7 Natural Tricks to Look and Feel Younger

While we continue the search for the fountain of youth, there are a few things you can do today to help yourself look and feel younger!

1. Get Enough Sleep

We are surely all familiar with the saying “a good night’s sleep,” but how good is a good nights sleep? No only can sleep help you feel well rested by daybreak, but it will also enhance your memory, attention, and concentration. You may also be surprised to know that an adequate amount of sleep will also reduce your risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Sleep is a major asset to optimal brain function. Your body has a chance to repair and rebuild stamina while you sleep. Be sure to eat well before you go to bed. Going to sleep on a full stomach can slow down your metabolism and disrupt your sleep cycles.

Need more?

Here are 4 ways sleep keeps you young:

1. Beauty Sleep. Being well rested makes you more attractive to others. The British Medical Journal published a study on “beauty sleep” and whether or not sleep-deprived people were perceived as less healthy, less attractive and more tired than after a normal night or sleep. Photos were taken of twenty-three healthy individuals both after an 8 hour night’s sleep and after a night of sleep deprivation. Untrained observers rated the photos of the individuals. Results indicated that sleep-deprived people appear less healthy, less attractive and more tired when compared to photographs taken after a full night’s sleep.
2. Stay Fit. Sleep can help you manage your weight. You avoid late night snacks, rebuild your  metabolism, and have more energy to burn unwanted calories.
3. Protect Your Skin. Your skin is your largest organ. Protect it. During the day, your skin is busy keeping out unwanted toxins and protecting your from the outside elements like the sun’s rays. Your skin is a time clock, and much like the rest of your body, when you go to sleep, you skin begins to repair and rebuild itself by replacing damaged cells and recycling fresh oxygen and nutrients to the skin. A lack of sleep can show in your skin and face through inflammation, or dark circles.
4. Boost Youth Hormones. The human growth hormone (HGH) stimulated growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration. The brain releases HGH while you sleep and serves and important role in your restoration process. High levels of HGH are produced during childhood and adolescence, and levels drop as you age. Be sure to get an adequate amount of sleep to maintain your HGH levels. This will help maintain muscle mass, increase your metabolism, and rejuvenate your skin.

Not sure if you are getting enough sleep? There’s an app for that.

2. Eat Revitalizing Food

The older you get, the more your diet matters. Focus on fueling your body! Healthy meals can not only help you feel better, but also help you fight chronic pains, diseases, and fatigue.

Here are some tips to fuel your body with revitalizing energy and help you taste the rainbow:

• Eat protein for breakfast to boost energy.
• Whole grains will keep you full.
• If you’re 50+, start your day with calcium-rich foods such as yogurt, fruits, or nuts.
• Magnesium helps produce serotonin. (nuts, unrefined grains).
• Avoid starchy, high calorie lunches because these will weigh you down and cause fatigue.
• Omega-3 fatty acids will not only boost your energy, but also boost your circulation and mood.
• If you have had a stressful morning, monounsaturated fats will lower your blood pressure. You can find this in foods like avocados, peanut and olive oils, and nuts/seeds.
• Onions help regulate blood sugar and slow bone loss while bananas increase happiness by regulating your mood and helping you relax!
• And make sure to get plenty of beans—people who eat them may have fewer wrinkles.
• Vitamin C is essential for your body to make collagen, the protein that keeps skin firm and elastic.
• Protect your heart with heart-healthy foods such as tomatoes, salmon, and dark chocolate.

3. Kick Bad Habits

Are your bad habits aging you faster than you think? Here are six common, bad habits to kick to stay youthful, happy and healthy.

