Aging is a natural part of life.  It’s kind of beautiful in a way.  When I look at my mature clients skin and notice their wrinkles / lines primarily around their eyes and mouth, it goes to show that they’ve lived a life full of laughs, smiles, and most likely have a memory bank full of good times.  Aging is natural, yes, but who’s to say we can’t delay the process a bit? Theres so many anti-aging services and products out there...but they can tend to get a bit pricy.  Some people are blessed by the genetic gods, but not everyone can be so lucky.  I believe everyone deserves to age gracefully, so what if I spilt the beans on 8 simple lifestyle habits that naturally slow down the signs of aging?  

Have you ever heard of the term “sugar face?”  Well, it's a real thing.  Sugary foods fuel inflammation, dehydration and multiply free radicals in the body.  All three speed up the aging process by breaking down collagen, weakening the immune system, clogging pores, and causing the skin to sag while retaining water around the eyes which results in a puffy appearance.

Alongside sugar comes Americas next favorite “food group”, processed foods.  Processed foods are loaded with refined sugars, preservatives, harmful oils such as palm and canola, dyes, and so much more unnecessary genetically modified crap.  All of these elements can boost inflammation in the body.

Now, inflammation isn’t always a bad thing.  It’s our body's natural way of fighting off diseases.  But when inflammation is brought on everyday, it can start to deteriorate skin cells and slow down the skins cell turnover rate.  Try incorporating more whole, fresh foods into your diet.

Examples of sugary foods and processed foods: candy, most breakfast cereals, most yogurts, desserts, fast food, most frozen foods.  Foods containing canola oil, vegetable oil. Palm oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil.

A tale as old as time, but i'ts true.  Hydration goes a long way with keeping the skin plump and youthful. I’m not saying its the answer to all your prayers (I wish it were that simple).  Think about it, our body is made up of about 60% water.  To put it in better perspective, scientists have found that the brain and heart is made up of 73% water, the lungs 83% water, our skin 64% water, and our muscles and kidneys are 79% water. Thats a hell of a lot of water! It only makes sense to fuel and replenish our body with water throughout the day.

Drinking the daily recommended dose of water seems easier said than done.  Let me just say that I’ve self experimented by setting alarms on my phone through the day to drink water, whereas the following week I was binge drinking with my friends. The difference in plumpness, complexion, and elasticity after a week of proper hydration was astonishing.  Don’t take my word for it though, there’s plenty of legit case studies on it.  Try it for yourself.  I’ve found that having a fun cool water bottle makes drinking water a lot easier. 

Would it be silly to assume that there’s no news here? I’ll be the first to say that I love hanging with my friends and while having a few drinks (not that you need alcohol to have fun).  Beer is my favorite, but I do my best to designate drinking time for the weekends only (special occasions are an acceptation).  The longterm side affects of alcohol consumption alongside smoking is a pretty endless list, but let's stick to the aging side of it.

Anything that dehydrates you promotes aging by deflating and flushing out the skin.  Not only does alcohol dehydrate you, it overproduces our natural stress hormones which also fuel aging.  Not to mention often times alcohol is accompanied by sugary add-in’s, and we know how that goes.

This right here is probably the most effective lifestyle habit that naturally slows down the signs of aging. The holy grail of aging gracefully, Face Yoga.  Just like your body, your face is made up of muscles (42 to be precise).  So what happens when you workout your body muscles? They lift, tighten and tone.  Well, the same goes for your face!

The best part is, you won’t break a sweat while doing it and you can literally do it while laying in bed if you want (I’d first practice in a mirror). Face Yoga is a beautiful habit to form, its relaxing and quite addicting. To get the maximum benefits its recommended that you dedicate 20-30min a day to face yoga (I know, sounds like a lot).  If you reserve time for a bodily workout multiple times a week then designate one of those days to your face as its just as important.  Or, if I’m being completely honest, even 10min is better than nothing.

