By Lata Jha:
Age is now just a number. You don’t stop pampering or taking care of yourself just because you’ve hit the formidable 40s or 50s. Rather than fighting ageing or making desperate attempts to look younger, one should confront one’s age and make the effort to age gracefully. Here are some ways to fight that battle well.
First comes the skin. One should start early. “As you sow, so shall you reap“, the saying holds true for both karma as well as your skin. The way you treat your skin in your 20s’ and 30s’ directly impacts how your skin is going to be post-40. One should establish healthy patterns of eating and physical activity that will last a lifetime, look after one’s skin inside out and practice a skin care routine that involves moisturising and guarding against the sun religiously. Less is always more when it comes to make-up.
One should try and be on the move. If you feel younger, you will look younger. Regular exercise helps with this, preventing the arterial ageing that contributes to memory loss and improves muscle mass as well. Weight training is excellent to fight sagging skin as it tones the muscles. Yoga, especially pranayams (breathing exercises) increase internal strength and help you look and feel rejuvenated.
What you eat makes a huge difference to the health of your skin and hair. To keep skin radiant and happy, include more vitamin E (helps in skin regeneration), vitamin C (boosts collagen reformation) and antioxidants (fight free radicals).
One should also never compromise on sleep. An hour before midnight is worth two after. Not only does the skin require downtime to repair itself, the sagging skin and puffiness around the eyes due to lack of sleep can make wrinkles look much worse. Caffeine should be avoided just before sleep, instead gently massage your eyes with a soothing eye gel, rub some lavender oil on your feet and press snooze.
Most importantly, relax and stay calm. Stress causes cells to age faster, which becomes evident on the skin. Make the effort to work on your inner contentment and serenity and try finding peace in meditation and activities that produce essential happy-feeling neuro-chemicals and hormones that regenerate the body. Be proud of yourself, your age, experience and life.