Aging Backwards: Tips for Looking Young

Written by Ageless Moms on April 29th, 2009

One of the biggest challenges of dating is feeling confident and looking fabulous. To give us some help with that, Jackie Silver spills her best anti-aging beauty secrets. If Jackie looks familiar, you’ve probably seen her on TV as the nationally-syndicated DAYTIME show’s beauty expert or read her column in the Tampa Tribune.

What are the top three things women should do right now to start Aging Backwards

Jackie:
1) Get some rest! 7-8 hours of sleep is mandatory – our bodies “tune up” when we’re sleeping. Sleep is very important for balanced hormones. Women over 40, try melatonin to fall asleep and stay asleep (it’s also used for jet-lag.) You can find Melatonin at your local health food store.

2) Get up off the couch! Exercise is the Fountain of Youth. When people hear the words “anti-aging,” they tend to think of face creams or lasers or even plastic surgery, but there is a myriad of other aspects of “Aging Backwards” and exercise is one of the most important ones. Not only does working out benefit the heart and lungs, increase strength and muscle tone and keep the body lean, but it also helps to lower stress levels, improve sleep and mood, get rid of toxins and actually makes the skin look younger by increasing circulation and delivering nutrients to skin cells. Talk about multi-tasking…

3) You’re sweet enough – cut down on sugar! Experts believe that a lifetime of overeating sugar can cause wrinkles by damaging collagen. A high-sugar diet also affects the type of collagen you have — another factor in how resistant skin is to wrinkling. The most abundant collagen types in the skin are I, II and III, with type III being the most stable and long-lasting. Glycation, the process that occurs when you eat sugar, turns type III collagen into type I, which is more fragile, making the skin look and feel less supple. It also leaves you more vulnerable to sun damage. (more…)