Ever since Eve took that first bite of the apple, the human race was obessed with beauty. The truth is we start the aging process just when we pop out of the uterus. Every day of our lives our bodies slough off and regenerate new cells. The rate at which that process happens once we are children is vastly different as we age.

Let’s see…

Every day you’re bombarded daily with commercial messages and beauty tips that try to lure you into thinking that the latest miracle drug is exactly what you will need to fight off the ravages of Mother Nature. We’re living longer as a whole. Singularly, that may be a curse or a blessing, depending upon your perspective. The best path to natural beauty and healthy skin is to take good care of what you have. Sounds simple, does not it? The reality is that your skin requires a beating from the environment each and every day.

  • Stay hydrated and do it with loads of water! That doesn’t mean caffeine, soda or any other kind of liquid, even if it’s low cal. Soda (even diet soda) has a higher concentration of sodium. Sodium retains fluids. You will need fluid which will hydrate and nourish your body free of toxins. Ensure that you are drinking at least 8 glasses a day!
  • Protect your skin from harmful ultra violet (UV) rays. All of us love the sun. We love being in it and we love having a gorgeous tan. The truth is you can poison yourself with too much sun. UV rays cause skin cancer and if this is not bad enough it causes your skin to age faster than it should, leading to unsightly wrinkles. If you have to play in sunlight, ensure you’re using a decent sun screen. Don’t leave home without it!
  • Keep your skin clean. Use a soft warm fabric. Skin doesn’t require scrubbing. You will do more damage than good if you do.
  • The best cure for wrinkles is to have them in the first place! If you’re like most people, you did not listen to your Mom when she tried to tell you to remain in the shade, stand up straight and stop squinting!
  • Eat healthy. Knowing how and what to eat, can make a massive difference in how you feel. Improper eating habits can lead to depression, weight gain, illness and a general lethargy. Weight gain causes your skin to stretch. As you get older, it loses it’s elasticity and you are left with sagging skin. The ideal solution for this is to keep a proper weight. Don’t go a single day without doing something additional and physical for at least 30 minutes each day. This may be three ten minute walks. Or 30 minutes of vigorous aerobics, or 12 minutes of weight lifting and 18 minutes of walking.
  • Don’t worry, be happy. A happy outlook seems to trigger the release of endorphins. Endorphins relax the cardiovascular system and cytokines that alert the immune system to concentrate in detecting abnormalities such as cancer cells. Listen carefully to yourself. For those who have set yourself down since youth, over a lifetime, negative subliminal messages may take their toll by turning you into a pessimist. Spend 1 week writing down the phrases you use on your  “self talk.” You likely will find that you repeat a dozen or so phrases over and over again which reinforce that negative image. If you know about them, you can alter them. Outer beauty and inner joy go together. Make a list of 50 great things that happen to you daily. Laugh a lot. You’ll heal your body and your mind. Discover a new challenge monthly. Try meditating for just five minutes every day.
  • Sex After 50 – Ha! How many of you jumped forward to this section? The significance of physical intimacy actually depends upon the couple. An alarming number of men used to give up on sex after 60 and many women used to feel that their sex life ended with menopause. Thankfully, that’s no longer true. Sex in middle age can actually become better and more satisfying than ever before. Maturity gives a few more expertise in lovemaking. The kids are usually grown and left home. The pressures of building a career and day to day life are usually less stressful than in younger years. Is beauty skin deep? The answer is no and yes. It’s a paradox, is not it? True beauty begins from the inside out. Don’t you wish there was a way to”twist your nose” and recover that soft skin you had as a kid? Well, before someone comes up with the true”Fountain of Youth” we’re stuck with what we have.