The Fountain of (almost free) Youth 
In the interests of full disclosure, I must tell you that I am blessed w/ Italian parents who both look much younger than their years. Both in their upper 70's, Nancy and George could pass for 50ish. So if you want to dismiss my advice because I got lucky in the genetic lottery, I will not be offended, but...
I think I've learned a thing or two about staying and looking young and I am not talking about plastic surgery!
Cosmetically, the 2 things that spring from the Fountain of Youth are sunscreen and exercise. I love the sun and in my youth I couldn't get enough of it. Even now, I think I am most relaxed on a beach. But the sun does serious damage to your skin, encouraging age spots, wrinkles and melanoma skin cancer.
Luckily, we live in a time when more and more cosmetics and skin creams are made w/ sunscreen. I am a big fan of CVS All Day Moisture or Dry Skin Therapy and Lubriderm Daily Moisture. Both have an SPF 15 and cost less than $10. Sign up on the Healthy Essentials site and get printable coupons for Johnson & Johnson products, of which Lubriderm is one.
I apply sunscreen everyday as a moisturizer under my makeup and rub the excess onto my hands, the skin most exposed to the sun and subject to age spots. Then my make-up usually has sunscreen. I like Revlon Photoready BB Cream but any BB (beauty balm) cream has sunscreen.
Always carry your sunglasses. Wrinkles around the eyes are the tell-tale sign of your age and you especially want to keep the sun's effects away from them. Plus you'll look mysterious and cool!
Exercise, as you've heard until you're blue in the face, is good for you. But when it feels like an obligation it's just no fun. It wasn't until I got seriously sick 13 years ago that I learned the truth of "move it or lose it." Today, I hope I've finally realised that the only person I'm hurting by not exercising is me.
Pilates has become my exercise of choice, but if you haven't found your physical passion, I recommend trying something you enjoyed when you were young. I bought a weighted hula hoop a few months ago and when I do it I feel like I'm 7 years old! My 77 year old Mom is part of a tap dancing group and she is the youngest member! Bicycling, dancing, yoga, skating, whatever. You do not need a gym membership to move your body. You just need to find a form of movement that's fun!
An equally if not more important element in the Fountain of Youth is a positive outlook. It takes more facial muscles to frown than to smile. If you always have a sour look on your face, how do you think your face is going to look when you are in your 80's? A woman who does not smile is not pretty - or not as pretty as she could be, and there is a reason why the expression is "grumpy old man." Young people (and the young at heart) smile!
In the same way that you keep your body young by exercising, you keep your mind young by keeping it open. Exercise your mind. I attended a cognitive rehabilitation course a few years ago for my short term memory loss (I have Multiple Sclerosis) and the take away was "use it or lose it." Play games, memorize a license plate while you're walking down the street, study a language, read. So many books - or blogs or instructional YouTube videos - so little time! My attitude is, "I remain a student."
Finally, I want to talk about the two G's - gratitude and generosity. I believe that gratitude is the secret to a happy life. Let's face it, there are times when life sucks, but I find that when I focus on the good stuff - my daughter's musical gifts, my son's positive future, my parents good health, my darling dog - I feel much better.
Similarly, generosity works to make you recognize your value to others, instead of concentrating on what's wrong in your life. I highly recommend the book 29 Gifts by Cami Walker. It is a simple yet profound concept that works. You feel better when you help others. Tara Parker-Pope wrote a piece on this for the New York Times Science section. This book changed my life.
I think I've learned a thing or two about staying and looking young and I am not talking about plastic surgery!
Cosmetically, the 2 things that spring from the Fountain of Youth are sunscreen and exercise. I love the sun and in my youth I couldn't get enough of it. Even now, I think I am most relaxed on a beach. But the sun does serious damage to your skin, encouraging age spots, wrinkles and melanoma skin cancer.
Luckily, we live in a time when more and more cosmetics and skin creams are made w/ sunscreen. I am a big fan of CVS All Day Moisture or Dry Skin Therapy and Lubriderm Daily Moisture. Both have an SPF 15 and cost less than $10. Sign up on the Healthy Essentials site and get printable coupons for Johnson & Johnson products, of which Lubriderm is one.
I apply sunscreen everyday as a moisturizer under my makeup and rub the excess onto my hands, the skin most exposed to the sun and subject to age spots. Then my make-up usually has sunscreen. I like Revlon Photoready BB Cream but any BB (beauty balm) cream has sunscreen.
Always carry your sunglasses. Wrinkles around the eyes are the tell-tale sign of your age and you especially want to keep the sun's effects away from them. Plus you'll look mysterious and cool!
Exercise, as you've heard until you're blue in the face, is good for you. But when it feels like an obligation it's just no fun. It wasn't until I got seriously sick 13 years ago that I learned the truth of "move it or lose it." Today, I hope I've finally realised that the only person I'm hurting by not exercising is me.
Pilates has become my exercise of choice, but if you haven't found your physical passion, I recommend trying something you enjoyed when you were young. I bought a weighted hula hoop a few months ago and when I do it I feel like I'm 7 years old! My 77 year old Mom is part of a tap dancing group and she is the youngest member! Bicycling, dancing, yoga, skating, whatever. You do not need a gym membership to move your body. You just need to find a form of movement that's fun!
An equally if not more important element in the Fountain of Youth is a positive outlook. It takes more facial muscles to frown than to smile. If you always have a sour look on your face, how do you think your face is going to look when you are in your 80's? A woman who does not smile is not pretty - or not as pretty as she could be, and there is a reason why the expression is "grumpy old man." Young people (and the young at heart) smile!
In the same way that you keep your body young by exercising, you keep your mind young by keeping it open. Exercise your mind. I attended a cognitive rehabilitation course a few years ago for my short term memory loss (I have Multiple Sclerosis) and the take away was "use it or lose it." Play games, memorize a license plate while you're walking down the street, study a language, read. So many books - or blogs or instructional YouTube videos - so little time! My attitude is, "I remain a student."
Finally, I want to talk about the two G's - gratitude and generosity. I believe that gratitude is the secret to a happy life. Let's face it, there are times when life sucks, but I find that when I focus on the good stuff - my daughter's musical gifts, my son's positive future, my parents good health, my darling dog - I feel much better.
Timely Thrift
I just got back from a brief vacation in Barcelona! My wonderful and very generous boyfriend paid for the trip and I wanted to share a frugal travel tip. Before we left, I bought a Barcelona app for $1.99. It had detailed information about the many Gaudi structures we visited. We shared earphones and didn't have to pay for the audio guides offered by many museums. I recommend you Google the places you're vacationing for apps. As I've mentioned in a previous blog, Central Park's audio guide works on any cell phone and doesn't require an app. Just dial 646-862-0997 and the corresponding 2 digit number to the area of the park you'd like to hear about - from a celebrity! If you do have to purchase an audio guide, just get one and share.
Also, take advantage of any religious affiliations you may have. We went to Mass at the Sagrada Familia on Sunday. We didn't have to wait on line or pay admission. We did of course make a generous contribution when the collection plate came around...
So as the late Ed Koch would say, "How my doin?" I want to hear from you! Please sign up to follow the blog and tell me what you think...thank you!
Next time...a surprise!
Keep calm & carry on...Lori Bores<!-- Place this tag where you want the +1 button to render. -->
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