Age Like a Celebrity with These 5 Daily Habits
Introduction
Mirror mirror on the wall who is the youngest of them all? Celebrities like Jenifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian, and Jenifer Lopez seem like they frequent the fountain of youth. It must be entirely plastic surgery and botox to achieve such a flawless look, right? Well.. you’re wrong. Would it surprise you if I told you Jenifer Lopez has never once gotten botox, injectables, or surgery - or that Kim Kardashian’s skincare routine costs her roughly $4,500? It seems the answer to healthy aging isn’t just a quick trip to the botox bar. Graceful aging comes from the little daily habits we take up, whether that be a skincare line that we use morning and night or the type of sheets we decide to sleep on. There are a variety of healthy aging tips that celebrities use day to day to keep their skin flawless. Today we discuss 5 tips that will help you age like one.
Not the Importance of Sunscreen Talk Again
Sunscreen is undeniably the best preventative tip you can implement into your routine every day, bar none. However, did you know that only 11% of people do this every day? That means almost 90% of the population decides to skip a sun care routine every morning. Just as often as we brush our teeth, we should be reaching to put our sunscreen on as well. Beyond that, we should be putting it on any parts that are exposed to the sun, not just stopping at our faces. I personally like to use the lotion kind for my face and the spray kind for the rest of the exposed skin on my body.
Sunscreen is important because the primary reason we age is due to the sun’s rays. By using sunscreen, we are preventing these harmful ultraviolet rays from breaking down our bodies’ limited supply of collagen. Depending on the type of sunscreen, it either protects you physically (by blocking the rays directly) or chemically (by absorbing the damaging sun’s rays).
Further, do you think you are safe in the car, on the plane, or even in your house? Think again. Most windows only protect you from UVB rays, which is what causes your skin to burn. However, those aging UVA rays will still find their way through the glass. Windows protect you from “some” UVA rays but not nearly enough to excuse you from skipping on the sunscreen.
What’s even more shocking - even cloudy days are no excuse to skip out on SPF. The American Academy of Dermatologists tells us that roughly 80% of the sun’s rays still make it to the ground on a cloudy day, which means those rays are ultimately hitting your skin. The reality is the UV spectrum of light (as opposed to the visible light spectrum) can pierce right through clouds. Therefore, instead of seeing sunscreen as something to pack for a long hot beach day, think of it as an important step in your aging routine – just as brushing your teeth is to your dental routine. If you’re not sure what sunscreen to choose and which one is best, make sure you sign up for my session Sunscreen and Sun Protection with Lauren.
What Dry Brush Are You Using?
Exfoliating is essential to showing off that youthful glow. The components of our outer skin layer include a layer of dead cells. Ewww, I know! If we don’t exfoliate these dead skin cells, we end up looking duller and with more texture. When we exfoliate we are stimulating collagen synthesis (Yay!). This means those dead skin cells are not only reduced, but the result is skin that is more visually appealing. I’m talking plump and tight! Just the way we like it! Oh, and that acne that won’t seem to go away - you may even start seeing that reduced as well. This is because one benefit of exfoliating is the unclogging of pores and the prevention of acne.
The problem most people run into that prevents them from maximizing the benefits of exfoliating are a couple of things. First, many are not exfoliating enough. Second, when they do, they’re only exfoliating their face. Experts agree that exfoliating roughly 2-3x a week is optimal, as the buildup of dead skin cells happens fairly quick. Although exfoliating anything more than 3 times a week isn’t advised.
As far as where to exfoliate, the answer is everywhere! Keep a dry brush in your shower and use a little bit of body wash to help exfoliate the other parts of your body that aren’t your face. Regarding face exfoliation, there are so many great ones out there so don’t be shy to test your favorites. Luxury or drug store - take your pick. Just make sure it's specifically for your face and don’t forget to lotion up after you exfoliate.
Lotion Isn’t Just for Dry Skin
The skin is the largest organ in the entire body. Unfortunately, the benefits that come from the water we drink go to our skin last. Therefore, we must find another way to hydrate the skin. Luckily, hydrating externally is a great way to keep good care of your skin which can be accomplished by using face and body moisturizers.
