Natural Anti-Aging Secrets
Just about everyone dreads "the old age look"-wrinkles, sagging skin, dark under-eye circles, etc. A healthy diet and active lifestyle are crucial to youthfulness without resorting to the cosmetic surgeon’s knife. Taking care of yourself from the inside out-that is, eating antioxidant-rich, colorful vegetables and fruits, drinking plenty of water, exercising, getting enough sleep and avoiding the sun, cigarettes, sugar, and alcohol are surefire ways to stay energetic and limber with healthy, supple skin. Read on for some of the best tips I’ve found for keeping skin healthy and youthful-looking!
There are numerous ways to destroy skin’s youthfulness, the first being cigarette smoke. It does serious damage to the skin, causing biochemical changes in skin cells. It damages collagen and elastin, two proteins found in the skin’s dermal layers, essential in keeping skin tissue elastic and pliable. This damage leads to acceleration of sagging and wrinkling of the skin. Inhaling smoke constricts blood vessels which are responsible for bringing oxygen and nutrients to skin cells. Constricted blood vessels slow cellular production and growth. The act of smoking itself is damaging to skin. Pursing the lips and squinting the eyes during smoking create wrinkled, sagging skin over time. And of course damage occurs when a face spends years, if not decades, in a cloud of toxic smoke!
Sugar is another aging culprit, as too much insulin in the body is the "main accelerant" of aging. The more sugar consumed the more tissue elasticity and function lost. Besides playing a premature aging role, sugar also contributes to arthritis in the body.
Alcohol, when not drunk in moderation, is detrimental to the body’s aging process. Chronic alcohol consumption leads to premature aging as excess alcohol elevates stress hormone levels in the body which "accelerates the aging process in almost every physiological system in the human body." Alcohol dilates small blood vessels which increase blood flow near the surface of skin. Over time these blood vessels become damaged which leads to a flushed appearance and broken blood vessels on the skin’s surface.
Avoiding sun exposure is absolutely necessary to keep skin youthful. The sun’s damaging rays cause a specific form of skin aging called "photo aging". Overexposure to UV radiation destroys collagen and elastin, thereby accelerating the appearance of wrinkled, aged skin. If such overexposure takes place over many years, the body’s ability to produce new collagents is seriously diminished. UV ray damage is cumulative in that the damage caused by sun exposure in childhood, not to mention every sunburn and tan throughout life as well as sun exposure in general, walking to the store, gardening, and so on, compounds and builds on the damage already done.
The body also ages as a result of cellular destruction by free radicals. As the body uses oxygen, free radicals "cause oxidative damage to the cells of the body." This happens because of smoking, pollution, poisons in the environment, fried foods, and "as a by-product of normal metabolism." Defend against free radical damage by staying out of the sun, avoiding cigarettes, and by eating antioxidant-rich foods. Antioxidants are great defenders of the skin as they neutralize free radical damage through stabilization. Beta carotene and Vitamins C and E are among the more potent antioxidants and consuming them through your food will mean less cellular damage to the skin by free radicals. Stick to colorful vegetables and fruits to get your antioxidants. Try eating blueberries, which contain anthocyanins and give blueberries their hue, helpful in fighting wrinkles and skin cancer! Also, introduce pomegranates into your diet. Pomegranates contain lots of ellagic acid, an antioxidant that can protect the skin from the sun’s rays. Eating the seeds or drinking one cup of pomegranate juice a day shields the skin from UV-induced free radicals, which can erode collagen and bring on the wrinkles.
Exercise is extremely important in keeping the skin supple and the body limber as it keeps the blood flowing and your energy up. Those who look and move as if they were 60 when they’re 75-80 years old are always the ones who have exercised throughout their entire lives and are flexible, upright, and energetic! Exercise also helps combat stress, another contributor to aging as chronic stress has been found to shorten the lifespan of cells. Reducing stress in your life is a great anti-aging technique as it leads to better sleep, which means fewer wrinkles and a reduction in under-eye bags.
Raw, organic apple cider vinegar is another big factor for youthful skin, loads of energy, and a limber body. Stiff joints and tough skin aren’t from "being old"; rather, such conditions are because of potassium deficiency and general unhealthy living. Potassium has been called "the great detergent of the arteries" in that it removes toxins and cholesterol from the arteries, keeping tissues healthy, soft, and pliable. Try drinking two tablespoons of raw, organic apple cider vinegar and two tablespoons of raw, organic honey in a glass of water three times daily to keep potassium intake up, the joints flexible, and the skin tender. Applying apple cider vinegar topically also helps the skin stay fresh and pretty. Pick up a copy of Apple Cider Vinegar Miracle Health System by Patricia Bragg, N.D., Ph.D. and Paul Bragg, for more on ACV’s multitude of health benefits.
Drinking lots of water is an important means of continued youthfulness for skin and body. Water flushes built-up toxins and pollutants from the body and lubricates the different layers of skin, which helps stave off wrinkles. In addition, eliminating refined sugars and animal proteins offers many benefits to skin and general health.
Omega 3 oils such as flax and fish oil keep skin youthful as they "gently increase elasticity of the skin" and repair skin that’s been damaged. Also, try adding a double shot of wheatgrass juice with some cayenne pepper to your morning routine. It will give you boundless energy, a healthier body, and subsequently better skin. It’s also been shown to keep hair from graying.
An active, healthy lifestyle is, and always has been, your best defense against "the old age look"! Besides, when you do the right things for your body and it pays you back with energy, flexibility and youthfulness, all those bad habits you think you can’t give up, such as smoking, drinking, eating sweets, and so on, will lose their appeal pretty darn fast!
