Stress can lead numerous poor health outcomes.
Highlights
- Do you look older than you actually are?
- Your diet surely reflects on how you look
- Your body is designed to move
Do you look older than you actually are? When you wake up in the morning and look yourself in the mirror, do you feel like you are aging faster than your years? If you see wrinkles, puffy eyes, dark circles or aging skin too early then perhaps it is time to change some of your daily habits and routines. Some unhealthy habits, like living with tons of stress or inadequate sleep, can lead to aging faster. Although the good part is you can slow down the process of aging. All you have to do is take good care of yourself by indulging in some habits which promote the overall health of your body.
You can slow down the process of aging
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Cut back on these unhealthy habits today for a healthier tomorrow:
1. Eating habits:
Your diet surely reflects on how you look. There are foods that contain preservatives, chemicals or added sugar which can trigger inflammation in the skin, and accelerate skin aging. Hence you should avoid canned foods, fizz drinks, white grains( white bread, white pasta, white rice and pizza) deep fried foods, alcohol, baked foods, sugary stuff among others, These unhealthy foods can make wrinkles appear on your face earlier than they should. Instead you should include healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, high fibre foods and adequate water to keep your skin rejuvenated giving you a glowing, radiant and firm skin. As an added benefit, fibre rich foods suppress appetite and boosts your immunity, a system that tends to weaken with age.
Your diet surely reflects on how you look.
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Also read: Fitness After 60: Safest Exercises To Do
2. Inadequate sleep:
Besides those dark circles, puffy eyes and bags under the eyes, inadequate sleep has been linked to an overall shorter life. You need at least eight hours of sleep daily. Some common symptoms of sleep deprivation are attention problems, inactive, lack of energy and mental fogginess. If you face these symptoms then you should go to bed earlier.
You need at least eight hours of sleep daily.
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3. Couch potato:
Your body is designed to move. Physical exercise is extremely essential for all as it benefits from heart health to strengthening muscles and bones. Regular physical activity can increase the blood circulation to all parts of body that supply the skin with oxygen. The increased flow of blood helps to carry away waste products from the skin. Additionally, exercise is also known to keep the skin looking radiant which obviously results to a younger look.
Also read: Rujuta Diwekar Suggests Some Health Tips For People Who Are 60 Plus
3. Stress:
Stress can lead numerous poor health outcomes. To begin with, stress causes unstable sleeping patterns which automatically leaves you with puffy eyes. Stress is also responsible for the production of cortisol, which tampers with other hormones. This accounts to acne breakout as your skin is not able to fend the pimples off. When you are too stressed, there is an imbalance of the good and bad bacteria in your gut which can cause rashes and hive. Eventually, all this will leave make you look aged.
Stress can lead numerous poor health outcomes.
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4. Smoking:
We all are aware of the devastating effects of smoking on our health. The nicotine in cigarettes is known to speed the normal aging process of the skin which in turn contributes to wrinkles and skin damage. Smoking impairs blood flow to the skin by narrowing blood vessels in the outermost layers of the skin. Nicotine also stains teeth hence taking away the dazzle which is associated with the white set of teeth. Apart from this , it also yellows fingernails leaving them with an undesirable colour.
We all are aware of the devastating effects of smoking on our health.
Photo Credit: iStock
Also read: All You Need To Do To Keep Your Bones Healthy At 60
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.