5 Easy Lifestyle Tips for Maintaining Youthful Looking Skin

Great looking skin at any time of life begins with accepting that the environment, your lifestyle, climate and age are all going to have an impact, so be on the look-out for warning signs and do something about them as soon as you see them. In fact, start looking after your skin as early as possible.1. Develop and Use a Daily Routine for Cleansing and Moisturising.It's really important to create a daily routine to keep your skin clean and moisturised. A routine will acquaint you with the intimate details of your face, neck, hands and body so that you're better able to observe early-onset signs of aging.2. Focus on the eyes. And I don't mean the laugh lines!A sure give-away of age, is that things don't look quite right around the eyes. Your eyelashes and eyebrows start to thin and your eyelids may be become red. Fortunately there are thickening creams that can help your brows and lashes. Of course, you can have your eyelashes and eyebrows dyed; if you had dark lashes when you were younger, always go for a blue-black colour and go for a brown for your brows. If you're a blonde, it's brown all the way.3. Enjoy an Invigorating MassageThings slow down even when we don't want them to, so keep stimulating all those different bodily systems with a regular massage. Your lymphatic system needs a good shake up to keep your legs a nice shape (I mean who wants cankles? and what a revolting name it is!), while giving your circulation a helping hand brings lovely oxygen filled blood to your organs and skin.


4. Limit Sun ExposureWe've known for years now that the sun is the cause of untold misery when it comes to skin damage, not just nasty cancer type damage, but brown sun spots and premature wrinkling and aging too. Be sure to wear a high SPF sunscreen, especially on your face... and don't forget your hands! And remember, there are UVA and UVB rays bombarding you even on a dull day so don't forget the sunscreen, even in winter.5. Necessary Medications and Unnecessary Weight GainWatch out for symptoms that may be brought on by the need to take medication. If you have no option but to take the medication that can cause weight gain, you can compensate for some weight-gain side effects by making small changes to your diet, taking supplements or talking to your doctor about alternative drugs or different dosages; or even finding an original medicine alternative such as Naturopathy or Homeopathy, or even Chinese herbal medicine.Beyond these simple 5 steps you can take to maintaining and cultivating youthful skin, you can also consider the many wonderful new cosmeceuticals now available.Give yourself a mid-life make-over... When we were girls we wore make up to look older and more sophisticated. When we became women we wore make up to enhance our natural beauty, and now that we are women of a certain age, we wear make up to look more youthful, healthier and brighter...

How to Get Rid of Laugh Line Wrinkles Naturally

Laugh lines tell a tale of a life filled with happiness and emotion, but still they can be ugly. Whatever you call them, they still look like regular wrinkles!The good news is you can do something about them. If you want to learn how to get rid of laugh line wrinkles, please read on! In addition to a healthy lifestyle, keeping hydrated and enjoying life, the right natural skin care regime can make a huge difference on how young you look and feel.It really is possible to get rid of laugh lines naturally without injections, dermabrasion or surgery. Nature offers us ingredients that work wonders on wrinkles. With the right products and some persistence, you can soon be giving your skin a natural, daily face lift just by using the right natural products in your skin care.But what kinds of products should you use? Most importantly the skin cream you are using should be based on 100% natural ingredients that are proven to be safe and to have true anti-aging effects. Read the ingredients list on any product you are considering and stay away from mineral oil, preservatives, chemicals and synthetic fragrances. If you get a completely natural product, you'll automatically avoid these substances.On a side note: it's best avoid toxins as much as you can in your daily life, too. Steer away from cigarette smoke, heavy drinking and eating lots of animal products. Your body and your skin will thank you!


In order to get rid of laugh line wrinkles, the products you are using must stimulate the growth of collagen and elastin, which are two key substances in your skin that keep it youthful and smooth. With age their activity decreases, but they can be stimulated with the right skin cream, increasing the production back to the level it was when you were younger.But don't buy into skin creams that include collagen or elastin, as they cannot penetrate your skin and just end up sitting on it, doing no good to your skin. You should instead look for ingredients which are able to get into your skin's deeper layers and stimulate the collagen and elastin activity there.One of the best ingredients that can do that is Xtend-TK, which is a wholly natural substance from New Zealand. It has been proven in several tests to stimulate the production of collagen, elastin and even boost new skin cell growth. Together with ingredients like Phytessence Wakame and Nano-Lipobelle H EQ10, Xtend-TK will restore your skin's youth and health when used daily, and believe me; you will see a difference in your laugh lines if you stick with it!

