Mireille Guiliano, 75, author of the popular lifestyle manual French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure, write the book,French Women Don’t Get Facelifts, a guide to the French way of aging stylishly, this week. Below, she shares seven of her tips on maturing with grace. If you are over 40, you need to think a little differently about how you eat, drink, dress, groom, and sleep. I am a baby boomer, and every day more than 7,000 Americans turn 65. C’est la vie. I want to live long and well; here are a few of my simple and inexpensive tips for doing so.
1. Wear lighter makeup.
I see way too many people let themselves go as they get older. They dress and groom themselves poorly and inappropriately for their age. Embracing aging and developing a positive mindset, an attitude, that results in a healthy lifestyle is the anti-aging magic bullet. Stop trying to dress like your daughter or younger self. Cover your arms. Throw away the bikini. And go lighter on the makeup. Too much makeup as we age generally makes us look worse, not better. Think thrice about drawing attention to your sags and wrinkles. And, oh, consider retiring the red lipstick.
2. Eat face-friendly foods
As we age, we cannot eat and drink like we did when we were young. Our body doesn’t react the same way, and we don’t need as much intake as our metabolism changes. Indulgences are okay now and then, but pick your moments well or you and your face may pay dearly. Cook simple dishes with an emphasis on veggies (particularly the green ones) and grains. Replace salt and fat with herbs and spices and eat lots of soups and fruit. Don’t forget oysters, honey, and dark chocolate—three surprising super-healthy foods.
3. Wash your face
The most basic and important routine to make your skin healthy is to cleanse it. Before going to bed, wash your face religiously to clean and open your pores. Soap can dry out your skin, so be sure to lightly moisturize it afterwards. You don’t need expensive moisturizing creams or oils—a creamy Vaseline-like lotion or a drop of Argan oil used regularly will do wonders.
4. Get a magic haircut
Keeping yourself well groomed can shave years off your appearance and your mental outlook, and nothing is more revealing than one’s hair. Lots happens to our hair as we get older, so get a smart cut that fits your age and face and keep it looking good. It is an easy way to look younger and generate compliments that give you a boost.
5. Laugh and walk more
For many, exercise is a dirty word, but what’s so rough about taking a fifteen-minute walk each day? Use it or lose it—from walking to sex. Ban the excuses. Incorporate movement into your daily life. Take the stairs or do some work around the house for muscle tone. If you can add a swim or bike ride to walking, all the better. Dancing offers great options, too. So does laughing. Plus, laughter is a great mood enhancer.
6. Hydrate
Water is the least expensive anti-aging potion and the one medicine it is hard to overdose on. I drink a glass before going to bed and first thing when I get up, and as much as I can during the day. It maintains my skin’s moisture balance, moves essential nutrients through my organs and body, removes wastes and toxins, and helps to keep my cells hydrated and joints lubricated (and, oh, do we need that flexibility and mobility during the second half of our lives).
7. ZZZzzz
Add an hour; add a year or two or three to your life. Don’t underestimate the power of sleep on your skin, hair, energy, balance, and mood. Eight hours really should be the norm, not five or six. Make sleep a priority. Make sure your bedroom is not a place for work or television a half hour before you should be asleep, and that it is well ventilated. At night it must be dark and quiet, and investing in a good mattress and pillows matters. The French average nine hours of sleep a night—that makes me smile. Up next, here Best Essential Oils for Wrinkles and Anti-Aging
