HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
Today I'm 27.
Wow!
It feels weird being 27. Just only yesterday I was 26 and only the other week, I thought I was 25 when somebody asked me! Ha! At 16, you wish you were 18 and at 18 you can't wait to be 21. Then from 21, time starts to go by a little too quickly!
When I was about 16-20 I'd lather myself in baby oil and lay in the sun for hours thinking that cooking myself in the sun would make me look more attractive. From about 20-23 I was going to the solarium because a "friend" introduced me to it and told me it was so much easier to get a tan and you can go naked! So no tan lines! I thought, awesome! Saves me from having to lay in the sun for an hour. 10mins in a solarium was so convenient, I thought.
Boy was I W R O N G ! Not until I was about 23 or 24 I met a gorgeous mother of adult children with BEAUTIFUL glowing (not tanned, but glowing with vibrance!) skin, I HAD TO ask her what her secret was! The first thing she told me was she regret tanning as a teenager but luckily didn't do it as much and was able to maintain her beautiful skin. Her friends tanned all the time and continued up until their 30s and in her words "all looked like leather old bags." She continued to tell me she uses sunscreen all the time and tries her best to stay out of the sun. On that day, I actually made a promise to her I would NEVER go to the solarium again (I actually had an appointment that day and was going to go. But I proudly cancelled it! :)). It was also a promise to myself! I never ever went to a solarium again and I never tanned at the beach and always stayed in the shade when I could. I was proudly pastey for a few years! :) haha but had the help of fake tan on special occasions.
To add to the list of other things I was doing all wrong, at 21 I wanted to get Botox to prevent forehead wrinkles and injections anywhere else wrinkles might pop up! Thankfully I could never afford it and never had anything like that done! There IS a plus side to being poor. ;)
Where I'm trying to get is, to age gracefully & get that beautiful "glow".. Just LOOK AFTER YOURSELF! It's really as simple as that, if you let it. Just like weight loss, it's going to be a combination of things that will help. ALOT has to do with your nutrition and what your putting into your body. But looking after the outside is just as important as looking after the inside. :) Then there's whats happening mentally. A poor diet will age you, being under mental stress all the time will age you, not looking after your skin will age you, not protecting it from the harsh sun, will age you.
I have happy wrinkles, a lot of scars and I definitely don't look flawless! But I can tell you now, I'm looking after my skin as much as I can. I'm eating as healthy as i can and I'm nourishing my body. I take time to relax and distance myself from what causes me to stress. As I'm getting older (and wiser of course.. HA!), I actually feel younger. I hope this lasts! Haha I feel healthier than I ever have! I feel mentally stronger than I ever have!
Prevention is much better than cure!
Here are some of my tips to stay youthful:
1. START EVERYDAY WITH A GREEN SMOOTHIE. Antioxidants, nutrients & energy in a glass!
2. STAY HYDRATED. Water not only helps to detoxify your body. But it also hydrates all the beautiful cells in your body. (I try to drink at least 2-3L of water a day.)
3. BE ACTIVE & EXERCISE! Even if it's spending a quick lunch break going for a 30 minute walk. Take the dog for a walk! Do a 15 minute workout in the living room. Go to that Zumba class your friend asked you to go to. Complimentary first class pass for a crossfit gym. There's no excuse! There's always a way you can get it in!
4. EAT HEALTHY. No surprise there! What goes on inside your body, also shows on the outside.
5. SLEEP WELL. Quality of sleep is so important and you want to look at getting in about 8hrs of restful sleep.
6. LOOK AFTER YOUR SKIN. Moisturise daily to keep your skin hydrated. Exfoliate your skin with a gentle exfoliator cream every 2-3 days. This helps to stimulate your skin and scrub off dead skin. If you can afford it, use a face mask at least once a week. I love the Kora Organics range!
7. MEDITATE. Take 10-15 minutes out of your day to break away from the hustle and bustle and stresses of modern day society, to meditate. Light some candles to set the mood.. Sit or lay in complete silence. Yoga can also be a form of meditation. If my mind still wont switch off, i'll play a relaxing yoga track. That always helps! :)
Remember, you are all beautiful in your own perfect way!
Today's happy thought: "Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody".
Love Liz xx
