20 Ways To look & Feel Younger in 2010

Although there’s no magic bullet to looking 10 years  younger instantly (face lift aside), there are quite a few things you can do that will can actually reverse the ticking of the clock. Many of these tips are inexpensive and all of them are Gorgeously Green. I’m all about natural, but come on – I’m talking natural with glitz, glam and lots of gloss.  Pick out the ones you like and put them on your New Year’s Resolution’s list. There’s also a bunch of eating tips/recipes in The Gorgeously Green Diet, which has just come out in paperback!

1. Sleepy Girl: There’s no getting away from it. From beauty experts to doctors, all are agreed on one thing: to look younger you need 7-9 hours sleep per night. If this is hard for you, try going to bed just 1/2 hour earlier every night. Long hours of deep sleep allow all your body’s functions, including your skin, to regenerate and heal.

2.Daily Walk: No matter what age or weight you are, it’s official – walking is really good for you. To put that youthful bloom back in your cheeks, invest in a pair of really supportive trainers/tennis shoes and go for a brisk 15 -20 minute walk daily.

3. Silk or Satin: A great alternative to having botox and fillers, is to invest in a silk or satin pillowcase. The silky fabric will prevent your skin from “dragging” and creasing/bunching up. You’ll find some wonderfully inexpensive pillowcases from Dhama Trading.

4.Breast/Chest Pillow: If you’re worried about getting wrinkles between your breasts, you may want to purchase a breast pillow from Intimia. These ingenious little pillows sit snugly between your breasts (the whole thing sort of attaches like a bra), and is essential if you are a side-sleeper like myself.

5. Sugar-free: We’ve heard how sugar is bad for us until we’re blue in the face. As boring as it is, cutting back or avoiding sugar completely is very anti-aging. Many experts in the anti-aging field recognize that regulating your insulin/blood sugar levels is the key to longevity. Sugar also leads to an aging process called glycation. Consider using Agave Nectar, raw honey, or Brown Rice Syrup as a substitute.

6.Cut down on Alcohol: Again obvious and boring, but very important. Don’t forget that even a couple of glasses of wine provide a hefty sugar dose. Drinking alcohol everyday is aging and fattening, so get into the habit of going without whenever possible.

7.Hair-cut: Get the ends of your hair trimmed regularly, as there’s nothing more aging than frizzy-looking dried out ends. If you can’t afford a full-on cut with your favorite hair stylist every six weeks, go to a drop-in salon like Super Cuts just to have the very ends trimmed and visit your stylist just 2 or 3 times a year for the full monty.

8.Facial Massage/Acupressure: Learn a good facial massage/acupressure routine to relax your facial muscles. FYI: There’s a fantastic acupressure session that I teach you to do in my new book, Do It Gorgeously (June 2010).

9.Exfoliate Regularly: It’s important to perform a gentle facial exfoliation 2-3 times a week if you want your skin to glow. Forgetting this important step of your beauty routine will have you simply sticking dead skin cells back onto your face with a moisturizer! Get rid of them and make way for new and shiny cells to glow.

10: Body Brush: I believe so strongly in the European technique of Dry Body Brushing. Buy a long-handled sisal brush from any health food store and brush your limbs and torso with long strokes (always brushing in or up towards your heart). This not only gets rid of dry skin cells, but it also stimulates your limphatic system, leading to a stronger immune system.

11. Professional makeover: Consider over-hauling your make-up routine. We tend to get stuck in a rut of how we do our eyes, cheeks and the colors that we’re used to. Either splash out on a one-time make-up lesson at your nearest salon or try find a store that offers free-makeovers. Try to find a non-toxic line that offers this service, that way if you fall in love with something they’ve put on, you’ll buy it. Eco-friendly lines that typically offer free-makeovers in department stores are: Josie Maran, Nvey Eco, and Tarte.

12. Increase your SPF: Make sure you use a a facial sunscreen with an SPF of 25 or higher. I love Keys Solar RX

13. Eyebrow Shaping: Bushy/raggedy eyebrows can be really aging. Invest in a really strong magnifying mirror so you can keep them in check. It’s also worth having them shaped professionally once a year to establish a good shape for your face.

14. Natural Face lift: For a natural face lift by way of facial exercises a la facial exercise veteran Eva Fraser, visit her website and learn the program.

15. Tinted Moisturizer/light foundation: Beauty experts agree that an even complexion makes you look younger. Rather than packing on a heavy foundation, try a tinted moisturizer with good coverage. I love Tarte’s “Smooth Operator” or Vapour’s “Atomosphere Luminous Foundation”.

16. Concealer Stick: Make up artists use a little trick for a more youthful look of applying a pale concealer to the inner eye. Also use your concealer stick to cover-up redness/broken capillaries around your nose. I love the “Illusionist” stick by Vapour.

17: Shimmer it up: A little shimmer can add a dewy/youthful glow to your cheeks. Try a bronzer with a little shimmer in it. I love Afterglow bronzers

18. Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Increase your intake of oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines), and/or take an Omega-3 supplement. My favorite brand is Nordic Naturals and you need at least 1,000 mg a day. A diet full of these rich oils will help you keep your skin supple and moist.

19. Eat your way young: Many experts now agree that inflammation caused by an overly-acidic system leads to many of the problems we encounter due to aging (including wrinkled skin). The quickest way to ensure you’re getting an “alkaline” diet is to pack the greens in. The most healthful greens include kale, spinach, and chard. Grab a bunch of each, wash, chop finely into a large salad bowl with some sliced dried apricots and chopped walnuts. Toss with your favorite dressing and eat as a light lunch or a side with dinner.

20. Have More Sex: It’s thought that having regular sex (at least twice a week,) can keep you looking and feeling younger! In his best-selling book, RealAge — Are You as Young as You Can Be? Michael Roizen, MD makes the case for the antiaging effects of sex after surveying the available literature. “Having sex at least twice a week can make your RealAge 1.6 years younger than if you had sex only once a week,” Roizen says. He defines ‘real age’ as “an estimation of your age in biologic terms, not chronologic years.” It can also put a huge smile on your face, and smiling/laughing is probably the most antiaging tip of the lot!