Simply put, keeping your skin moisturized is essential to healthy aging. Make sure to use a face lotion for the face and body lotion for the body. It may not seem like a big difference, but they are designed entirely differently, so make sure you’re using the right one for the right area. This is most essential after exposing your skin to water (such as jumping out of the shower or washing your face). Moisturizer performs best when applied to damp skin, so try to slather on that moisturizer within 5 minutes after washing so that it performs at its peak.
Now, for those of you who have combination skin and oily skin, these tips still apply. You may be thinking - “but my face is already oily, why would I want to put more oil on top of that?” Just because your face is oily, does not mean it’s hydrated. These are two very different things, and your skin could be very much dehydrated despite how oily it is. Your body will even produce more oil to make up for your skin being dehydrated, thus resulting in even more oily skin. Skipping out on a moisturizer can lead to more acne and premature aging. All skin – whether it be a combination, oily, or dry - requires the use of a moisturizer.
Rapunzel Never Slept on Cotton
Did you know we spend 1/3 of our lives asleep? That’s a long time to be laying in the same few positions (or maybe just that one position you love so much). Sleep is important for so many reasons, but did you know that the type of sheets you are using could be aiding or hindering your beautiful skin. Most of us use a cotton material for our sheets, which is incredibly cheap albeit very comfortable. Heck, it’s even the type of sheets most of us grew up sleeping on. Thanks, grandma!
However, cotton isn’t ideal if we want to maintain our youthful skin. You see, cotton causes more friction compared to other options. It causes irritation, and dryness and even emphasizes the appearance of lines, wrinkles, and creases, something we don’t want if we’re trying to have radiant skin. On top of that, breakouts are more likely to occur. However, you’re in luck! Certain sheets prevent this from happening such as silk and satin. Oh, and don’t forget - your pillowcase matters just as much (if not more).
Are You Drinking Enough Water?
Did you know that the body is comprised of 60% of water? Water is one of the most important things that your body needs for almost every function. In fact, one of these functions is healthy aging. Unfortunately, the skin is the last organ in the body to receive the needed hydration from the water you drink. Therefore, it’s essential that you’re drinking enough water to make sure your skin is being replenished.
We talked earlier about how we can externally hydrate our skin with moisturizers, but our skin needs internal hydration even more. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies recommends drinking 11 cups if you’re an adult woman and 15 cups if you’re an adult male. This is manageable if you carry a water bottle everywhere you go, or if you drink habitually at certain times during the day. Examples include drinking a glass before every meal, after every meal, right before bed, and first thing in the morning. There are even water bottles you can use that have the time of day on the bottle so that you know how much to drink every hour.
Sober Might Be Best
I know it’s fun, but alcohol is definitely not good for aging. In fact, it’s one of the most detrimental habits to partake in if you’re concerned with healthy aging. Not only does it severely dehydrate you (which is important for reasons we discussed earlier), but of even greater concern is the fact that our bodies don’t have the necessary enzymes to process alcohol properly. It actually gets processed into a toxic poison for the body (which is partially responsible for that hangover feeling). So in short - try to cut back if you can. Although if you do drink, try to focus on wine or seltzers and stay away from sugary drinks such as margaritas and cocktails. Sugary alcoholic drinks are like a double whammy when it comes to aging because of all that added sugar.
Conclusion
Celebrities might seem like they’ve discovered the fountain of youth but turns out they rely more heavily on a few key healthy habits to slow down aging. Aging beautifully is done by incorporating many small habits into your daily life. Some of these we discussed were the importance of sunscreen, exfoliating, hydrating, and the use of moisturizer. We also discussed cutting back on alcohol and switching your sheets up to something a little more luxurious. Want more tips? Sign up for my session At Home Anti-Aging Tips with Lauren.
About The Author
Lauren is a Certified Nutritionist having received her undergraduate degree in Public Health (covering topics like fitness, nutrition, supplements, environmental health, etc...) She has coached family, clients, and friends to lose over 20 lbs while still eating the foods they love with no cardio required. She has an array of knowledge in skincare, healthy aging, beauty, and environmental health. Browse other Wellness Expert sessions offered by Lauren on Well Me Right.