...However, the reality of aging is poles apart when it comes to anti-aging!
Nearly mid 30s are the years when age issues begin to bother a lot many women. Precisely that's the time when woman are on a hunt for the most effective one-product miracle that can help deal with age related skin issues. Do women ever bother what aging actually is?
Let’s first understand what aging means...
Between 30-65 years of age, life becomes more sedentary for many women. Life pressures, work commitments, family duties, lack of selfcare, lack of exercise, wrong foods, upside-down moods take a toll on the woman as a whole. And then when age begins to knock the door, the very first signs of aging appear in the form of fine lines, age-spots, pigmentations, greasy dull skin & greying hair. That's all women seem to be bothered about. However, analyze closely & you realize, fatigue, degenerating health issues, seasonal allergies, minor health issues, stress, lack of radiance & vitality & mood swings, without fail accompany these skin-hair aging issues soon after women first realize these signs of aging. Do you see the connect here? What shows as wrinkles & dull skin on the outside also means stress, fatigue, allergies, mood swings etc. deep within, that women least relate to when it comes to aging.
Understanding Aging:
'Anti-Aging is Never a One-Product Miracle...!'
In the era of anti-aging creams, products & lotions, & one-product miracle theory, it is important to understand the truth behind anti-aging...
Consider Car A & Car B which are almost decade old cars. Car A looks & works like brand new even after 10 years, while Car B looks & works like a 15 year old car. Car A was regularly checked for its internal machinery with regular servicing & cleansing inside & outside to maintain its youth. Car B is over-used & despite of raising alarms by creating some issues here it was least serviced, oiled & cleansed regularly & hence it aged. Car A till date looks brand new & has a smooth functioning machinery while Car B has deteriorated & rusted before age due to its deteriorated internal machinery for various reasons like lack of servicing & cleansing, rusting in its internal machinery & over-use. Irrespective of the fact that both cars share the same age, the car that got inside-out care preserved its youth & looks, while the other succumbed to stress, over-use & garbage within!
The story of human body is pretty much the same like the car story. Irrespective of age, a young-looking personality bearing a youthful skin & positive attitude is no-coincidence! Body & mind collectively play an important role in maintaining a beautiful skin, lustrous hair, a healthy body & a positive outlook. On the outside, the acts of selfcare go a long way in maintaining youth.
The Science of Anti-Aging:
'Anti-Aging is a Matter of Right Lifestyle & a Positive Attitude Than an Anti-Aging Cream or Lotion...!'
Women trying to fix their aging skin issues with products claiming to be anti-aging, consciously need to think what caused them aging!!! Give a thought to the foods & lifestyle that you lead, the stress levels that your body deals with, the couch-potato attitude that you may be holding or the garbage that you hold within that manifests as acne, dull skin, dry skin, pigmentation, weight issues, greying hair etc.
Anti-aging is absolutely not about applying a cream to ward-off those wrinkles that in most cases is more a sensorial satisfaction than having an actual action. Living a lifestyle in-tune with nature, moving body artistically to remove toxins, eating foods that strengthen yet cleanse the body, keeping internal organs away from over-use & optimal working condition, well lubricated body, keeping body clean within, keeping mind at peace & self-care on the outside is all that the science of living revolves around in its literal sense. Hence the vitality, beauty, radiance, clear skin, positivity, smooth functioning body is what anti-aging lifestyle is, that goes back to the following basics of life:
- Clean Foods
- Regular Detox
- Cleansing Exercises
- Outside Selfcare
- Positive Attitude
The Anti-Aging Lifestyle:
Refer back to the ancient texts of Ayurveda & Traditional Chinese Medicine & you know the ancients have always focused on the importance of inside-out cleansing & a disciplined lifestyle. The aspects of anti-aging fall under two categories namely 'INSIDE SELFCARE' & 'OUTSIDE SELFCARE':
INSIDE SELFCARE - BODY & MIND HEALING:
The access to the body inside is restricted. We can just reach & care for our internal body through right foods, by making it flexible with right exercise & by keeping its functioning stress free by not taking stress. The parameters of inside care include:
Healing Foods: What you eat is what you are! The famous saying holds a deep-rooted meaning to the fact that food that we eat makes huge contribution to the way we look & feel. Right foods can keep your internal machinery working perfect, thus keeping you clean from within. With a clean environment maintained within, the internal systems such as circulatory system, digestive system, toxin elimination channels keep functioning optimally. At the cellular level, each cell gets ample nutrition to function right & when the building clocks of body are working right, all happens naturally, be it clear skin, beautiful hair, optimal health & positivity in life.