1. Not getting enough sleep. As previously mentioned, getting enough sleep can play a major role in your youthful hormones, skin, mind and more.
2. Smoking. Not only does smoking damage your lungs, but it can damage other major organs, including your skin. Smoking releases free radicals into the body which can cause oxidative damages. The pucker your lips make when you take a puff will cause wrinkles around your lips.
3. Limit your alcohol. A moderate amount of alcohol has shown to have heart-healthy benefits; however, excessive alcohol drinking can take its toll on your body. Women who are sensitive to alcohol can develop heart disease, brittle bones and even memory loss.
4. Shut down that sugar crave. Sugar increases aging in every part of your body by increasing your risk of diabetes and skin problems such as acne and wrinkles. When the sugar enters your bloodstream, it attaches to proteins that actively work to damage skin protecting proteins like collagen and elastin. This will result in sagging, wrinkly skin.
5. Not wearing sunscreen. The best way to look younger is by protecting your skin. Your skin is constantly defending itself from the sun’s damaging UV rays. Sunscreen will protect your skin from dark sun spots, keep it moisturized and prevent wrinkles. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your hands to prevent spots and wrinkles.
6. No drinking water. Stay hydrated! Most people do not drink enough water in a day, leading to dehydration, headaches, fatigue and more. Your body, brain, and skin are made of mostly water and need this hydrating liquid to keep your body on tract. Water gives you energy, boosts your metabolism, and protects your skin from becoming dry, tight and flakey. The dryer your skin, the more prone you are to wrinkles. You can add moisture and hydration to the skin by drinking water and by using a moisturizer after the shower.

4. Keep Moving

Get off the couch and get active! Studies show that those who watch more TV per day also eat more. Don’t fall down this path! Instead of watching TV or hanging by the couch, pick up an old hobby, take a walk or exercise your mind. Watching TV for hours on end can not only make you feel drained, but limits your mind and body, leading to feelings of depression or stress. Stand up, pump some oxygen-rich blood through your body, stimulate your brain and reap the benefits.

Not only is being active good for the heart and body, but it is healthy for your youth! Exercise releases the happiness hormones into your body so you naturally feel happy after a workout. When you are happy after a workout and your muscles are loose, you are relieving your worries and removing the build up tension from your body. Keeping active as you get older will help you maintain muscle mass, protect your heart and keep your body strong.

5. Snuggle Up With Loved Ones

Snuggling up and being intimate with loved ones has proven to be beneficial for both men and women in multiple ways. Some studies have concluded that regular sex can make you look five to seven years younger! Intercourse, like sleep, can release the human growth hormone which plays a significant role in your skin’s health! It that all?

One study conducted by the British Psychological Society believes that sex can not only help you look and feel younger, but also prolong your life. Many of these studies compare someone’s drive to their quality of life and feelings of overall well-being.

Having sex is not only good for your youth, but is also good for your brain! Benefits relating to sex include better critical thinking, reduced stress, reduced pain and a boost in the immune system!

6. Let Go of How Things “Should Be”

Release control. Anxiety and Stress will only make you feel older and lower your energy. Accept things that are out of your control and release your worries. When people are stressed, they tend to show it in their face. This can not only increase wrinkles, but also cause tension headaches and influence your overall wellbeing. Studies show that smiling can improve your mood and reduce stress.

Focusing on letting go will also lower your blood pressure and relieve tension on the body. If you often find yourself with a tense face, neck and shoulders, take a moment to simple relax. Open up your mind and let it go. Tension in the neck and upper back can interfere with communication from the brain. When you relax, you open up that pathway for optimal communication and allow yourself to refresh and think with a clear mind.

7. Bask in Your Joys

Don’t underestimate the power of focusing in good things in your life or the things that make you happy! The more you think about these joys, the more you will smile, boosting your energy, mood and spirit. You only have one life, and if you know what truly makes you happy, you have found true joy. Often, when we think about our own joys, we have more motivation and inspiration to do more in our lives.

Focusing on your joys also influences you to be grateful for what you have. Studies show that being grateful showing gratitude can have positive benefits on your life and health. Grateful people have shown to report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, optimism, and lower levels of depression and stress.

Overall, changing your mindset can change your life. Make the changes that you need to make in your life in order to be a happy and healthy YOU!