12 Natural Anti-Aging Solutions

Most anti-aging solutions you see advertised involve products designed to improve the look of the skin and hair. This is because most people's concept of "anti-aging solutions" is to make you look younger. However, the process of aging is much more complicated than what is happening to your body on the outside. It is also about what's happening to your body internally. Aging can affect hormonal balance, strength of the immune system, mental capacity, sex drive, sense of balance, movement, stamina, joint pain, and more. The following are 12 natural anti-aging solutions that will help you slow down the aging process holistically both on the outside and on the inside:1. Drink A Lot More WaterDrinking more water is probably the simplest thing you can do to slow down the aging process. Studies have shown that most people are chronically dehydrated. Water helps to lubricate the skin from the inside out and works far better than any lotion you could buy. Water also helps by keeping the skin elastic. This means the more water you drink, the smoother and less wrinkled your skin will be.2. Eat More Blueberries and Other High Antioxidant FoodsWho needs age defying cosmetics when you can get a much greater anti-aging benefit from eating antioxidants. Antioxidants rid the body of free radicals that form at an increasingly higher rate as we get older. The more antioxidants you eat, the more free radicals you'll eliminate. Unfortunately, the modern diet is abysmally low in natural antioxidants. Most of the antioxidants have been processed out of the processed foods that have become a staple in the American diet.Eating a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially organic ones, will ensure you get a nice supply of antioxidants. Blueberries, in particular, are loaded with antioxidants. Other berries like raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries are also exceptionally good sources of antioxidants.3. Eat More MagnesiumThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends that men and women get between 300 and 400 mg of magnesium a day. However, studies have shown that most people don't get anywhere near this amount. This is because most of us don't eat enough of the foods that are high in magnesium. These foods include dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, and mustard greens. They also include green herbs like parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme, and dill. Nuts and whole grains are also relatively high in magnesium.Magnesium helps control insulin levels in the body which in turn regulates the blood sugar levels. Maintaining a healthy blood sugar level ensures that glycation, one of the primary culprits of the aging process, is minimized.In glycation, sugar destroys and deforms protein.4. Reduce Inflammation By Eating the Right Foods Chronic inflammation increases with age. Premature aging occurs when the inflammation process is accelerated. On the other hand, aging can be delayed by reducing inflammation. Inflammation causes the skin to wrinkle. Chronic inflammation also causes other aging processes such as a decrease in mental capacity and stiffness in the joints.5. ExerciseOne of the best ways to reduce cellulite is to exercise more. Resistance weight training with squats and lunges can reduce the cellulite in your thighs. Weight training also helps prevent sagging skin. Tightening the muscles in the face can help prevent sagging of the skin in the face. Aerobic exercise also helps a great deal to slow down aging over-all. This type of exercise strengthens the immune system and helps all the organs in your body function more efficiently. This includes organs like the liver and kidneys which are important to the detoxification process.6. Stop the Yo-Yo DietWhen you get into the vicious cycle of losing weight and then regaining that weight back, this stretches the connective tissue between the skin and the muscles. This makes the skin sag. If you need to lose weight, it is far better that you do so in a slow and steady manner and then keep the weight off.


