Natural Anti-Aging Secrets to Help You Look Younger
There are so many contributors to skin aging. Some are out of our control, others we can make changes and start to see improvements and slow down the aging process. While we can’t control how we naturally age, there are lifestyle and environmental choices that we can change to help prevent skin aging prematurely. Here are some natural anti-aging secrets to help you look younger. (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})
Keto Diet
The keto diet has been a trend for a while and rightfully so. This a low carbohydrate diet that lowers blood sugar, the body’s preferred fuel. This results in your body using stored fat as alternative fuel. When in ketosis fat burning spikes significantly, resulting in a suppressed appetite and fat burning. When blood sugar is lowered this protects the skin from the excess sugar molecules that can attach to the skin. If our skin protein is weakened this causes wrinkles and sagging skin.
Medical News Today breaks down how effective a keto diet is in fighting aging. They found that there are benefits that help keep you healthier longer. The keto diet helps reduce amyloid plaques and can reverse their neurotoxicity, which helps improve memory. It also helps steady energy levels and can help with weight loss.
Superfoods
Superfoods such as spirulina, chlorella, turmeric, ginger, acai berry, and goji berry are rich in antioxidants that help fight off chronic diseases and slow down aging. Super herbs like berries and vegetables also help slow the aging process. As we age the body stops producing as much collagen making the skin less firm and more prone to wrinkles. Adding collagen to your diet will help tone the skin, giving you a more glowing look, and thicken your hair.
Herbal Tea
Tea has many anti-aging benefits as they are full of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. Green tea in particular is very high in antioxidants and acts as an internal moisturizer. It’s rich in catechins and polyphenols that helps fight aging. It helps you age slower and gives you natural energy levels. Sencha and matcha tea are the two most beneficial to anti-aging.
Age Defying Oils
Essential oils need to be diluted in a carrier oil before applying to the skin. Pomegranate oil, carrot seed oil, and apricot oil, are great carrier oils. Use with essential oils like geranium, lavender, rose oils. Geranium helps balance the moisture in the skin and skin-cell renewal. Lavender oil helps combat free radicals and stress. These soothing capabilities prevent dull looking skin. Rose oil is helpful in skin-cell turnover and renewal. Essential oils can help prevent the damaging effects of environmental stresses such as sun exposure and air pollution. These can be used daily on the skin to reduce skin aging.
Gentle Skin Care
A gentle cleanser is important to prevent wrinkles caused by being too harsh with the skin. A cleanser should cleanse and hydrate the skin. Serums that have ceramics and amino acids help bolster the skins natural barrier and antioxidants, protecting the skin from sun damage and free radicals. Sunscreen is on of the best ways to protect your skin from premature aging. The sun can cause damage to the skin with sun spots and wrinkles. Retinols are the most effective topical anti-aging product after sun screen.
Exercise
There are countless studies that show exercise helps keep people healthy longer and helps reduce the onset of chronic disease. It is said to be the best defense and repair against aging. Doing some type movement everyday will help you age slower.
Supplements
Collagen is the protein building block for the hair, skin, and nails. It plays an important role in skin elasticity and hydration. Adding a collagen powder to your daily routine can help improve your skins collagen production and give your skin a more youthful look.
Ashwaganda is a ayurvedic herb used as a anti-aging agent. It’s high in antioxidants that help fight signs of aging. Ashwaganda has the ability to boost collagen in the skin which helps prevent visible signs of aging. It boosts DHEA, the precursor to testosterone and estrogen. DHEA and estrogen help maintain the skins youthful appearance by stimulating collagen and increasing the skins natural oils.
Studies have shown that fatty acids may slow down cellular aging. Omega-3s helps reduce cortisol levels and lower inflammation, both are key for slowing down the aging process. Omega-3s help minimize the effects of sun damage and protects sensitive skin.
Research suggests that taking a daily multivitamins was associated with a 60% slowing of cognitive aging. A multivitamin can help healthy aging by ensuring you’re getting enough of the nutrients needed.
Schisandra acts as a skin moisturizer from the inside out. A cause for the skin to dry out and wrinkle is the body not being able to holding onto moisture on a cellular level. Schisandra helps maintain skin hydration and protects it from wind damage and other harsh elements.
Medicinal Mushrooms
Medicinal mushrooms such as reishi, cordyceps , shiitake, and chaga are powerful anti-agers and immune boosters. Reishi is full of beta-glucans that can fight off environmental stressors and have anti-inflammatory properties. It restores moisture in the skin, fights fine lines and wrinkles, reduces stress, and boosts the immune system.
Cordyceps are anti-inflammatory, they give sun and environmental protection, and are full of antioxidants. Dermatologist encourage use of cordyceps as a potent antioxidant that helps hydrate dry skin, boost collagen, and elastin production. It has sun protective properties that is crucial to anti-aging. Cordyceps can be found in powder and supplement form.
Shiitake is anti-inflammatory, cellular renewal, an antioxidant and exfoliant. Shittake has the ability to boost immunity and regulate hormones, this reduces skin sensitivity. It helps prevent cellular breakdown that produces faster cellular renewal and more collagen and elastin production. Shittake can be cooked and also found in powder form.
Chaga provides environmental protection, oxidative stress protection, and tissue regeneration. It’s a high antioxidant that protects the skin from oxidative stress and free radicals. This reduces skin damage that leads to wrinkles. You can find chaga in tea or supplement form.
Intermittent Fasting
The body heals itself, when you give your body a break from working (digesting) it has a better chance to heal. Intermittent fasting is eating during a six hour window, like eating from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. This lets your body rest, heal and cleanse. During this process your body replaces cells that drive aging and disease with high functioning cells. This helps balance insulin levels and increases the human growth hormone, the anti-aging hormone.