It was originally believed that genetics was mainly responsible for the way in which an individual ages, but recent studies have shown that lifestyle factors play an even larger role. From regulating your sun exposure to ensuring you have sufficient sleep each night, these are just a few of the smart lifestyle choices that you can make if you want to keep your skin looking and feeling youthful for years to come.
Sun Exposure
When it comes to wrinkles on the face, the sun is responsible for up to 90% of these, meaning that the amount of time that you spend in the sun throughout your life will have a direct impact on the way in which your skin ages. Regulating your sun exposure is absolutely key, because while sunscreen may be a great form of protection, keeping your skin physically shaded from the sun is even better.
Multi-Vitamins and Nutrition
Unless you pay close attention to the nutrient levels in the food that you eat, it is likely that your diet is lacking in at least a couple of vitamins. Vitamin K and selenium, both of which contain high levels of antioxidant enzymes, are two vitamins that many people tend to be deficient in, with a selenium deficiency in particular contributing to accelerated aging. In addition to taking a multi-vitamin that contains both of these, you should also try to include more vitamin K-rich foods into your diet, such as spinach, broccoli and onions.
Sleeping Habits
While you are asleep, your body and skin heals and regenerates, which is how the term “beauty sleep” came about. A study carried out in 2013 was the very first to conclusively show that sleep deprivation leads to premature skin aging, as well as to an inability to recover from sun exposure, which, in turn, leads to more wrinkles. From reduced elasticity to uneven pigmentation, sleep deprivation is so detrimental to the skin, while, on the other hand, those that do have enough sleep have skin that is able to quickly recover from stressors and properly eliminate toxins.
Regular Exercise
Regular exercise brings so many different benefits to the body, one of which is to slow down the aging process. In fact, it is so powerful that it is even able to have reversing effects on the aging process if these habits are only adopted later in life, meaning that it is never too late to get motivated and stay active. In addition to this, each exercise session will also help to speed up cell turnover and boost circulation, leaving you with a healthy glow that will last longer as you start to exercise more regularly.
With it now being known that lifestyle choices play an even bigger role in the aging process than genetics, this means that there is so much that you can do to keep your skin in perfect condition as your body matures. From dedicated sleep times to regular exercise, be sure to make smart choices if you want to keep your skin healthy and youthful.
