Feel & look younger without plastic surgery

Here are some silly jokes about aging to tickle your funny bone today:

When you get old, your secrets are safe with your friends. They'll never share them because they can't remember them.

You know you're getting old when you look in the mirror to shave and realize that the face you're looking at is your father's.

You know you’re getting old when you've gone through the four stages of life:

1- You believe in Santa Claus;
2- You don't believe in Santa Claus;
3- You are Santa Claus;
4- You look like Santa Claus

You know you’re getting older when almost everything hurts, and what doesn't hurt doesn't work.

**********

Seriously, it’s a fact that time marches on for all of us, my friend, and eventually we all show signs of aging. 

It’s a touchy subject for a lot of people, and has certainly helped fill the waiting rooms of plastic surgeons all over the globe.

Sometimes the results of these youth-restoring procedures are great, and other times…well, let’s put it this way—I don’t think someone with “trout pout,” bulging apple-like cheekbones or an inability to move their facial muscles necessarily looks younger.

But in any event, the good news is that, even though you can’t stop the clock from ticking away the years, there is a whole lot of things you can do to help retain a more youthful look and vitality.

Here are eight of the biggest bangs for your buck in terms of fighting the aging process:

1) Drink enough water

Notice I underlined the word “enough.”

The vast majority of us don’t even come close to drinking enough water.  Most people don’t bother drinking any water at all unless they’re thirsty, and by then, they already may be well on their way to dehydration.

Or worse yet, when many people are thirsty, they drink soda instead!

Water is vital for healthy, younger-looking skin.  It provides natural moisture and carries needed nutrients to the skin, and it sweeps away waste products, both of which in turn help keep your skin smooth and clear.

There are a variety of factors that affect how much water the average person needs (including exercise level and the amount of natural water you get from your foods), but a good place to start is to drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses a day.

Another good rule of thumb is to drink half the number of pounds you weigh in ounces of water every day.  So for example if you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim to drink 75 ounces of water each day.

Just avoid drinking large amounts of water with or immediately following your meals, as it may dilute your digestive enzymes and hamper your digestion.

2) Use the right moisturizer

If you're noticing little lines and wrinkles on your face, there’s no need to rush out to the department store cosmetics counter and drop a bank roll on special creams and moisturizers. 

Because simple, old Vitamin C cream can do a much better job for a fraction of the price!

Studies suggest that Vitamin C applied externally to the skin may help stimulate the growth of new collagen.

And applying Vitamin C cream to your face can help plump up wrinkles, restore skin tone and fill in small lines, giving you a more youthful, radiant appearance.

Look for creams that contain a 10% concentration of Vitamin C.  I use Avalon Organics, but there are many great ones out there.

3) Exercise—the anti-aging MUST

There's no denying it--if you want anything that resembles a measure of health (and to avoid looking older than your years), you MUST move your body. 

Engaging in a regular exercise routine that facilitates better, more supportive muscle tone will help firm up sagging skin, plus sweating helps your body release harmful wastes and toxins from your precious skin.

And of course, exercise helps maintain your bone density and keeps your heart healthy too!

Now, before you start with your excuses, exercise doesn't have to mean joining a club or investing in expensive equipment. 

For example, there are a lot of great DVDs out there.  P90X, Insanity and T-25 are intense workouts that really pack a punch, but there are also DVDs with lower impact activities like Pilates too.

Yoga is excellent and there are classes offered practically everywhere you turn.

There are also free weights which are relatively inexpensive, plus running or walking is basically cost-free (except for good shoes). 

Just get your doctor’s OK (especially if you haven’t exercised in a while) and MOVE—you’ll LOVE the results when you look in the mirror for many reasons!

4) Have a nutritious diet rich in antioxidants and fiber

This is crucial…and not optional.

Your skin MUST get the nutrients and antioxidants it needs (like Vitamins A, C and E, as well as zinc and selenium) to look and stay healthy, plus fiber is important for helping to carry away skin-harming waste products.

Trust me, if you exist on mainly packaged foods, fast food, soda and coffee, you can practically count on a lousy complexion, poor skin tone, skin problems and looking FAR older than your years.

To encourage great health in your skin (and all your other organs too!), you HAVE to eat the foods that give your body the nutrients, antioxidants and fiber it needs.

And the best part is, eating nutritious real foods can be positively delicious…when you use the Great Taste No Pain system.

Great Taste No Pain explains the health price that you pay with a processed/junk food diet --you will be shocked to see all the ways poor diet choices can affect your health (including your skin).

It also shows you the best foods to eat (and which ones to pair together) to help promote better digestion and elimination of wastes.

