ability to stay youthful even as you grow. And when you think of a balanced diet, don’t think sweets, fast foods, processed sugars, fried foods, carbonated drinks, etc. Instead, think of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, fiber, and so on.
A balanced diet ensures that your tissues and organs get all the nutrients required for growth. It also provides your body with the right nutrients, minerals, and vitamins to keep the body strong and healthy. For instance, one of the most crucial parts of your body is the immune system; once it malfunctions, your body is in trouble and can be subjected to all kinds of diseases. That is one reason why people who don’t eat well often fall ill. A proper diet ensures a strong immune system that would prevent you from falling ill frequently.
Eating well is great for your mood
Aside from the positive effects on your body, eating well also ensures sound mental health. Not only will it ward off diseases, but it ensures a better mood. For instance, researchers have discovered that eating meals with a high glycemic load can lead to a high risk of depression and tiredness. If you want to remain bubbly and alive, a balanced diet is your best bet.
One aspect of having a balanced diet that is crucial to maintaining your health is drinking lots of water. As simple as this sounds, not many people are water “addicts.” It is for good reason that many medical practitioners recommend water to many patients. Aside from the fact that water constitutes a majority of our body weight, it performs many critical roles in our bodies.
These include removing waste from the body, helping to ensure homeostasis in the body and ensuring your brain functions properly. There are a lot of headaches that would be non-existent if we are diligent in taking in water daily. So get on the “water-drinking” bandwagon to secure a youthful look.
Anti-aging hacks to stay younger longer
Over the years, there has been an influx of various cosmetic products that seek to restore a youthful look to anyone who so desires. There have been significant breakthroughs in the area of anti-aging procedures in recent times. For instance, the skin resurfacing treatment known as CO2 fractional laser therapy has been heralded as the anti-aging breakthrough of the decade by some experts due to its mind-blowing ability to reduce wrinkles with minimal side-effects.
Among the various anti-aging procedures, Botox and Dermal Fillers are probably the most popular and most used. While celebrities have often resorted to Botox, it is not only for the high and mighty, but it is also for everyone who wants to look and feel young. According to Newsweek, “in the past half-decade, the popularity of Botox in the U.S. has sky-rocketed, with a 40.6 percent increase in procedures according to the latest figures from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), and a 5.1 percent rise since 2017. Last year, over 1.5 million Botox injections were carried out.”
Aside from its aesthetic benefits, many people use Botox to improve their psychological well-being. So, if you want to restore your youthful glow, it would be a good idea to consider Botulinum toxin. However, ensure you find a practitioner who is well-trained and certified to perform such procedures. If you are interested in a botox certification course, there are good organizations that are well-primed to help you learn and get certification for the practice.
Build Strong Relationships
Teresa Seeman of UCLA’s School of Medicine conducted informative research on aging. Over a period of seven years, she examined individuals in their 70’s. At the end of the study, she discovered that participants of the study who had strong relations and networks showed higher mental ability than those who had no friends or even a family to count on.
For many people, when all is said and done, it’s not the amount of money they accrue or the fame they garner that matters. Ultimately, it is about the moments you share with people who mean a lot to you and about how much difference you’ve made in the lives of others. However, such relationships do not just come out of thin air. They must be consciously nurtured and delicately handled.
Take the initiative and get in touch with old friends and colleagues. Pick up a new hobby or activity that would keep you engaged and help you connect with new people. Also, ensure that you are not a recluse but someone who is involved in the activities of your neighborhood and community in general. This would give you a sense of purpose and meaning – that’s where true joy and happiness lies. Sometimes, you may need to join a support group. For instance, if you are a widow, there are many support groups that can give you camaraderie help, ensure you need not feel alone and discouraged.
In Conclusion
Unfortunately, no matter what you do, your birthday cake will gain a candle each year. However, that is not a cause for panic or worry. There are things like these 5 easy hacks to stay younger longer, that you can do now! And a lot of it has to do with a can do attitude and willingness to learn how to live a healthier life.
