Health Wise
with Crystal Han
Do's and Don'ts of Aging Gracefully
W
hen it comes to aging,
some people seem to be the
living embodiment of that
old saying, “Age is just a
number,” while the rest of us are stuck in a
maddening cycle of trial and error. It might
be comforting to know that graceful agers
aren’t actually born with an innate gift that
makes them age better. They’re just aging
smarter. Here is a list of the things that might
be hindering a youthful appearance and how
to fix them:
and dark leafy greens, have consistently been
shown to live longer, better lives. Fruits and
vegetables are packed with nutrients, like
antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and B3,
which combat free radical damage and reduce
inflammation. They also prevent collagen
breakdown, maintain skin elasticity, and
reduce hyperpigmentation. In short, a healthy
diet leads to a more youthful look and feel.
Stress
Life is chock full of stressors. Whether it’s
family, work, or finances, there’s bound to
be something that gets your nerves going.
Too Much Sun Exposure
The more time you spend in the sun, the more If left unchecked, stress can cause a multi-
you’re exposed to UV light. UV rays create free tude of health problems like sleeplessness,
radicals in your body, which damage your skin depression, and heart disease. Researchers
have even linked chronic psychological stress
cells, causing your skin to be less elastic and
to age related diseases such as cardiovascular
more prone to wrinkling. Too much sun also
disease, decreased immunity, and neural de-
leads to hyperpigmentation, or dark spots,
generation. Often times, the way we look and
and increases your risk of skin cancers.
the way we feel go hand in hand, so if your
The best thing you can do for your skin
body isn’t doing well, it definitely shows.
to keep it looking young and healthy is to use
People who are aging well aren’t
sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Studies
have shown that people who applied sunscreen necessarily less stressed out. Rather, they
daily were 24 percent less likely to exhibit signs have found healthy ways of dealing with
that stress. Practicing yoga or mindfulness
of skin aging than those didn’t use sunscreen.
meditation has been shown to lessen feelings
Using sunscreen with an SPF as low as 30 for
of anxiety, anger, and depression. Just taking
twelve weeks has even been shown to reverse
a few minutes during your day to unplug
signs of UV related skin damage.
from technology and spend some quiet time
with yourself can work.
Diet
Strength and endurance exercises provide
Eating excessive amounts