The Weighty Matter: Remember, the more you fight against fat, the more it troubles you! Accept yourself before making any efforts to get that perfect body. To keep weight in check, control your portion size, eat in time, do not starve your body, cut back on sugar & avoid processed stuff. Do not adopt short-cuts at any cost. It may give you temporary relief giving you double of what you intend to lose in the long run.
The Right Time to Eat: Our body functions as per day & night cycle as the nature does. Like day precedes the night & the nature's functions slow down at night, similarly human body slows down at night. That means any burden on the body at night is an overhead that it must deal with, which is anti-nature. Consume your meals in time & keep a gap of at least three hours between dinner & sleep.
Indian Anti-Aging Foods: Flaxseeds, Green leafy vegetables, colored vegetables, ginger, nuts.
Beautifying Movement: Ever seen a new born baby entering the world in its full swing moving hands & feet to the maximum capacity. Movement lends flow to the universe. Anything stagnant gives birth to toxin accumulation & becomes a breeding ground for bacteria & viruses. When movement is the law of nature, how can a stagnant sedentary body enjoy health!!! That means movement is an essential part of human lifecycle. Sedentary lifestyle, laziness to stretch the body right or a couch-potato lifestyle invite accelerated aging because the cleansed state & the flexibility the body is supposed to maintain is not possible in a stagnant body state. Sedentary lifestyle within the body means sluggish blood circulation, sluggish oxygen levels, sluggish toxin elimination & sluggish mind due to ample toxicity within. From there arises die-ease which manifests to show-up as serious health disasters. Carrying out a set of beautifying yoga asans can keep you at bay from aging while giving you flexibility, clear skin, strength, stamina, vitality & radiance.
Beautifying Yogic Movements: Surya Namaskar, Bhujangasana, Simhasana.
OUTSIDE SELFCARE-CREATE YOUR SKINCARE DINCHARYA NATURALLY TO CLEANSE, SCRUB, STIMULATE & FEED YOUR SKIN:
Ever wondered what could be the daily requirements of our skin? Look at skin from the largest body organ perspective & you know skincare on daily basis is a must, & the job doesn’t get over by visiting a salon once a month!!!
Skin is the barrier & the outer covering-a wrapper that helps keep the internal organs of our body intact & optimal functioning. Being on the surface & the interface between our internal & external environment, skin performs host of functions through the day. The toxicity of the body in the form of dead skin exits the body through skin. Even more toxic elements exit the body in the form of sweat. On the outside, the skin daily deals with harsh, cold, warm, moist or humid weather. It bears the effects of pollution & external toxins to keep us safe & working within. From this perspective skin accumulates a lot of toxins outside on the surface & inside on its internal layers. Unless cleansed in a disciplined way each day, the blockages on skin overtime tend to manifest as skin issues. The things get worse when a clogged & unfed skin within is dealt with chemicals & anti-aging products. The skin is semi-porous & absorbs whatever comes in contact with it, be it creams, lotions, soaps or any chemical-based stuff. The chemical-based treatments performed on the skin unknowingly enter the body too, for the to process the toxins, adding additional load within your body. The results of best chemical-based luxury class may not be accessed, however, the chemicals that skin absorbs through such products are real & create internal toxins, ultimately creating an unclean body & unclean appearance.
The lifecycle of skin issues is internal as well as external, also exaggerated with lack of outside self-care. What makes our senses alert is just the thought of skin issues. What goes behind creating those issues is a lack of various things that we must address both inside & outside if health, beauty & wellness is a priority!
Skincare Dincharya for a Timeless Appearance - The Daily Skincare Requirements:
Cleansing - This is an obvious step towards daily skincare simply because the skin keeps accumulating pollutants from everywhere throughout the day. Furthermore, due to sweating the external toxins accumulated on skin's surface must be removed frequently to keep skin clean, bright & freely breathing. Its important not to expose skin to chemical-based cleansers that seep in deeper within as toxins creating an internal overload!
Scrubbing (Slouching off Dead Skin Cells) - Do you know every minute the skin is releasing dead skin cells & forming new ones. These dead skin cells, if not slouched regularly, create a barrier layer on the skin that gives a tired dull complexion on the outside. This layer blocks the pores & restricts skin from breathing causing bacterial interventions on skin. What women face as a result of this is a tired, dull, patchy complexion along with acne if bacterial activities begin intervention!
Massaging (Stimulation) - Active blood circulation is what keeps the skin glowing & radiate on the outside. Skin stimulation in the form of massage keeps the blood circulation active. The active blood circulation flows away the surface level toxins creating a radiant complexion under skin layers.
Skin Soothing - An inflamed, tired, dull skin must be soothed & fed right so that it attains its balance. Earthy & botanical face packs feed nutrition to the skin while also balancing its pH levels. A well-fed skin is a happy skin & a glowing complexion.