7. Lower Your StressIt is no coincidence that our U.S. presidents all seem to age rapidly while they hold office. Being president is an extremely stressful job and stress causes premature aging more than just about anything else. Stress alters the balance of hormones in the body, shortens the lifespan of cells, causes the skin to wrinkle, causes hair to fall out, alters DNA so it has difficulty replicating, and produces high levels of the hormone cortisol that accelerates the aging process.If you want to live longer and slow down the aging process, you need to find ways to lower your stress levels.The first step is to evaluate your life and determine what your primary and secondary sources of stress are.Next, eliminate or reduce stress where it is possible to do so. Third, find ways to help you relax and de-stress.Exercise, yoga, taking long walks, writing, listening to music, and aromatherapy are all common methods of relaxing. See what works best for you. The main thing is to understand the need to do so and make sure you fit this into your life.8. Learn How To Manage Stress BetterSome people find it helpful to temporarily keep a diary of things that trigger stress. Once you have a handle on what's triggering the stress, it is easier to stop the stress before it escalates and gets worse. It also gives you the much needed self-permission to do something nice for yourself to lower the stress. For example, you might schedule a nice relaxing massage and/or let your partner take on more responsibility.9. Protect Your Skin From the SunBy the time you hit your thirties, most people are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to wrinkles. It makes no sense to put undue pressure on the skin. UV radiation causes the skin to wrinkle and dark spots to form, not to mention cancerous growth. UV destroys collagen and prevents the body from producing more collagen. When you are exposed to the sun, it is essential to use a broad spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen. This will help prevent dark sun spots from forming and it has also been shown to prevent existing dark spots from getting darker. You can also wear protective clothing like a big brimmed hat.10. DetoxificationHeavy metals and other environmental pollutants will accelerate the aging process and cause other health issues as well. Detoxing three to four times a year can help keep these out of your system. Drinking more water helps detoxify the body. Eating more greens also help detox the body. There are two foods that help even more. These are blue green algae like Spirulina and the green algae Chorella. One teaspoon to three tablespoons of powered algae mixed in water is a good way to start the day off when you are trying to detox. Another good method of detoxing is to make a tea out of fresh parsley or cilantro.11. Get More SleepWhen you sleep, the body rejuvenates itself. Cells repair themselves more quickly while we sleep. Nutrients are absorbed better. Cortisol levels are naturally lowered as we sleep. Dreaming helps us organize our thoughts and this can help with memory issues.12. Stop SmokingSmoking causes rapid aging. It damages the collagen and the elastin in the skin layers. This makes the skin less elastic and it wrinkles more. Smoking also reduces blood flow and oxygenation of cells which will also lead to skin damage. If you are a smoker, you need to stop as soon as possible no matter how difficult it may be.In conclusion, each of these natural methods is considered good anti-aging solutions but you shouldn't expect a miracle from any one of them. However, if you use several natural methods in combination, the effect can be rather amazing. The elusive fountain of youth isn't a single source but rather a mosaic of healthy living.

How To Think Your Way To Living Longer, Better

The placebo effect is recognised and accepted by most of us. It shows the important part perception plays in the results achieved. When researchers are testing a new drug, for example, it's not uncommon for more than 30% of those using a placebo to lose the symptoms being tested. Even though a placebo may be regarded as medically ineffectual, belief and a sugar pill can be all that's required for more than 30% of the participants to experience a difference.The placebo effect can be a very powerful and helpful friend when it comes to living a longer, better life. You can program your brain to think about how your exercise and what you eat (not junk, of course) is improving your body. That's right! You can legitimately increase the results from your exercise and nutrition by actively thinking about the benefits.Harvard researchers studied over 80 hotel room cleaning attendants from 7 different hotels who cleaned an average of 15 rooms-per-day at about 25 minutes-per-room.The researchers set out to study the effects on the hotel attendants of making them aware of how beneficial the exercise they got while working was for their health, and to see if this increased the results that they actually received from the exercise. The question was, would telling them that their work was great exercise improve their health, lower their blood pressure, and help them to lose weight compared to the hotel attendants that didn't realise their work was 'exercise'?


The hotel attendants were split into two groups. The first group was informed about the benefits of exercise and told how many calories they were burning while doing their hotel cleaning work each day. They were specifically told how many calories activities such as changing sheets, vacuuming, and scrubbing bathrooms were burning each hour. (The researchers also gave the attendants a daily handout showing the number of calories being burnt doing each activity.) The second (control) group was simply informed of the benefits of exercise and were not told anything else.The only difference was that the one group was reminded how beneficial their work exercise was for their health and how many calories they were burning. Their minds were busy believing in the benefits of it. This group ended up losing a significant amount of weight, etc. The control group showed no improvements.A key message for all of us is to never underestimate how powerful our mind is. And for all participants in the ageing process, we need to make sure we're actively thinking about how our exercises and foods are helping us to live a longer, better life.