You just want to be sure that you’re doing it properly and not following the instructions of any willy-nilly on the internet.  I recommend Face Yoga Mona, I found her on instagram and she’s truly a master of her craft. I too offer basic beginner tutorials on my instagram SkinSkillsByBriana, where I incorporate Face Yoga and facial Gua Sha, an ancient Chinese anti-aging practice.

This lifestyle habit and the previously mentioned face yoga are actually a "two birds with one stone" type deal.  While you Face Yoga, I recommend playing whatever music puts you at ease.  That, or  listen to a lecture by your favorite philosopher (mine is Alan Watts).  If you’re at the point in your life where aging is of concern, then I’m sure your day to day might have its share of stressful tasks (this just comes with adulting).  It's always important to pause for a minute and be present.

Take some time for yourself, even three minutes of breath work a day can go a long way.  When we stress-- our body releases hormones known as cortisol.  These hormones have a tendency to fuel acne, wrinkles, and dehydration. The mind controls so much, but rather than your mind controlling you, try to gain control of your mind.  Mindful practice will improve more than just the signs of aging (:

“Sunscreen, sunscreen, SUNSCREEN.” (I’m sure my clients hear this in their sleep). The importance of sunscreen cannot be stressed enough, because guess what, all those fancy products and serums you might be using? Yeah, they do absolutely nothing once those UV rays hit your face and you’re not wearing a barrier of protection.  Not only that, but the sun promotes photo aging (early onset aging due to sun exposure).

Not convincing enough? Just look up “twin sunscreen study” and “truck driver sunscreen study”, be prepared to pick your jaw up off the floor.  That’s not even the worst of it, sunscreen protects against skin cancer.  Even if you aren’t one to burn in the sun, doesn’t mean you aren’t a candidate.  In fact, studies show that ethnicities that are less prone to burning are the ones at higher risk for skin cancer because they’re less likely to use SPF.

 

Gravity works in (sometimes) unforgiving ways.  How we sleep is one of them.  Throughout my life I’ve always been that person to sleep on my side while straddling a body pillow, or rather ultimately face down on the pillow.  Until I noticed something on myself and a lot of my clients.  One side of the face was developing deeper fine lines and wrinkles than the other.  I soon realized those deeper lines were on the side that I slept on…not to mention the side that I most frequently breakout on.

During my appointments I started guessing what side my clients slept on, and guess what? I was right every, single, time.  So I looked deeper into it and low and behold, I was right.  Once realizing this, I started getting in the habit of trying to sleep on my back (wasn’t the easiest at first) but I found a position comfortable enough for myself.  Sleeping on my back along with the above simple lifestyle habits that naturally slow down the signs of aging have been an absolute game changer.  But we're not done yet, there’s one more crucial piece of advice I have to mention.

This one, this one right here, UGH. You guys, we are better than this.  Makeup is for the streets, NOT for the sheets, so let's keep it that way.  Sleeping with makeup on can clog pores, trap environmental pollutants on the face, fuel free radicals, and blocks the skins natural functions that occur throughout the night such as cell turnover (aka collagen production). Another little fact I hate to break to you, makeup wipes aren’t enough, in fact, ditch the things completely.  The best way to remove your makeup is via oil cleanser or an oil based makeup remover.

Once you properly remove your makeup, you go in with your traditional cleanser and finish your routine.  Or at the very least just remove your makeup after a night out. Look, we’re all guilty of sleeping in our makeup here and there. I’ve personally mastered the art of partying, completing my whole skincare routine, and waking up with a clean face.  It’s totally possible and I have faith in you.

There you have it, 8 lifestyle habits that naturally slow down the signs of aging.  This was just a fun little article of mine I felt like sharing.  If you’ve read this far, I hope enjoyed and felt the light heartedness of it all.  Feel free to check out my instagram @skinskillsbybriana for abbreviated versions of my articles. 

xoxo Briana