In your fifties your body starts to deteriorate more rapidly. We all know what we are supposed to be doing to stay healthy and there are anti ageing articles and products all around us. Regular readers of this blog will be armed with many facts on how to slow the process down. But let me make it clear you cannot anti age and you cannot reverse the process. Those that try hard to look younger end up looking older. HOWEVER you CAN slow the process. I know you are intelligent lot and these days women are armed with great knowledge but are you actually putting that knowledge into practise ?? So let me put it into one age defying capsule for you today and look at the three areas where you can make changes TODAY. Food , exercise and mental activity………..

FOOD

Eat well but limit the portion size. Portion sizes have increased over the years eat on smaller plates at home or share a main if eating out with friends or even order a starter portion. As you get older you need less food and your metabolism slows down. I personally eat one meal a day between 2-4 pm and at 56 i am still a healthy size 10. I have a green smoothie at midday loaded with goodness (find the recipe under the ‘Food’ section.

There is a growing consensus now that breakfast is a meal to be skipped to enable you to consume less calories, But also the longer you can wait to break your fast from the day before the better it is for your body and your joints to rest and rejuvenate them. Time restricted eating is the best thing you can do for your body as you get older even if you follow this pattern Monday to Friday then let loose on the weekends. Try to give your bodys’ digestive system a complete break when you can from 6PM to maybe midday the following day. This has been shown to bring inflammation down within the internal organs and the joints. Eating often throughout the day to stoke the metabolism has now been disproven as a method to lose weight and the must eat a big breakfast mantra began in the 1920s by breakfast food manufacturers.

Do not deny yourself foods that you love but in moderation. In your fifties healthy eating must become a way of life give up on the ‘diets’ and learn to make great meals containing fresh unprocessed ingredients. Simple uncomplicated meals can bring great pleasure to the senses. I particularly love the Hemsley sisters recipes. ITS ALL EASY by Gwyneth Paltrow and EAT, NOURISH,GLOW by Amelia Freer. Most of these meals can be put together in the time it takes to have a takeaway delivered. Once you start to eat clean you wont want to pollute your body with dirty food again. Excess SUGAR in your diet is one of the fastest ways to age your skin and your body try to avoid it where possible. But of course allow yourself a red wine or even a clean spirit like agave tequila !!! Drink more water as you get older your body needs to be constantly hydrated to work correctly and also skin looks more plumped at least 2 litres a day.

Have fun discovering wonderful food and clean up your diet in small steps to give your skin a healthy glow and fill your body with energy and reducing inflammation start today to slow the ageing process and prevent you from dealing with early on set illnesses due to proper nutrition.

Look out for more clean eating recipes on this site as it has been my obsession for many years. I hope it becomes yours.

EXERCISE

I am a big fan of Yoga and pilates more gentle yet strengthening exercise regime that also provides mental clarity and anti stress benefits. While weight control is 80% of what we eat and less about exercise, but exercise certainly slows the ageing process down. I personally am not a fan of high octane exercise like running and aerobics as they can be impactive on older joints and the Japanese believe that you only have so many breaths in your body so to continually be overworking the heart cause a shorter life. But I AM an advocate of you doing what YOU love as long as you are moving. A beautiful walk every day can be wonderful for destressing , getting fit and slowing the ageing process. Or a competitive sport such as tennis, badminton, volleyball etc where you have to keep score and form strategy can be great for mental health as well as not feeling like exercise if you are enjoying the activity and the company.

A quick word about weight training . Buy yourself some hand weights and use them a few times a day, whilst your waiting for the kettle to boil it is important to strengthen your bones and muscles with weight bearing exercises to prevent /delay oesteoporosis .

The message here is just keep moving , every day to delay ageing but enjoy whatever it is you are doing. Lets keep that body oiled rather than rusty.

MENTALITY

Also important to keep the mind oiled too. Regular followers can follow the Midweek Mantras on this site posted every Wednesday for tasks and inspirations to restore mental wellbeing or binge the blog history if in need of lots of Mentaal inspiration to kick start you out of a rut. Keep a Gratitude Journal to keep you positive. Three things every morning that you are grateful for , it is a way of training the neuron pathways in your brain. Buy a lovely notebook and a pen in a beautiful coloured ink. This works try it. Also it is important as we get older to continue learning, no guys this does not have to be a major programme you are undertaking like a Masters degree or a new language. How about Renaissance Art or French Wines ? Combine books with heading to Art Galleries or Wine Tastings. Make new friends with these common interests providing stimulating conversations. Sudoku, crosswords to exercise the mental agility side of your mind as well as the creative. Learning a musical instrument via the many apps available has been proven to keep a mind young , you are never to old to start learning.

Stress is the biggest ager both on the outside and the inside. So try to combat stress wherever necessary. But this is one thing that DOES improve with age the ability to cope with stress and view life differently , in a more relaxed manner. Yoga and Pilates as mentioned before really does help with this it is a workout for the mind as well as the body and also regulates deep breathing. Combatting stress is a lengthy subject and deserves an article all on its own and I am sure that by now you have this covered.

SO LET IT GO !

JOJOS STYLELIST TIP: TO ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE….PUT LIFE IN YOUR YEARS !!!

MWAH MWAH

JOJO XXXXXX