The Best Ways To Firm Sagging Skin

As soon as women cross 40, their day starts with peeping into the mirror just to check if there is a new wrinkle since last night. Wrinkles, sagging skin and ugly age spots are among the first signs to hint that you're getting old. It is still possible to cover up wrinkles and age spots with the right makeup, but it can be a tricky task to do the same for sagging skin as the problem lies skin deep. This short article discusses a few simple, natural regimens to uplift sagging skin and restore a youthful radiance.What causes the skin to sag?It is a matter of age. Age slows a number of body functions and this includes cellular repair and regeneration. Collage and Elastin are the two important structural proteins. Together, they are responsible for skin firmness and elasticity. With age, there is a dip in the production of these two proteins and therefore your skin is no longer firm and supple. It also loses its ability to retain moisture and takes on a dull, dry and listless appearance.Making the problem worse is the loss of muscle mass and bone density in old age. Bones and muscles automatically shrink not giving anything plump or concrete to hold on to.Good-For-You-Lifestyle Habits to Firm Skin1. It is important to wash your face every morning when you get up. While you rest at night the skin, in fact your whole body continues to work. This is why it looks all oily when you wake up in the morning. It is not a good idea to slather make up on an oily, unclean face.2. An evening cleanse is also a must to get rid of dirt buildup and makeup worn throughout the day.


3. If you want to prevent your skin from sagging, it is necessary to protect it from UV damage. Make sure you apply sunscreen in the morning before going out.4. In order to promote cell repair and rejuvenation, you must first slough off the dead skin cells. For this, you must exfoliate the skin at least once a week or more depending on your skin type. You can use ready-to-use natural exfoliators or combine ingredients to create your own scrub.5. After every cleansing routine, you should moisturize the skin. Choose a moisturizer based on your skin type. Allow the moisturizer to absorb well before you can apply any makeup.6. Women looking to reinforce the collagen structure should eat a sensible diet. Your diet should include Vitamin A, C, B3, E and K and minerals namely zinc, potassium and calcium as they contribute to rebuilding and reinforcing collagen fibers. Cut down the intake of processed sugar as it causes the connective tissue to disintegrate.7. Drinking plenty of water is best tip if you want to prevent skin sagging and breakdown. You should drink at least 8-10 glasses of water every day. Water is beneficial as it flushes out the toxins and keeps the cells hydrated.8. Finally, you can combine diet with firming creams to get the best benefits. Most of the topical applications contain moisturizing agents and antioxidants. Retinol or Vitamin A is a chief ingredient in anti-aging creams. They build the body's natural ability to produce collagen and elastin.

Anti Aging Skin Care Tips - Anti Aging Physician's Guide To Healthy Skin Care

When we were all growing up, we spent our childhoods wishing that we were older. As a kid, you always got a bit of a buzz when someone guessed your age as a few years older than you actually were. As we get older, that thought process starts to shift and we no longer like to look older than we actually are, even going through drastic surgeries in some cases to reverse the signs of aging.There are many alternative options available today instead of costly cosmetic surgeries and are far less invasive.For someone who would like some simple advice for anti aging remedies, or simple ways to improve their skin care regime, I have listed below my tips and hints that I have compiled (including some tips from the world's only Board Certified anti aging physician, who has over 30yrs experience in anti aging and medical research & development).- Wear sunscreen - UV radiation from the sun damages your skin and promotes aging. Never walk out the door without sunscreen on your face.- Eat vegetables - There is good evidence that oxidative damage caused by toxins and metabolism contributes to the aging process at a cellular level. Products high in antioxidants seem to protect us from oxidative stress.- Avoid sugar - Sugar is a direct cause of aging and significantly reduces the life of cells.- Sleep - For most the key determinant of how you look (and feel) on a given day is how much sleep you get. 6-8hrs is ideal.- Eat fish - evidence suggests that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are particularly beneficial to skin care.


