Adolescent Joey would lower his voice and draw a moustache on his face to buy a movie ticket at the defunct Life Theater at Claveria Street (now Claro M. Recto Avenue) that used to show sexy movies. Now in his 50s, golden boy Joey could be often seen wearing loud t-shirts, cargo shorts, Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, and a pair of tinted glasses to hide his puffy eyes with dark circles.
Joey was rushing to adulthood but now he longs to slow down or stop aging. But he drinks a lot, smokes packs of cigarettes, almost always sleeps at dawn, and lacks exercise. So he stays young only in his imagination.
Senescence or biological aging is inevitable but health experts recommend proper diet, healthy lifestyle, and optimism to help delay aging.
Here are some common reasons that get blamed for looking older than we should be.
Alcohol is said to be the ultimate dehydrator. It robs our bodies of B vitamins and vitamins A and C, which are important for skin and overall health. Excessive alcohol depletes minerals including magnesium and zinc, as well as essential fatty acids, all of which are needed to slow down the onset of premature ageing (Nutritional Therapist Petronella Ravenshear, 8 Foods that Make Your Skin Age Faster, getthegloss.com)Lack of sleepSedentary LifestyleStress. Nothing takes its toll on your body faster than constant worry, anxiety, or stress. In fact, a 2012 study suggests that job-related stress can have a harmful effect on DNA in your cells. According to an article published by Huffington Post, researchers measured the length of DNA sections called telomeres and found that people with the most work-related stress had the shortest telomeres, causing cells to die or become damaged, which may speed up the aging process. Additionally, stress can age your brain, increase your blood pressure, and disrupt your sleeping habits, all of which combined can make you look older, as well (Alanna Nuñez, 10 Everyday Things that Age You, shape.com).Sunbathing. As amazing as that sun feels on your body, sunbathing or tanning is one of the worst things you can do for your skin. Besides the risk of cancer, excessive UV ray exposure weakens your skin cells and blood vessels, which causes that tanned, leathery look you see on people who’ve spent their entire lives outdoors. Interestingly enough, it can even make your skin more susceptible to bruising (Alanna Nuñez, 10 Everyday Things that Age You, shape.com).Sugar. Sugar is the number one food to avoid if you’re looking to slow down the ageing process. It not only makes us fat but also makes us wrinkly, as it cross-links with collagen, making our skin less flexible and dehydrating it too (getthegloss.com).Trans-fats/ Hydrogenated Fats.These are the kind of damaged fats you find in foods with a long shelf life, such as biscuits, and in fast foods and deep fried foods. They reduce the fluidity of our cells, burden the liver and add to inflammation, i.e. aging.Processed meats.Their high salt content adds to puffiness, and the preservatives they contain trigger inflammation. To add, they also use up vitamin C, which is central to collagen formation.Smoking. Smoking can speed up the normal aging process of your skin, contributing to wrinkles. These skin changes may occur after only 10 years of smoking. … Aside from age, smoking is the strongest predictor of facial wrinkling in men and women (mayoclinic.org)Potatoes and Grains. Both potatoes and grains ultimately break down into sugar in our bodies and also use up valuable minerals when they are metabolized, such as zinc, which is crucial for skin health. Not to mention they give us almost nothing in return – except calories.Potatoes and Grains. Both potatoes and grains ultimately break down into sugar in our bodies and also use up valuable minerals when they are metabolized, such as zinc, which is crucial for skin health. Not to mention they give us almost nothing in return – except calories.Artificial Sweeteners. These are liver-toxic, and we need our liver in the best possible order to slow down the ageing process (Katie Robinson, 8 Foods that Make Your Skin Age Faster, getthegloss.com)… but a “Sugar substitute” entry in Wikipedia says, “As of 2018, there is no strong evidence that non-sugar sweeteners are unsafe or result in improved health outcomes.” (image source: Wikipedia)Caffeine. Most of us love a good cup of coffee – to a certain extent anything (in moderation) that gives us pleasure is good for us. Just remember to drink an extra glass of water for each cup of coffee you have to counteract caffeine’s dehydrating effects on the body (getthegloss.com).