The recipe book makes eating right tasty for the tongue too. It's loaded with easy, delicious recipes that will likely soon become your favorites!

And if you have gluten issues, no worries.  Great Taste No Gluten will give you all the same food pairing information as Great Taste No Pain, plus you'll get a collection of scrumptious gluten free recipes and guides for keeping gluten out of your life.

Get the system that's right for you and use it.

5) Stop smoking

Nothing will destroy your skin and age you faster than smoking. 

Smoking accelerates the normal aging process of your skin, contributing to wrinkles.  These skin changes can occur after only 10 years of smoking and are IRREVERSIBLE.

Smoking causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the outermost layers of your skin.  This impairs blood flow to the skin, robbing it of oxygen and important nutrients, such as vitamins A and C.

Smoking also damages collagen and elastin - the fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity.  As a result, your skin can begin to sag and wrinkle prematurely.

Quitting cold turkey isn't for everyone.  There are loads of stop smoking aids and programs out there, so pick the one that’s right for you.  Your body will say thank you in ways you can’t even imagine.

And I know you can do it! 

6)  Get essential fatty acids

You need good levels of Omega-3 essential fatty acids to maintain healthy cell membranes and reduce the production of inflammation-causing chemicals that can irritate skin tissues and age you.

Unfortunately, our typical diets are grossly lacking in Omega-3 EFAs.  While they're abundant in many fish, most people don't eat fish seven days a week...so most of us are low in Omega-3 EFAs.

That's why a fish oil supplement like our VitalMega-3 is such a great idea for so many people.

VitalMega-3 gives your skin a healthy daily dose of the EPA and DHA that are highly recommended by most experts.

Not only will it benefit your skin, but studies show Omega-3 EFAs are also helpful against age-related issues like excess cholesterol, joint aches and pains, brain health and even high blood pressure! 

7) Get vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for bone health, and maintaining bone mineral density (and preventing hip fractures) are key in maintaining your longevity and quality of life as you age.

Unfortunately, vitamin D happens to be a common deficiency.  Many people completely shun the sun because of skin cancer concerns, and your body needs sunlight to manufacture vitamin D.

Plus as we age, our skin becomes less efficient at making vitamin D, plus our kidneys have a harder time converting it to a usable form.

So supplementation is crucial in so many cases.

And for a top-quality vitamin D supplement, nothing beats Dr. Salerno’s Vitamin D-K Factor.

Vitamin D-K Factor pairs a helpful therapeutic dose of vitamin D with the added helpful boost of vitamin K—which also enhances bone health and has been shown to help prevent atherosclerosis too!

8) Consider bio-identical hormone replacement therapy

Running low in hormones can also accelerate the aging process.

For example, estrogen is very important for the health and function of many of your body’s tissues including your skin, mucous membranes, bones and blood vessels—so being low in it (especially during menopause) can make you feel far older than your years!

 But bio-identical hormone replacement therapy can help support your body and compensate for reduced hormone levels.

Unlike synthetic hormone replacement, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy works to help naturally reestablish the way your body sends messages to your tissues and organs to keep them healthy.

The body has an easier time assimilating bio-identical hormones because they are exactly identical in molecular structure to the hormones naturally made in your body.

Synthetic hormones, on the other hand, have extra molecules which are not recognized by your body, so they are not broken down as easily by your body’s enzymes.

Note that you’ll have to seek out a practitioner that does BHRT—and because it’s more of a holistic therapy, many mainstream doctors are not familiar with it or well-versed in it.

Here is a reference that can help you locate a doctor in your area:  http://www.bioidenticaldoctors.com/

You can also call compounding pharmacies in your area—they prepare BHRT prescriptions and can be a good source of information about BHRT doctors as well.

And if you happen to be in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area, do yourself a big favor and make an appointment with one of the world’s leading experts in BHRT—Dr. John Salerno.  His Salerno Center for Complementary Medicine is located on 52^nd St. in Manhattan.  I have had the pleasure of being associated with Dr. Salerno for over six years and I can’t say enough about his level of expertise, professionalism and true heartfelt caring about his patients.

To learn more about Dr. Salerno, check out his website here:

-        http://salernocenter.com/

Note: I will be at the A4M Anti-Aging Conference with Dr. Salerno from May 7-9^th at the Diplomat Resort in Hollywood, FL, so if you’re in the area, stop by and say hello to us!

Time stops for no one, but you can certainly help S-L-O-W the process of aging and encourage a younger feel and appearance in you! 

Put some of the strategies I’ve outlined above to work for you, and see the tremendous difference they can make!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia

PS: Always be sure to let your doctor or healthcare provider know what supplements you are taking.