Just when you’ve forgotten why we love Courteney Cox, her Instagram post celebrating her 60th birthday serves as a timely reminder. We see Courteney looking incredibly youthful in the gym, running, lifting weights, and doing pull-ups (pull-ups!), and then, in typical comedic fashion, emerging from a tiny freezer in a tiny bikini and flexing her limbs to make fun of herself. “What?” she deadpans to the camera with perfect comedic timing. “Cryotherapy!”
This seems extreme as an anti-aging approach. Of course, I know she’s joking. But is Courtney’s approach worth trying? I’m a tweak-and-tweak expert and have tried almost every anti-aging treatment out there for the past 20 years. Like Courtney, I’m also a very youthful 60-something; at 61, I’m one year older than her. In fact, I’m often mistaken for a woman in her late 40s, so believe me when I say I know what to do. Really It works. Read on for the definitive guide to turning back the clock a la Courteney Cox.
I’m in my 60s, one year older than Courtney’s 61, writes Alice Hart Davis.
Ice Ice Baby
what is that? Spend 3 minutes in a cryotherapy chamber do not have Ice baths, made from freezer-chilled water at -120 degrees, aren’t the most fun, but many athletes find they help with muscle recovery. They also relieve joint pain and arthritis symptoms. They’re less popular than cold water immersions or ice baths, which in my opinion are much harder to tolerate. The endorphin rush you get afterwards is great, though.
Courtney emerges from the freezer. There’s evidence that exposing the body to extreme cold reduces inflammation.
Does that work? Evidence shows that exposing the body to extreme cold reduces inflammation, including the low-level inflammation that accelerates aging in organs and skin. Simply put, anti-inflammation is anti-aging.
How much does it cost? Cryotherapy chambers are few and far between – search online to find your nearest facility: London Cryo (www.londoncryo.com) in Belgravia charges £90 per session, while AestheticsoftheRoyalLiverBuilding.Co.uk in Liverpool charges £50 per session.
What are some at-home alternatives? Cold showers. Yes, really. This one’s not the most fun, but it’s still recommended by many health experts. And you don’t have to take long showers. Cold bathing expert Wim Hof recommends just one or two minutes a day.
Anti-Aging Rating: 3/5
If you can take an ice bath or a cold water bath and like the effects, then go ahead and try it.
Hats off to the laser
what is that? Courtney emerges from the freezer holding in one hand a HigherDOSE baseball cap with a red LED light on the inside, which is said to promote hair growth and strengthen it.
Kourtney is clutching a HigherDOSE baseball cap with a red LED light inside.
Does it work?? LED lights, which are very popular for skin rejuvenation, are also scientifically proven to stimulate hair follicles and promote hair growth. I have never tried them because my hair is quite dense and the light needs to reach the scalp to be effective. Instead, I choose a laser diode hat, which uses low-level laser light that penetrates the scalp more effectively than LED lights.
How much does it cost? Thrix laser diode caps are available to buy from santilondon.com for £40 a pop. “They’re about 100 times more effective than LED lights,” says Tariq Karim, founder of Santi Spa in Kensington. The caps are available to buy for home use (pictured below), but Karim recommends trying them out for a few sessions first to see if they’re right for you.
At-home alternatives: Thrix laser diode cap, £1,100, santilondon.com (Courtney’s HigherDOSE light hat is not available in the UK.)
Anti-Aging Rating: 2/5. LED light caps or helmets are effective depending on the quality and intensity of the light they contain, and whether or not that light reaches your scalp.
Laser diode caps are much more powerful and are more likely to produce results up to 4/5 on the anti-aging scale.
Face mask failure
what is that? Kourtney has also been photographed wearing a sheet face mask, which is actually a serum-infused cloth mask, or “hydrogel” mask, that you place over your face and leave on for about 30 minutes to work its magic. I love using this for my mini downtime.
While face masks like Courtney’s won’t prevent your skin from aging, a little self-care is a step in the right direction to make your skin look younger.
Does that work? Sure, it helps to moisturize your skin. It won’t make your skin look younger, but a little self-care can be a step in the right direction to fresher looking skin.
How much does it cost? Depending on your budget, choose from Garnier’s Moisture Bomb Sheet Mask (£3.49, Boots) to Meder Beauty’s Myo Fix Mask (£80 for five), which contains skin-smoothing peptides to smooth out wrinkles.
Anti-Aging Rating: Sorry but we have to face facts. I’d say it’s only 1/5.
If you don’t use it, you lose it!
what is that: Exercise! Courtney not only runs on the treadmill, but also lifts heavy kettlebells and does pull-ups. “Look, we don’t have a choice. We just do our best,” she said, drawing admiration on social media. I also lift weights because I know that exercise, especially weight training, is one of the best things women over 40 can do to combat the effects of aging. Building lean muscle, which is still possible after 60, not only keeps you toned, but also burns fat at rest. If you don’t make an effort to maintain it, you will lose up to 5% of your muscle mass every decade, increasing your risk of osteoporosis, falls, and injuries.
Aerobic exercise like running and cycling will get your heart rate up and improve your heart health, while weightlifting (like Courtney does) will help you maintain muscle mass.
Does that work? That’s right. When it comes to fitness, if you don’t use it, it goes away. Aerobic exercise like running and cycling will get your heart rate up and improve your heart health, while weightlifting helps maintain muscle mass, which can decrease with age and lead to frailty. Is muscle mass really that important? Yes, it is! Plus, getting your blood pumping will give you glowing skin.
How much does it cost? Any gym will help you get started at the right level, or you can join an upmarket club if you want to splurge – I used to have a membership to a fitness studio that cost £300 a month. Similarly, you can work out at home for free – a two-litre water bottle can double as a two kilo weight. The important thing is to actually exercise.
Anti-Aging Rating: It’s never too late to start a 5/5 exercise program. Start small, invite a friend to join you in exercising, and you’ll notice a difference in as little as six weeks.
Alice Hart-Davis is the founder of thetweakmentsguide.com.
