Aging is a natural process that everyone experiences. You may notice your hair turning gray and your skin starting to sag and wrinkle. While you can’t prevent aging, you can slow or reverse the signs of aging. Anti-aging strategies include drinking enough water every day, moisturizing your skin, and wearing sunscreen.
As you age, it’s important to focus on staying healthy through a balanced diet and regular exercise. Learn about the 15 best anti-aging strategies to incorporate into your daily routine to stay healthy as you age.
To prevent dark spots and wrinkles, be sure to apply a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher every day. Wearing sunscreen when you’re outdoors helps protect your skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, which increase your risk of skin cancer.
Aging is most evident in the skin. Signs of aging include age spots, fine lines, thinning skin, and wrinkles. Taking care of your skin can slow or even reverse the effects of aging, for example by exfoliating it with beads or chemical peels, a process that helps slough off dead skin cells and reveal smoother skin underneath.
However, over-exfoliating can aggravate your skin. Talk to your dermatologist about the best exfoliation method for your skin type. They can recommend treatments, like exfoliating peels with glycolic or trichloroacetic acid, which can provide more dramatic results than home remedies.
Some evidence suggests that topical vitamin C serum may offer several health benefits, including preventing sun damage, and a study published in 2017 found that using a topical vitamin C serum daily for three weeks improved skin texture and reduced wrinkles on the face and neck.
It’s also important to moisturize your skin regularly: Apply a gentle lotion within minutes of getting out of the shower or bath to lock in moisture.
Retinoids, derivatives of Vitamin A, promote cell renewal. This powerful skincare ingredient helps increase collagen, improve skin tone and texture, and reduce wrinkles.
Retinoids can dry out your skin or cause acne when you first start using them, so start slowly by using a low concentration retinoid every other day at first, then gradually increase to daily use or try a higher concentration.
Hands generally don’t receive the same care as other parts of the body. Signs of aging on the hands include brittle nails, changes in skin texture, darkening, and wrinkles.
There are many ways to prevent aging of your hands, including:
- Chemical peeling
- Cryotherapy
- Laser treatment
- Skin creams and lotions
Smoking increases your risk of heart disease and lung cancer, in addition to skin problems. Facial movements while smoking can cause wrinkles, and smoking also has a vasoconstricting effect, which causes blood vessels to tighten.
As a result, smoking can make your skin age faster than normal. This habit has a huge negative impact on your appearance, causing problems such as:
- Increased risk of psoriasis, which causes itchy, thick, red patches of skin and silvery scales
- Premature aging
- Teeth stains
- Wrinkle
A balanced diet can help improve brain function, maintain weight, and reduce the risk of various health problems. Make sure you get enough of the following:
- fruit
- Healthy Fats
- Lean Protein
- vegetables
- Whole grains
Antioxidants protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. These harmful substances can contribute to premature aging and the development of diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Some of the most common antioxidants include beta-carotene and vitamin C. Foods rich in antioxidants include fruits and vegetables.
A balanced diet can help keep your heart healthy as you age: Healthy fats, for example, help control blood pressure, lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of irregular heartbeat (irregular heartbeat).
Fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and yogurt contain probiotics, microorganisms that aid in digestion. These foods are a source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Products with fermented extracts can also benefit your skin: A study published in 2022 found that fermented pomegranate improved skin brightness, elasticity, and hydration after eight weeks.
Foods high in sodium can cause your body to retain fluid, making you feel bloated and uncomfortable. Salty foods can cause a similar reaction in your face, including swollen eyes.
Cooking with flavorful, salt-free ingredients like garlic, lemon juice, and fresh herbs can help reduce your sodium intake. Not only will you feel less bloated, but a low-sodium diet may reduce your risk of high blood pressure.
Are you drinking enough water each day? Make sure you carry a water bottle with you when you run errands and drink a glass of water with every meal. Experts recommend drinking 91 to 125 fl oz. of water per day. If you live in a humid or hot environment, if you are physically active, or if you have an illness that causes diarrhea or vomiting, you may need more fluids than usual.
Alcohol increases urination, which dehydrates the body. Dehydrated skin often appears dry, yellow and dull.
Cutting down on alcohol also improves your overall health. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to long-term health problems, including a weakened immune system, cancer, high blood pressure and mental health issues.
To get a good night’s sleep, try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per day. Lack of quality sleep also increases your risk of a variety of health problems, including:
- Anxiety and depression
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Kidney disease
- obesity
- stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
If you can’t sleep, avoid caffeine and exercising in the late afternoon or early evening. Remove electronics from your bedroom and make sure it’s a quiet, dark, relaxing space.
Regular exercise has a positive impact on brain health. Exercise helps improve thinking, learning, and judgment as you age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 150 minutes per week of aerobic exercise, such as biking, jogging, running, or walking.
The CDC also recommends strength-building activities two days per week. This type of exercise includes bodyweight training and weightlifting, and helps strengthen your bones, joints, and muscles so you can carry out your daily activities.
Research shows that chronic stress accelerates aging and is also a risk factor for autoimmune diseases, cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders.
There are several ways to relieve stress.
- Get a pet.
- Get plenty of rest every night.
- Let’s go outside.
- Meditate or pray.
- Practice deep breathing.
- Keep moving.
- Try tai chi or yoga.
You might be looking down at your phone all day long, bending your neck downwards and other repetitive movements can cause fine lines and wrinkles. Holding your phone at eye level can improve your posture, potentially reducing the risk of pain or injury.
Stained and yellowed teeth can accentuate the physical signs of aging. Remove stains with whitening toothpaste and whitening strips and feel more confident in your smile.
You can also prevent discoloration by taking the following measures:
- Avoid coffee, tea, and red wine
- Brush your teeth twice a day
- Get regular dental cleanings
- Do not smoke
As we get older, our bodies change, and the aging process is normal. It’s natural for hair to gray, skin to sag, and wrinkles to appear. While you can’t prevent aging, there are ways to slow down the aging process and stay healthy: get enough sleep, protect your skin with sunscreen, eat a balanced diet, exercise, and manage stress.