Your Basket

You have items in your basket worth £0.00

Article

You can defy ageing our top ten tips show you how...

WE’D ALL LIKE to look and feel younger, but it’s not as hard as you might think. Just follow a few simple rules and you could rid yourself of many of your aches and pains – or even shed some of those pesky wrinkles. There’s no miracle cures, no surgery or dodgy injections, just lots of real life changes you can make to live a healthier life. Ready to turn back the clock?

Here we go...

1. Get more sleep

As you sleep, your body is busy repairing damage from the daytime. It fixes DNA corruption caused by sunlight to keep your skin healthy and rebuilds joint and muscle cells to keep you moving smoothly. To give it the best chance, cut down on your caffeine (especially late in the day) and try to read a book to relax before you go to bed.

2. Pack in antioxidants

Free radicals are molecules which attack and damage other cells around them. They begin a process in your cells called oxidization (this is what causes an apple to turn brown after it is cut). This oxidization is responsible for much of the visible ageing in your body – particularly your skin. Anti-oxidants which are found in many foods (including fruits and vegetables, nuts, grains, some meats, poultry and fish) block the effect of free radicals. This halts skin damage and allows it to repair naturally.

3. Get more exercise

Sounds obvious, but the fitter you are, the slower you’ll feel the effects of age. Getting your blood pumping helps push nutrients around your body, so your cells can repair themselves. Losing weight and toning muscle will also act to transform your appearance and help to support your joints.

4. Keep yourself hydrated

Researchers disagree on how much water is enough to stay healthy, but at the very least you should need from 4 to 8 cups (about 1 to 2 litres) of liquid a day to keep reasonably hydrated. Your skin is made up of millions of cells, so if it dries out it will lose elasticity and become damaged. Staying hydrated also allows your cells to absorb nutrients more easily, keeping you in good health.

5. Stop smoking

There’s no doubt about this one, smoking will make you age faster than pretty much anything else (except maybe sun damage). The Chief Medical Officer of the UK recently highlighted the link between smoking and skin damage saying that smoking adds between 10-20 years to your natural age.

6. Wear sunblock

According to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, people who use sunscreen daily have significantly youngerlooking skin. At the end of the four and halfyear study, researchers found that the individuals who had applied sunscreen daily showed no visible signs of increased aging on their skin. The participants who only wore sunscreen some or none of the time, displayed an average of 24 percent more skin aging in the form of dry, wrinkled, and blotchy skin.

7. Use a collagen skin cream

Your skin is supported by a structure made of collagen – it is literally what holds you together. When you are young your body can easily replace collagen which becomes damaged, but as you age, your body is no longer able to do this. This leads to your skin becoming saggy and wrinkled as it is no longer properly supported. This loss of collagen can also be a disaster for your joint health as collagen holds your cartilage together – however, high strength gels and capsules are available which can help to combat the effect of collagen loss on your joints.

8. Cut down on stress

Your immune system is constantly working away to fight off infection and illness, but this can be hindered by stress. Higher stress levels are also associated with heart disease and certain types of cancer, so take some time to manage your stress levels. Try meditation, yoga or practice some deep breathing techniques when you leave a stressful environment to help you relax.

9. Keep your brain healthy

Maintaining your brain is a vital part of feeling younger. If your grey matter is in good shape you will feel more motivated, confidant and able to get the most out of life. Good blood flow is vital to keep your brain cells healthy as this supplies the oxygen and nutrients it relies on. This means getting some exercise (you don’t need to run a marathon, just a brisk walk will help). Exercising your memory is also important.

10. Top up your friendly bacteria

Your gut health has a massive effect on the rest of you. If your intestines are working well, they will be able to get the maximum nutrition from the food your eat and remove damaging toxins from your body. However, our diet means that your digestion can easily become slowed and harmful substances can build up. Taking a supplement which contains friendly bacteria will help to rebalance your gut and keep you running smoothly.