Looking and Feeling Young (When You’re Anything But)

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As a parent, it seems that there is never any time to relax. And when we get caught up in the wave of constant stress trying to get the children ready for school, as well as keep our own lives in check, there is just too much to do to even guarantee that we are feeling our best. There are times when we want to have more energy or look at ourselves in the mirror and think “yes, I look good!” But when we want to look and feel young, when we are anything but, are there any simple things we can do to keep looking and feeling young?

Put On Some SPF

While we may feel that our tired-looking skin and crow’s feet could just disappear, the only way to do this is to get a facelift. For those people who don’t have hundreds to spend on surgery or even anti-ageing creams, the best thing we can all do is put on sunscreen. In fact, those that use it every day had skin 24% younger in comparison to those who wore it less regularly. Because we could expose ourselves to damaging UV rays, even during the winter, this will age our skin. Regardless of what the weather is doing, putting some broad-spectrum SPF 30 on our skin is going to help us win the battle over older looking skin.

Strengthen Your Core

Getting older means, for some, getting weaker. If you have a job where you are slumped over a desk all day you are not doing your back any favours. If you start to stay strong through your core, your posture and your balance will improve. There are simple ways to do this to activate our middle muscles. The plank is the perfect starting point. Don’t worry about trying to hold it for as long as possible. The trick with any form of exercise is to focus on the form first. When you can’t hold that pose any longer, stop and start again the next day.

Stay Active

Following on from activating your core, you need to incorporate an active lifestyle. It’s important to note that you may feel tempted to go 110% in terms of your effort. With any form of exercise, you need to start slow. This is why you need to listen to your body. If you need to rest more, don’t be afraid of doing so. Because there are so many exercise plans out there that tell you that you need to work out for at least 4 days a week, this is why you need to listen to your body. If you are still exhausted 3 days after a workout, rest another day. And it’s vital to remember that you can’t outrun a bad diet. If you dial the nutrition in properly by having the abundance of healthy fats, good quality protein, and a mix of vitamins and minerals, you do not need to run a marathon once a week.

Find Your Purpose in Life

Your children are everything to you, but are you feeling stagnant in many areas of your life? We need to feel that we are doing something that matters to others but is also meaningful to us. We need to have this purpose and when our children get older and need us less and less, this is when we need to find something that gives us a reason to get up in the morning and feel excited. Sometimes it can be to do with our livelihoods. But sometimes it’s about stepping back and looking at what we have.

You may think that the grass is greener on the other side because one of your other friends has a perfect family and a well-paid job. But with jobs that pay more comes more responsibility and pressure. Therefore, the children may need to go to the nursery more and not spend as much time as a family. It’s all these things that we have to really think about so we can have perspective, and in fact, we may already have our purpose in life.

When we feel old and haggard but we’re only 28, this is when we may feel that time is getting the better of us. But it’s not just about giving yourself younger-looking skin or getting fitter and healthier; it’s also about the mental health aspect as well. This is why it’s vital to take a step back and look at your life in the round. You may very well believe that you are struggling to get through when in fact, there are many things that are on your side.