Six Things You Need For Graceful Aging…

Five of Them Are Absolutely Free

Our bodies are at the mercy of gravity and time. Similar to the tectonic plates shifting on this planet, we observe changes of that scale in ourselves — hills become valleys, and basins rise to be mountains. Fat finds home at the most unwanted places. Even though some of us work out regularly, the trouble areas are too stubborn to leave. Slower metabolism from aging forces us to ration how much of our favorite foods we can eat. When we were younger, we could eat pizza for dinner and still look great. Now right after indulging in an ice cream waffle cone, we feel our waistline expand.

Time is unkind. New wrinkles show up without an invitation like our worries continually popping up. Somewhere between the rush hour traffic and diaper changes, our skins lose the youthful glow and suppleness. Some of us would sigh, admitting our prime time is over and go on with our lives. The truth is, everyone gets old one day.

The privileged ones who are ultra nervous about their appearances might rush to the most effective anti-aging regimen or procedures. Every few months, they would find new imperfections and start the cycle again. There’s only one life to live, they believe.

Aging is not all bad. Most people like aged cheese, wine, and meats. They erupt in your mouth with sophisticated flavors and textures, make you feel like falling in love again. With maturity comes the wisdom and elegance youngsters can’t imitate. Instead of striving for being young forever or letting go of our appearances, why can’t we aim for looking younger than our age?

Do the following exercise with me in front of a mirror:

Start by standing up straight, shoulders back and relaxed, focus on your eyes in the mirror. Take a deep breath through your nose and hold it for a count of four. Exhale through your mouth to a count of four. Think about the happiest moments in your life and smile wide. Say it loudly, “I’m grateful for what I have.”

Notice you look more youthful in the mirror than you were just a minute ago? You look younger because you are calm, grateful, and happy. When we brood over losses, they are all we see; when we count our blessings, luck will come our way. Do this exercise every day to remind yourself you have a life worth living.

Graceful aging only requires six things, most of which are free.

One, maintain a good posture. It helps to ease low back pain, relieve neck and shoulder tension. In return, you’ll increase lung capacity, improve circulation and digestion, improve core strength and energy level, reduce joint pain, and have fewer headaches. You’ll not only look taller and thinner but also appear more confident. Just by standing up straight with good eye contact, you give off the impression of intelligence and capability. If you tend to slouch, use a concealable posture corrector to help you form a good habit.

When you walk, your body should remain straight, eyes forward and shoulders back. Don’t stump or drag your feet as if you’re towing a car. Walk with ease, lift one foot, touch down then switch leg at a rhythm.

If you want to appear youthful, add a bit bounce to your steps. Ever watched teenagers walk down the streets? They have so much rebound in their gaits as if there are energy bunny batteries in their sneakers.

Two, have a good night sleep. If your children or duties have been keeping you up at night, try to catch a nap during your lunch hour. Even a fifteen-minute shuteye will help improve your brain function and productivity. If you’re one of those who have difficulty falling asleep or waking up at the middle of the night, try this old method used by the U.S. Army to help soldiers fall asleep in two minutes. You’ll wake up feeling better than taking the insomnia medications. The technique was first described in a book from 1981 called Relax and Win: Championship Performance by Lloyd Bud Winter.

Step one: lie face up in bed. Relax your facial muscles, including your tongue, jaw, and the muscles around your eyes. If you realize you have a frown, focus on releasing the area in the center of your forehead.

Step two: drop your shoulders as low as possible. This will also help you stretch and release the tension in your neck. Relax your upper and lower arm on one side, and then try it with the other arm.

Step three: breathe out and relax your chest. Feel your lungs fill up with air.

Step four: relax your legs. Release the tension from your thighs first and then let the relaxation travel down to your calves. Finally, focus on your feet and ankles.

Step five: now that the muscles in your body are relaxed, it’s time to clear your mind completely. Imagine yourself lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you, or lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room. If these images don’t work for you, tell yourself ‘don’t think, don’t think, don’t think’ for about 10 seconds.

