8 Simple Tips To Help You Age Gracefully

Thinking you don’t have to worry about aging until you start to see the tell-tell signs of aging is one of the biggest beauty mistakes anyone can make.

Although we can’t stop the natural process of growing older, we can slow down the aging process by preventing unnecessary damage, and taking better care of ourselves on a daily basis. Everything you do to your body today, will impact your overall health and wellness in the future. I want to share with you the top beauty tips I’ve learned through the years and now follow everyday, so that you can age as gracefully as possible. I’m presenting them in a countdown format, with the most important tip at the very end of the article. I bet you won’t be able to guess what my number one is, it’s a good one! Luckily, you don’t have to guess any of them, here is every beauty rule I follow and live by:

8. Stop Washing Your Face

Well, just stop washing it in the morning. We all know washing your face at night is a none negotiable in our beauty regimes, no matter how tired you are, in order to remove the makeup, pollutants, dirt, and grim that accumulate throughout the day. However, a splash of water is all your skin needs in the AM. There is such a thing as too clean when it comes to the skin on our faces. Over cleansing can cause skin to become dry, and increase the production of oil within the pores. This can cause breakouts, dullness, and any wrinkles or flaws you may have to appear more exaggerated!

7.  Don’t Neglect Your Neck, Chest & Hands

Any skin-care routine you have for your face (cleansing, exfoliating, serums, lotions, creams, SUNSCREEN), needs to be extended to your neck, chest, and hands on a consistent basis. These forgotten parts of the body tend to show signs of aging just as fast, or sometimes even faster, as our faces do, since we tend to neglect and/or forget them.

6. Sleep On Your Back + In A Bra

Okay, I know this is going to be very hard for some of you (because it was for me), but it will be well worth it in the long run! First, let’s talk about the benefits of sleeping on your back. If you’re an avid side or stomach sleeper, you’ve probably woken up to deep lines down the center of your chest, and maybe a few around your brow and laugh lines. These “sleep lines” are caused by sleeping in the same position, on your stomach or side, night after night. They may slowly fade away now, but eventually they will become permanent! Also, the side of your face that you sleep on will develop more wrinkles than the side you don’t sleep on. Over time, all that rubbing on your cotton pillow case adds up on your skin, and is what causes those sleep lines to form. If it seems impossible to change sleep positions, invest in some silk pillowcases. Since they are slippery, your face will slide across them easier, resulting in less friction against your skin and pillow, which means less wear and tear through the years! Next, let’s discuss the idea many of you may cringe at, sleeping in a bra. We all love going sans bra at the end of the day, but if you want the girls to stay perky, you have to support them at night when you sleep. Gravity is a strong force, and you can either choose to support your breasts for eight hours or not. If you wear a soft-cup bra every night you’ll be doing your breasts a favor in the long run.

5. Be Gentle To The Skin Around Your Eyes

The skin around our eyes is extremely delicate and thin. This is why it’s one of the first places we notice fine lines. If you’re not gentle when touching this delicate area, you can bet on the early appearance of crows feet, dark circles, and swelling around the eyes. To avoid unnecessary damage, gently remove makeup (wiping and pulling can cause damage), apply moisturizer or serums by softly tapping it on with your non dominant ring finger (do not rub), and always wear sunglasses (helps avoid squinting and subsequently wrinkles, and can also help prevent cataracts and macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly). Make sure to always wear your shades whenever you go outside, even on cloudy days!

4. Stay Out Of The Sun

The sun’s UV rays are powerful and damaging aging agents, one study found that they even account for 80% of skin aging! Sun damage can cause skin to sag, stretch, create dark spots, and lose its elasticity. The good news is, since most early signs of aging is caused by sun damage, we can avoid premature aging by staying out of the sun as much as possible! Wear sunscreen on any body part the sun is going to be touching, wear sunglasses everyday (again, whether rain or shine), stay in the shade, wear UV protected hats and clothing, use an umbrella, and tint your car windows. You may not see the effects of sun damage yet, but you will later on in life.

3. Get Up + Moving

Exercise enables us to have more energy, feel better, and God willing, live longer. It also can help you sleep better and improve your mood by stimulating chemicals in the brain that leave you feeling happier and more relaxed! Regular exercise can help prevent and/or manage health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stoke, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, and arthritis. We also can’t forget Newton’s first law of motion: an object in motion stays in motion! If you want to stay healthy and mobile for as long as possible, start moving now so you can stay moving later in life. As a general goal you should aim for 30 minutes or more of physical activity every day. If you’re having a hard time getting motivated, check out my Tips + Strategies For Getting Active And Staying Motivated.

2. Eat Better + Drink More H2O

What you put inside your body is going to determine how quickly you will begin to see and feel the effects of aging. Everything from the condition of our skin, to the quality of our brains is determined in large part by what we eat. God has given us a tremendous wealth of foods that provide us with an abundance of life sustaining nutrients. Eating a diet that is as close to what God intended for us to eat will enable us to feel better, possibly live longer, and ultimately enable us to accomplish more for the kingdom of Christ here on earth. Staying away from highly processed foods (fast food, chips, candy, frozen dinners, factory farmed meat, dairy, eggs & seafood, etc.), while eating a diet made up of natural foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts) will increase your energy, clear your complexion, and improve your overall health. Also, instead of reaching for sugary drinks, made of dangerous chemicals and that can lead to weight gain, drink water instead. It is an appetite suppressant, flushes out harmful toxins, hydrates the skin, clears the complexion, and helps skin keep its moisture and elasticity. If water is too boring for your taste buds, try concocting a super-hydrating elixir by infusing water with your favorite fruits and herbs or brew up a pot of your favorite tea.

1. Know Your Worth In Christ

This is my number one beauty rule for one simple reason: as Christian women, we only become more beautiful as we age. The longer we live, the more time we’re able to spend seeking and drawing nearer to God. When we dedicate and spend our lives serving Christ and studying His word, we become more beautiful because we become more like the most beautiful person who ever walked this earth, Jesus Christ. However, His beauty wasn’t physical, scripture tells us, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). His beauty is found in who He is, not in His looks; this is something we need to remember as we age. True beauty doesn’t lie in the way we look, but in who our Father is. I know it’s cliché, but real beauty, lasting beauty, comes from within: “A godly woman is known for the beauty that comes from within. The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God” (1 Peter 3:3-4), “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). The longer we walk with Christ and seek Him, the more we will reflect and resemble Him. What could possibly be more beautiful and graceful than that?

Do you have any beauty rules/tips you always follow? If so, leave a comment and let me know! I love a good beauty tip!