Photo: April Laugh/Unsplash
Aging gracefully is an art. As your body starts to age, it becomes increasingly important to take care of your holistic health to ensure that you continue to look great well into later life.
Actress and celebrity, Michelle Yeoh, attributes her successful beauty regime to a life of exercise and meditation. Yeoh, now 60, says that brisk walking, exercising on set, and an empowered mindset help her find a glow that “no highlighter can match.”
You may not have the budget to match a celebrity’s routine, but you can still incorporate holistic health into your beauty regime as you age. Regular exercise, self-acceptance, and a few changes to your lifestyle will help you age gracefully and rediscover your beauty post-40.
Mentality
The way you approach beauty for the next 40 years of your life has to be different from the way you approach beauty for the last 40 years of your life. That’s not to say that you have to give up on exciting styles or fashion trends. You just need to adjust your expectations a little to help embrace your body as it starts to change.
You can start changing your mentality to focus more on holistic health by embracing a few lifestyle changes that help you age gracefully. Aging gracefully is all about accepting reality and slowly adjusting your day-to-day life to live in ways that suit you now. This doesn’t mean you have to go all-in on a strict diet, hard exercise regime, and bank-busting beauty treatments. But, you should make changes that feel right for you and help you age healthily.
Start by cutting out unhealthy habits that harm your skin. Excessive alcohol consumption, sunbathing for too long, and smoking can harm your health and derail your beauty routine. Instead, embrace healthy aging secrets — like drinking in moderation, reducing stress with regular meditation, and involving yourself in the community.
These small lifestyle changes can make a big difference to your overall well-being and help give you the energy and confidence you need to start exercising and reap the benefits of active living.
Exercise
Exercise has always been championed as a great way to improve your holistic health and lift your appearance. However, most people have a complex relationship with exercise and usually end up falling off the wagon after a few weeks of hard work.
As you age, keeping your body fit and active becomes more important. Nothing will throw off your beauty routines like osteoporosis or high blood pressure. Fortunately, regular exercise provides benefits that can help you avoid illness, improve your self-efficacy, and help you achieve a look that you can feel proud of.
Go easy on yourself if it’s been a while since you laced up your running shoes or hit the gym. Managing your expectations will ensure that you stay the course and avoid injury. You might, for example, consider:
- Couch to 5K programs;
- Free yoga classes from Youtube;
- Fitness clubs in your area;
- Fitness programs like Peloton or Alo Moves.
These programs are designed to support folks who haven’t worked up a sweat for a while. Couch to 5K programs and apps like Alo Moves can be great for your self-efficacy, too, as you’ll be able to track the progress you’re making.
Skincare
Skincare can be a major concern for folks over 40. But, finding new wrinkles and prodding veins all day won’t do anything to support your overall health or beauty. Instead, you need to learn to live with changing skin and take steps to prevent the early onset of deep wrinkles and varicose veins.
Varicose veins are extremely common. Between 20 -30 million Americans have varicose veins, and 41% of women over the age of 50 have them. You can reduce your risk of developing varicose veins by improving your overall health. This may mean that you need to lose a little excess weight and spend less time in the sun. Try to move your body more frequently, too, as sitting for prolonged periods is a risk factor.
The same advice applies to mitigating deep wrinkles. Avoiding excessive sun exposure and exercising daily can prevent premature wrinkles and help you feel at your best. You may also want to consider over-the-counter treatments, like retinol, as some anti-wrinkle treatments can make fine lines less noticeable.
Conclusion
Promoting your holistic health as you start to age should be an integral part of your next beauty routine. Small lifestyle changes, like drinking less often and getting involved with community work, will bring a glow to your skin and help you feel and look radiant. You can also take up a gentle exercise regime, as running, yoga, and fitness classes are great for your overall health and help you avoid conditions like varicose veins. Most of all, be kind to your body as it ages.
