Age is just a number and while it’s impossible to deny the fact that it does slow you down, it can only go as far as you let it. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can reverse or stop the process of aging, only that by taking proper care of your body, you have a way of looking a decade (or two) younger for as long as you live. With that in mind and without further ado, here are 12 ways to look younger after 40.
1. Eat better
The first thing you need to do is improve your nutritional habits. Instead of being on a diet, you just need to reimagine your daily menu and eating habits. Three most important things to remember is that you need to increase protein and reduce your carbs and limit your sodium. The most important thing, however, and we can’t stress this out enough, is that reduces and limit in no way mean exclude. You need both of these nutrients every single day.
2. Grooming is the name of the game
Another thing you need to understand is that a trimmed beard, new haircut and hair extensions probably serve as the easiest way for you to send a message that you’re a person who takes care of their appearance. Keep in mind that this is a simple procedure that you don’t have to undergo more than twice per month in order to get the ultimate effect.
3. Exercise
As you get past the threshold of 30, you’ll start losing bone density. Fortunately, by strengthening your musculature and your tendons, you can somewhat mitigate the effect of this decline. Apart from making you feel more confident, certain exercises directly improve your posture, which makes you look both younger and more attractive.
4. Fight stress
Stress is a silent and slow, yet, a reliable killer. This is why you need to learn how to laugh and enjoy life. Find your own way of keeping your mind clear, regardless if it’s going to a regular massage or finding a hobby that helps you do so. This is generally a hard part to give someone advice on, seeing as how it’s incredibly subjective.
5. Don’t fear cosmetic changes
Due to the fact that a cosmetic change is something that helps you bring your confidence back, it’s definitely not something that only affects the way you look. This means that a simple facelift procedure might help you out immensely and do so in more than several ways.
6. Get enough sleep
While some popular theories suggest that the older you are the less sleep you need, the truth is that this mostly depends on the level of fatigue that you’re experiencing. Getting enough sleep helps you out immensely both long- and short-term. Not only does getting enough rest keep you looking younger but skipping rest and signs of exhaustion on your face may make you look older than you actually are.
7. Take care of your skin
The most important thing for looking younger is taking proper care of your skin. This means that you should moisturize, use natural skin care products and don’t expose it to unnecessary radiation (from sunlight) without the adequate protection. In other words, never leave your home without a sunscreen.
8. Hydrate
Moisturizing your skin may be important, however, you shouldn’t neglect the importance of getting your body hydrated the right way around. In order to stay hydrated, you need to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day while more definitely wouldn’t hurt you. Remember that this is not only a tip on aesthetics but a health tip, in general.
9. Manicure
One of the most common misconceptions lies in the idea that people use the face as the only indicator of one’s age. Sure, it’s the first thing that people look at and it may be what plays the biggest part in this process of evaluation but some people are just as likely to make this assumption based on the state of your hands. This is why you need to consider going to a manicure as often as you can, with an occasional pedicure session when you have the time.
10. Get some properly fitted clothes
Like the shape of your body changes (for better or worse), you will find that some of your clothing items no longer fit you. This is why you need to make the idea of getting some properly fitted clothes into a top priority. Keep in mind to be as realistic as possible while doing so, in order not to allow your own twisted image of yourself to hold too much sway over you.
11. Be more confident
Confidence is attractive and the lack of confidence shows. When people see that you’re uncomfortable in your body, subconsciously, they’ll start to ask themselves why. This will make them examine you more closely in order to find a flaw, which they eventually will. Fortunately, the same goes the other way around and a person who beams confidence tends to look both younger and more attractive to others.
12. Give yourself some space to breathe
Another thing you need to understand is that not all of the above-listed suggestions are as simple to pull off. However, if you find them too daunting, you might decide to quit on this effort altogether. Needless to say, this is not something that you can allow to happen. So, give yourself some space to breathe, stop feeling under pressure and don’t push yourself too hard.
In conclusion
At the very end, you need to understand that it’s not just your looks that are at stake here. By looking better, you’ll also feel more comfortable in your body, which will, in turn, boost your self-esteem, thus benefiting your mental health, as a whole. Aside from this, most of the ideas listed here are great for your health, in general, which means that aside from looking better, you’ll also get to feel much better. A clear and undeniable win-win scenario, regardless of your point of view.