- Avoid smoking - Whilst it is seldom my position to advise people what they should or shouldn't do with their own lifestyle choices, smoking is second only to Sun damage as the biggest cause of early aging and cell damage. Avoid smoking if you can and you'll enjoy healthier looking skin.- Eat fruit - same as vegetables, fruits have an enormous amount of antioxidants and help with hydration. Vitamin C in particular is thought to benefit skin.- Drink red wine - Red wine contains the world's most powerful anti-aging compound known as resveratrol. Resveratrol has been called a "modern miracle" by Harvard University Professors due to the amazing anti aging properties that it as. There is not a high enough dosage in red wine to significantly impact lifespan, however, if you are going to consume alcohol, you might as well help yourself look younger too.- Drink lots of water - Lack of hydration is the third biggest cause of excessive wrinkles (behind Sun exposure and smoking). Skin needs to stay constantly hydrated in order to maintain elasticity and firmness. If you don't get enough fluids in your body, your cells will start to lose this elasticity which will eventually result in fine lines and wrinkles.While there are many anti aging surgeries available on the market today, with breakthroughs in skin care technology and some simple awareness in what causes aging, you can get just as powerful results through cosmetic skin care products and lifestyle choices, for fractions of the cost and no messy "healing time".Yours in Freedom

Skin Care - What Are The Best Skin Care Products For Me?

A great skin care routine is the staple of any person's personal care or health care regime, male or female. Gone are the days where it was just females putting on foundation, lipstick and eye liner and men and women are looking for better anti aging skin care results in the ever growing search for youth.So what are the best skin care products to use? Well, to have a truly complete anti aging skin care routine, you need to contain different complimentary products within your arsenal, and there are many schools of thought on what the best are.I've compiled a list of the 5 essential anti aging cosmetic products that the experts say every person, male or female, should have in their bathroom cupboard:1) Serum
2) Cleanser
3) Moisturiser
4) Night repair
5) Lifting MasqueThe Serum - every great skin care range has a serum. It is the cosmetic product with the highest concentration of active ingredient in it and is the flagship product in a person's cupboard. Try and find Serums that are derived from adult human stem cell technology as the active ingredient as they are known to have the best results and contain the highest concentration of active ingredient.The Cleanser - this is the product that clears your pores and your skin of all impurities as the first line of skin care defence. Once the cleanser has done its job, the Serum then comes in to fill those pores with active ingredient to repair and revitalise.The Moisturiser - is applied after the Serum and is used to seal the Serum to lock in the active ingredient for maximum results. Again, best to look for products that are derived from adult human stem cell technology for best results.


Night Repair Cream - this is essential to any quality skin care routine. After applying the cleanser and serum at night, apply a night cream for a fantastic way to repair and revitalise your skin while you sleep. The difference between a night cream and a moisturiser is that the night repair cream will be more focussed on treating your skin while "inactive", whereas good moisturisers will be tailored for active lifestyles (and will even contain sunscreen in them too).Lifting Masque - there is a lot to be said about lifting masques. This product is not your everyday product, however, is great if you need an "immediate face lift". They are applied and left for a period of about 20min to the skin developing a light "masque". When the masque is removed, instantly wrinkles and fine lines are reduced. This is a great skin care product to have in any bathroom.If you combine all of the above, you have a truly Youth Enhancing System that is the envy of any Hollywood celeb.As with any anti aging skin care range, the results are the main thing to go by. My suggestion is to start with skin care products that are derived from adult human stem cell technology, as that is the best technology available today, then test the results for yourself.Yours in Freedom.

Latest Trend - Do-It-Yourself Homemade Vitamin C Serum

What is the fountain of youth? Why do some people naturally age better than others? Why does our appearance change as we age? These are all questions that everyone wonders or avoids. People always try to look better and younger as they age. What is the secret to staying young?According to Wikipedia the fountain of youth is a spring that gives youth back to anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Now whether or not this spring exists or actually heals is yet to be determined, but it is talked about everywhere. Everyone is searching to look younger.Aging naturally occurs over time regardless of what people do, that is the bad news. The good news is there are ways people can actually slow aging. Protecting skin from the sun, watching diet, and really being careful about what is applied to skin are 3 simple ways to help fight aging.Young skin is full of Vitamin C which produces collagen. Collagen is a protein that keeps skin elastic. Without elasticity wrinkles begin to form. As The body ages, the Vitamin C levels drop dramatically.Vitamin C is the ultimate antioxidant. It promotes collagen growth which reduces and prevent fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin C also repairs unfriendly sun spots. It also helps brighten and tighten skin. Vitamin C can also reduce inflammation.


