Getting older is a beautiful gift to celebrate. Getting older means embracing the wisdom and experience that comes with age. Getting older means learning life lessons and embodying grace. But growing older also means things like mature skin, fine lines, slower cell turnover, and gray hair. Growing older is more than just a number or the birthday we previously had, it’s about feeling beautiful, healthy, radiant, and confident in our skin, in our mind, our body, our soul. Staying youthful isn’t all about expensive creams, lotions, and potions. It’s about feeling like your best self and embracing every moment.

Here are some of my top beauty hacks for aging gracefully.

Hydration

Water intake is super important when it comes to aging gracefully. Hydration is pretty much the name of the game when it comes to optimal well-being and radiant skin. Skin is the largest organ of the body and is composed of mostly water. When we are dehydrated, it shows! Dehydration may present itself by skin appearing dry, cracked, and irritated, and can cause fatigue, brain fog, and irritability. The opposite side of dehydration can create mental clarity, lean muscles, and radiant skin. Keeping your body properly hydrated is one of my first tips when it comes to reducing signs of aging. Aim to drink eight glasses of water per day. You can set reminders on your phone and keep a chic and reusable water bottle with you throughout your day. For an added boost of minerals and even better hydration, you can try adding mineral drops. 

Nutrition

Think of food as medicine. Aim to eat to fuel your body, to feel incredible, and to thrive. We should eat to feel vibrant, healthy, and good! Eating nutritious and delicious whole, colorful foods will help to lower inflammation within your body and provide you with natural energy, nourishment, and healing. A hot tip for grocery shopping is to focus on shopping in the outer perimeter of the grocery store. This is where you will find vegetables, fruits, and more earthy and natural items. Eating your antioxidants and vitamins is such a key component in supporting your body to age gracefully. Think healthy fats, organic nuts and nut butter, bone broth, fresh local produce. Some ingredients to avoid is sugar, any sort of processed food, artificial flavoring or sweeteners, canola oil, corn syrup, and high-fructose corn syrup.

Switch from soda to water. If you crave the taste, then try adding a squeeze of lime or lemon to your water for some natural and delicious flavor. Make the switch to herbal teas and fall in love with the slow and intentional rituals of tea making. There are so many beautiful, organic, loose-leaf tea blends.

Adding spices to your cooking is a tasty habit, and can also add a ton of benefits to your radiant well-being. For instance, Parsley may reduce bloating and is loaded with vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Turmeric is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Cinnamon is my absolute favorite spice to add to teas, smoothies, and desserts and is proven to be anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. It is said to be beneficial for the aging brain so when it comes to aging as gracefully as possible, think about adding cinnamon to your diet.

Skin Care

Of course, skincare is a top component when it comes to aging in style. As we get older, skin goes through various changes including developing fine lines and wrinkles or sunspots, and losing radiance. Fortunately, we have the tips, tricks, and products to help upgrade our routines and continue to love the skin you’re in. Using the right products for your skin type and help maintain a healthy and glowing complexion. 

Sunscreen first: to keep visible signs of aging at bay, SPF is a must-have in your beauty cabinet. Sunscreen is the number one product that we all should use daily to protect our skin from multiple signs of aging and to protect ourselves from more serious concerns.

Retinol is another name for vitamin A. Vitamin A has a fantastic impact on the skin because it helps to restore a youthful complexion by working to even out skin tone and texture, help reduce enlarged pores, and smooth out bumps. Retinol helps to promote a firmer skin barrier and renews rough texture and dull skin, making skin appear brighter and smoother.

Vitamin C is essential for boosting collagen and brightening skin. It is the most exciting and research-proven ingredient out there. Vitamin C helps even out skin tone and diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. You want to have this powerhouse ingredient part of your beauty regimen for a youthful radiant glow. 

Bonus points: Add a Gua Sha technique to your regimen to help smooth fine lines, promote blood flow, and rejuvenate the skin. Practicing this technique works to release tension, toxins, and tightness. Make sure to use a non-clogging oil, and use soft and gentle pressure.

Movement

Stretching, moving, and exercising regularly help release all the feel-good hormones called endorphins. Endorphins help improve our mental state of mind and improve our energy levels. Exercise is a great way to build and improve our muscle and joint health. As we age, we lose more muscle, however, we can build and regain this by resistance training and increasing our strength. Moving and working out regularly will also help with bone health and a good, strong posture. Ways to get some movement include stretching, attending a weekly workout class, practicing yoga, or going for a walk, hike, or bike ride—anything that gets your heart rate up and your blood pumping will support healthy aging.

Eliminating Toxins From Your Life

 One of the most fundamental tasks of living a healthy life is to clean up the environment around you. And I’m not just talking about not littering, I’m talking about taking control of the environment you are living in. Enter an at-home detox! Think about the things around you. The air, the light, the water, and the products that you consume daily. Are you living in an environment to thrive? While it’s important to eliminate toxic ingredients from your products, factors such as pollutants, heavy metals, allergens need to be addressed, too. So where to start?

Air Purifiers: Air purifiers work to purify the air in your home or office by pulling airborne dust and irritants out of the air, then recirculating purified air. You can think of an air purifier like a vacuum cleaner for your air. I also recommend opening windows at least 3-4 times a week to bring in fresh air to circulate out any stale air. 

Water Filters: As we discussed earlier, water intake is super important to flush out the body and naturally hydrate our organs, skin, and overall body. Our cells are made up of mainly water and we want to make sure we are properly hydrating with fresh, clean water. Unfortunately, a lot of water has bacteria, heavy metals, and traces of toxins that get into our bodies. The best line of defense we can use is a water filter. Water filters work to filter out these toxins, and even make your water taste better.

Pay Attention to Your Household Products: The average home has 62 toxic chemicals—yikes! Toxic ingredients can be an endocrine disruptor and if you’re wiping your kitchen counters down with a toxic disinfectant, it can cause inflammation and disruptors throughout your body. Opt for clean ingredients and be sure to read the ingredient labels of products while you are shopping. 

Prevention is Key

We can’t stop getting older, but by taking some preventative measures we can promote radiance and live a healthy, vibrant life. And we can aim to age as gracefully as a bottle of fine wine.