The technique is said to work for a whopping 96 percent of people after six weeks of practice. So if you can’t relax into sleep during the first couple of weeks, your mind is likely occupied with worries and the million things you have to do. Learn to focus on yourself, your breaths, how each part of your body feels as you slowly sink into the mattress. Keep practicing the method until you can turn off the noise in your head like a switch.

Three, get active. Human bodies are not meant to sit all day. Inactivity leads to pain and inflammation because of reduced blood circulation. If you work at a desk, take a break and go outside, enjoy the breeze and fresh air. Listen to your favorite music while you at it, walk around the building where you work. You’ll find yourself more energized and productive upon returning to your tasks.

You don’t have to join a gym to get fit. I’ll show you in later chapters some simple and effective exercises you can do in the office or at home depending on your body type. Most of our phones have a built-in app to track your steps. Make it a challenge to walk 20 more steps each day. After three months, you’ll be walking almost 2000 more steps daily than when you started. Feeling too old to be active? Look at Julia Hawkins. At age 100, she started running. A few days ago, at 103, she won gold medals in both the 50-meter dash and the 100-meter dash at the 2019 Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Four, hydration. Drink plenty of water if you don’t have any medical conditions that limit your fluid intake. It not only helps skin look healthy but also improves elimination, reduces headaches, pain, dry mouth, and bad breath. The recommended daily intake is eight eight-ounce glasses (think of it as 8 X 8), which equals about two liters, or half a gallon. If drinking plain water isn’t your thing, try adding flavors to it.

Five, skincare routine. Hydrate your skin, not just your face, but your whole body. You don’t need fancy name products, most of the drug store brand will do. I buy the big jar of Cetaphil moisturizing cream from Costco that lasts for months.

Don’t take long, super hot showers. Hot water strips away the natural oils on your skin, make it dry, and reduces its elasticity. After seven years of drought (2011- 2017), we Californian have learned to conserve the precious water resource. Play a song while you shower, see if you can finish when the four-minute song ends.

Towel dry and apply a body cream, lotion, or butter, or whatever you call it on still damp skin (face and neck excluded) to lock in the moisture. Make sure you apply on your back, hands, and feet. Nothing reveals your age more than the wrinkly neck, hands, and feet. This is one of the easiest slow-aging hacks you will ever need. Notice I didn’t say anti-aging. No matter how much money we spent on skin serums and procedures, we can’t stop the effect of time on our bodies. What we can do instead, is to slow down the process, make it subtle, and less noticeable.

After applying body lotion, use cold water from the faucet to splash your face and neck. While warm water relaxes your skin, cold rinse contract it immediately. Every heard of the Finnish bath — hot sauna followed by an ice-cold bath, it’s a proven method to tighten the skin. Cold water promotes blood circulation which enhances the brightness of your face and makes you look younger.

After towel drying, apply face cream or lotion to your face and neck. I don’t recommend using body lotion on your face, because facial skin is much thinner than the rest of the body. If you apply heavier product to your face, the excess lotion might accumulate under the skin surface and form small white bumps, especially around the eyes, nose, cheeks, and chin. These are called milia, which require a dermatologist to remove them by lancing the bumps one by one to release the trapped content.

After skin hydration, apply sunscreen to your face and neck. Compared to the greasy sunscreen kids smear all over their faces in the summer, there are brands that are lighter in texture and become unnoticeable upon application. Learn to hydrate your skin and apply sunscreen every day even when it’s raining or cloudy. Even in the bad weather, there’s enough UV light to damage your skin. If you wear foundation, sunscreen will make it last longer. Try it for yourself.

Six, be grateful. There is always someone better than us no matter where we look. You’ll drive yourself mad competing with them. If you can’t create beautiful things, learn to appreciate them. Instead of using others as the marker of your success, think about what bring you the most joy and do it more often. Learn to let go of bad thoughts, so your heart can take in more happiness. Stop living inside your head. Pay attention to the people around you — your partner, your kids, your parents, siblings, and friends. Learn to seek kindness in their imperfections. Find good intentions from the adverse outcomes. Remember, we always find what we’re looking for.