There is a secret that most people do not know about vitamin C. Vitamin C has a short shelf life. Because vitamin C is so unstable making your own improves the potency. Store bought C is not as high quality as marketed.Do it yourself homemade Vitamin C is the best anti aging product. The process is really simple. Get one dark colored container to store the product and then mix 1/2 tsp Vitamin C powder with 1 tablespoon Hyaluronic Acid Serum and that is it. Only mix what you can use in 3-5 days.This technique does come with a couple tips. First. do not add extra vitamin c powder as it is acidic and can/will burn skin. Second, if skin is sensitive just add extra Hyaluronic Acid Serum. Finally a nice quality control tool is to test the vitamin C serum on a pH test strip. It should read about a 3.5 to be in the perfect form and then formulation can be adjusted for specific skin type.Homemade vitamin C serum is the new beauty trend. People love making their own because of the high potency resulting in better results and because of the cost savings.

Surrendering to the Wrinkle

At age 34, I've decided to age naturally. That's right-no syringes, scalpels, Botox or lasers. But it wasn't an easy decision, especially considering how common these procedures have become. According to the FACE report, a recent survey of more than 800 women across Canada, 57% of everyday women receive injectable treatments like Botox and fillers, and 34% believe that these treatments are as mainstream as hair colouring or teeth whitening. So where does that leave people like me who are choosing the new alternative: going natural? Will we become, well, dinosaurs-scaly and extinct?No way. I'm convinced that we can still survive in this wrinkle-phobic society, but only by feeling the best we can from the inside-out. Here's how:Lifestyle Choices for Optimal AgingSlowing down the skin's aging is very much linked to our lifestyle choices. "Real anti-aging involves protecting and supporting our overall health, not just the topical," says Kristen Ma, Ayurvedic practitioner, co-owner of Pure + Simple Inc., and author of Beauty: Pure + Simple.Proper water intake, for instance, is important for healthy, hydrated skin. But how much is enough? The Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND) recommends the following on their website: "To determine how much water you need on a daily basis divide your body weight (in pounds) by 2. This equals the number of ounces of water you need daily. A normal glass is approximately 8 ounces."Keep in mind that more water is required if your day includes exercise, caffeine-based beverages like coffee, tea and pop, and/or alcohol. Very few of us manage to consume this much water-we simply forget or we dread those extra trips to the bathroom-but it's crucial for keeping our cells quenched.As for a skin-happy diet, naturopath Dr. Patti Yik recommends foods containing high amounts of antioxidants, like berries and green tea. Antioxidants protect the body's cells, including the skin, from damage caused by everyday stressors like environmental toxins and radiation. Vitamin C in particular is an important antioxidant for boosting collagen, and can be found in foods like bell peppers, kiwi, citrus fruits and bell peppers.Essential fatty acids also enhance skin health. These can be found in walnuts, flax seeds and wild salmon, or in a high quality fish oil supplement. Some people, fearing weight gain, avoid fats like the plague-even the healthy ones. But Canada's Food Guide recommends a daily intake of 30-45 mL (2-3 tbsp.) of unsaturated fat to keep the body, and the skin, functioning optimally."Essential fatty acids are great for nourishing the body from the inside out when they are taken orally," says Ma. "And they are anti-inflammatories." Keeping inflammation at bay is crucial because it can lead to the creation of free radicals-major contributors to the aging process.As for what to avoid, one of the worst culprits is-you guessed it-UV damage. "Excessive sun exposure or tanning beds can cause unnecessary stress to the skin, damaging skin fibres," says Dr. Yik. "This causes the skin to sag, stretch and slow the healing process." By avoiding these harmful UV rays, as well as bad habits like smoking and excessive drinking, we can expose our skin to fewer of the stresses that lead to premature aging.Natural, Non-Invasive Skin Boosters


