What I’m Doing Now To Age Gracefully When I’m Older

I’m not trying to avoid aging—we all get old and I’ll take the wrinkles and saggy boobs that come with it when they arrive. However, I am taking a few steps to hopefully ensure that I age gracefully.

  1. I use anti-aging creams. Although I wouldn’t say I have wrinkles yet, I use a preventative wrinkle cream that is for pre-aging. Wrinkles are very hard to reverse, so I’m taking steps that will help prepare my skin for the inevitable. Hopefully then when I do get wrinkles, they won’t be as bad. Wrinkle cream can be expensive, but there’s no need to be blotting on caviar with gold flakes. There are a lot of reliable brands that have more affordable lines for their pre-aging wrinkle cream so that’s what I go for.
  2. I wear sunscreen religiously. I like to think of my skin tone as porcelain but the truth is, I’m pale AF. The idea of letting the sun shine down on my skin to give it a bronze glow makes me drool. However, the idea of a leathery smile and bosom when I’m older does not. I apply a heavy SPF to my face and chest as those are the areas that see the most sun.
  3. I go braless as often as possible. You know that feeling of bliss when you come home after a long day and snap off your bra? That’s the feeling of your boobs tired of being supported all day! Going braless helps build strength in the lymph nodes and pec muscles, which actually equates to perkier boobs. Seriously! When I first started to practice, it was uncomfortable, but I’m happy to say that I can now run without a bra and it doesn’t hurt.
  4. I’m conscious of what I eat. I am by no means a perfect eater, but I make sure I invest the time in learning about nutrition to enable me to make smarter food choices. Food is the fuel for our body and everything we take in affects where we go from there. I want to live a long healthy life and that starts with loving my body and what I put in it.
  5. I do yoga. Yoga is amazing for my mental and physical health. As the years go by, my body gets older and experiences a lot of wear and tear. Stretching and building strength will help keep my joints limber, my muscles toned, and my bones strong.
  6. I learn from my mom. I share a lot of genetic similarities to my mother, my grandmother, my dad, you name it! If you want an idea of what you’re going to look like when you’re older, look at your parents. My mother and grandmother, for example, suffer from varicose veins. Although I currently don’t have any, I can see the signs and am ready to both accept them and tackle them when they arrive (laser clinic, here I come).
  7. I empower my fellow women. The women in my life are the next leaders, mothers, and world inhabitants that will determine how we build this world for the next generation. We must work at empowering women now so that when we’re older, we can continue propelling females forward and supporting each other in growth. That’s sexy! Empowered women can make a difference so let’s bring each other up, not tear each other down.
  8. I try to regularly expand my mind. There is no question that my ability to move and tolerate a myriad of experiences will diminish over time. While I’m young, I’m making it a priority to gain experiences, travel, and do things that scare me. One day I’ll be too old and grouchy to put up with late partying in a hostel playing cheap drinking games. I’ve got to do that now so I have those stories to tell when I’m older!
  9. I make sure I sweat regularly. No matter how many times I try, I’m not a runner nor a gym rat. However, I know exercise is important for physical longevity and mental stability so I play sports. I join teams, find tennis partners, take golf lessons, throw a frisbee, ski. I love the added dimension of teamwork, strategy, and competitiveness that sports offer—and the best part is that I’m too distracted to realize I’m working out.
  10. I go to the doctor. I’m going to the clinic more now than I ever did before. My body is always changing and I want to make sure I’m on top of everything that’s going on. I get my pap smear, I get my mammograms, I get that suspicious mole looked at. At the same time, I’m building a relationship with my doctor so that as I get older and things stop working like they used to, my doc can have a more in-depth understanding of what may be happening.
  11. I practice self-love. I have this one life, this one body, and this one set of DNA. That’s it. Every day I build my confidence through practices of self-love. When I’m old, life will be this big picture and I won’t be sweating the small stuff. So, today I practice self-compassion, patience, and forgiveness because it’s just me, myself, and I.
Rebecca is a freelance writer, obsessive skier, and avid yogi. When she's not in the alpine or on the mat, she is running Subjectively Me, a blog from which she inspires people to feel shamelessly honest.
www.subjectively.com
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