Ma advocates using natural skincare products whenever possible because everything we put on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. The first step, after cleansing the face, is to apply a serum containing natural ingredients that retain the skin's moisture. The serum in her Pure + Simple line, for example, contains hyaluronic acid, collagen, and elastin in a base of aloe vera and algae, all of which work together to increase the skin's hydration.The next step is to seal in that extra hydration with moisturizer. "I love plant oils as moisturizers," says Ma. "My favourite oils for anti-aging are sea-buckthorn berry and rosehip oils. Both are loaded with essential fatty acids and antioxidants." Yes, that's right-those powerhouse essential fatty acids can be used topically as well as internally, lubricating the skin and locking in moisture."It's a powerful anti-aging combination," Ma says, referring to the synergy of water and oil that mimics the natural biology of our skin.Another important anti-aging step is to boost circulation. "As we age, our circulation becomes poorer," says Ma. "This leads to dullness, dehydration and decreased collagen production." That's why it's important to use skincare ingredients that stimulate blood flow to the skin, like Vitamin C, ginseng, ginger and sea-buckthorn oil.Certain facial treatments aim for the same effect-massage, acupuncture, microdermabrasion and micro-currents, so head to your favourite spa for a non-invasive skin boost.Dr. Yik also recommends taking contrast showers (alternating blasts of cold and warm water). "They help to improve circulation, tighten pores and reinvigorate the skin," she says, which results in healthy skin, scalp and hair.The Final Step: AcceptanceOnce you embrace the lifestyle choices that best preserve your skin's health, the next step is the most important, and possibly the hardest: just let go and accept your aging as a natural part of life."We must decide that who we are is more important than how we look," says Gwen Randall-Young, author and psychotherapist. "We will all age and so we can decide to do it gracefully and focus on the deeper values in our lives."In her book, Growing into Soul, Randall-Young discusses the necessary shift, in the second half of our lives, from an ego-based mindset to a soul-based way of being. Whether our inner self thrives in the church pew, while chanting its "ohms," or by volunteering in the community, it's important to connect to something beyond our external appearance."At the soul level we are all beautiful," says Randall-Young. "We must begin to identify more with our soul than with our body. When we focus on bringing love into the world and to those around us, then we feel beautiful."So maybe it's time for us to smile at that wrinkle and accept it for what it is-a harmless little line, an artefact of our many experiences, from raising our children to visiting foreign lands. Let's stop waging war against our bodies and transfer that energy into spirit-boosting activities like meditating, practicing gratitude, and using our innate talents to improve the lives of others.The soul can take over from here. And best of all? It never gets wrinkly.

Slowing The Aging Process and Living Longer

Aging, we would all like to live long healthy lives avoiding the ailments and diseases that seem to plague the elderly. The images of elderly people bent over, limping, on walkers, and in wheelchairs is depressing, especially if that person is a person very dear to you. But what can we do, that's just part of getting old. We have no control over the aging process, Right? Actually that's not entirely true. We do have control over the quality of life we experience as we get older. And a higher quality of life often translates into a longer life span.Aging, what's that all about anyway? As we get older our bodies have a tendency to wear out. The human body is like an automobile. It has a large number of moving parts working in unison. And as we all know, an old car does not run as well as a new car. The same holds true with the human body. The body's moving parts consist of the heart, liver kidneys and many more. As the body gets older, its organs become vulnerable to destructive molecules called free radicals. Free radicals have a tendency to damage and erode our organs making them prone to illness and disease.One of the best ways to fight free radicals is to eat healthy. Nutritious organic foods are the foundation of a healthy disease free way of life. What we consume in the form of food and liquids goes a long way in determining how healthy we are in our later years.The old adage "You Are What You Eat" is seriously true. A study revealed that American centenarians (people 100 years or older) eat 2.5 times more vegetables than seniors under the age of 99. And 5 times more vegetables than 40 year-olds. It was also revealed that people who ate lots of fresh organic vegetables, didn't smoke or drink excessive amounts of alcohol, have higher antioxidant levels in their bodies and subsequently live longer. What you consume and abstain from consuming plays a major role in determining the quality of your health and ultimately your longevity.Eating healthy organic foods are fine but there's another equally important aspect of healthy living we should address, and that's supplements. There's compelling evidence that a combination of the amino acid L-Carnitine and the antioxidant Alpha-Lipoic Acid has a revitalizing effect on a person's energy level. They are safe and have no side effects. However, people who have diabetes or have a seizure potential should avoid these two supplements. You don't want to avoid Vitamin C, Resveratrol, or Magnesium however. Vitamin C enhances the immune system and reduces inflammation. Resveratrol stimulates the SIRT-1 Gene (The Human Anti- Aging Gene). Magnesium helps fortify the length of the protective tips of our chromosomes. All three of these supplements promote longevity and are safe to take. Excessive amounts of Vitamin C can cause diarrhea. What is excessive depends upon the individual so consider this. If, for example, three caps give you diarrhea, take two and enjoy the added bonus of having regular bowel movements.You can be disease free, be in tip top physical condition, and it will mean absolutely nothing if your brain is not functioning properly. Your brain is Mission Control for your body. Do not, I repeat, do not underestimate the importance of maintaining a healthy brain. If it is not functioning properly, it can cause a multitude of problems. Every bodily function is controlled by the brain, keep it healthy at all costs. If you don't, you could spend your senior years wasting away in a nursing home.Let's take a look at some of the steps we can take to prevent the deterioration of our brain cells. This is a subject with which I am intimately familiar. My mother suffered irreversible brain damage resulting from a stroke. I took care of her at home and watched her quality of life slowly slip away. It was heart-breaking to watch knowing there was nothing I could do to stop her regression. I vowed, in my mother's memory, to help as many as I could to avoid a similar situation.Senior moments, we've all heard that phrase, what does it mean? As we get into our later years, our brains, like some of our other organs, don't function as efficiently as they did when we were younger. We misplace items, forget the names of people we know, and sometimes walk into a room and ask ourselves "what did I come in here for?" Those situations are what we call senior moments. We can minimize or even eliminate senior moments by taking a supplement called Phosphatidyl-Serine (PS). It's a molecule containing the amino acid serine and essential fatty acids located in virtually every cell membrane. During our younger years our cells had an abundance of PS, all we needed. As we get older, however, our PS levels decline. PS is important because it stimulates the area of the brain responsible for memory, concentration, vocabulary skills, and the ability to learn. PS also has the ability to alleviate the symptoms of dementia, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and the damaging results of stress. As of this writing, there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease but PS helps ease some of the symptoms of the disease.


PS has a twin called Phosphatidyl-Choline (PC), It's also a brain boosting supplement which supplies the body with choline. PC is a major component of Lecithin which has proven to be a major memory enhancing supplement. Needless to say, the consumption of PC and PS combined would enhance ones memory potential considerably.Exercise has long been associated with brain connective function in senior citizens. But please don't wait until you are a senior citizen to start an exercise program. Do it now because exercise increases blood circulation to the brain and all areas of the body. If you have limited mobility, go for a walk. If you haven't exercised in a while, start slowly than increase the tempo gradually. If you are walking, try to walk briskly for 30 minutes 5 days a week.As we age we are consistently losing muscle mass. That is often an indirect cause of the many falls seniors experience. A senior can maintain, even increase, muscle mass through diet, supplementation, and weight training. If you decide to include weight training into your regiment, adding protein would definitely be a good idea. Protein not only enhances muscle mass but also contains much of the tissue of our internal organs. A good choice of your protein supplement should be Whey Protein.Whey Protein Promotes LongevityResearch has uncovered a disturbing fact with regards to our senior population. It seems as if 45% of our seniors in the general population and a disturbing 85% to 100% of our seniors in care facilities are malnourished. This is caused by poor appetite resulting from drug side effects and a variety of other serious but avoidable situations including patient abuse and patient neglect.Another contributing factor is an insufficient absorption of a high quality protein resulting in a reduction of muscle mass, a reduction of strength, decreased bone mass, delayed recovery from surgery, decreased immunity, and a host of other bodily malfunctions. A combination of these problems will inevitably lead to the ultimate senior problem, frailty. Whey protein can possibly prevent these problems. Whey is a high quality protein supplement highly recommended for the aging population. It has a rich source of Branch-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) to fortify protein synthesis and prevent protein breakdown. Also Whey produces calorie restriction benefits. So how does this translate into terms of longevity? Today's life expectancy is 78.7 years. If a person were to start a Whey program at midlife, they can expect to add 9.5 years to their lifespan.Research has proven Whey to be superior to other protein supplements when it comes to the repression of the development of cancer cells. Further research has shown that Whey's tumor prevention capabilities are accompanied by its heightened glutathione levels accompanied by the component Lactoferrin which intensely inhibits tumor formation.