Everyone wants to look and feel younger; unfortunately, some simple daily habits which may seem harmless are actually aging you faster than you think. Changing your habits now can have a positive impact on your health and appearance when you are older.

1. Staring at Computer Screens

Spending too much time in front of a screen can be hard on your skin. When you work on a computer you often fall into a deep concentration which makes you hold a furrowed facial expression causing deep lines around your mouth.

Most people also have poor posture when sitting at the computer, which can cause back and neck pain and can limit your mobility as you age.

2. Excessive Intake of Sugar

While the occasional sweet snack won’t do too much harm, excessive intake of sugar can age you inside and out. Sugar reacts with collagen and elastin in the skin to reduce your skin's suppleness and elasticity causing wrinkles.

Sugar also impacts your body on a genetic level by speeding up the shortening of your telomeres at the end of DNA strands which advances the aging process. The earlier you reduce your sugar intake, the less impact it will have on your body.

3. Ignoring the Importance of Sunglasses

Sunglasses are more than just a stylish accessory; they are an important way to slow down the appearance of aging.

Squinting in the sunlight can cause deep, lasting wrinkles around your eyes which is one of the first places people notice signs of age. Choose sunglasses with polarised UV filtered lens and plastic frames to avoid the sun reflecting onto your cheeks.

4. Chewing Gum

Chewing gum may freshen your breath, but studies have shown that people who chew gum regularly are more likely to develop wrinkles around their mouths due to the weakening of supportive tissues because of repetitive chewing motions. To sweeten your breath, use sugar-free mints instead.

5. Smoking

Smoking impacts all aspects of your health and is not only linked with cancer, lung and heart disease but also reduces the elasticity of your skin, contributing to wrinkles and sagging.

6. Crash Diet

Crash dieting may help you lose a couple of pounds before an event, but it is not a long-term solution to weight loss. Crash dieting often causes rapid weight loss which can make your skin sag.

Crash dieters are more prone to “yo-yo” dieting, which can lead to rapid weight gain and loss, damaging your skin’s elasticity.

7. Not Getting Enough Sleep

Sleep allows your body to rest, rejuvenate, and repair itself, but too little sleep can have a significant impact on your hormones and regulatory systems which can cause accelerated aging. Professionals recommend 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

8. Skipping Veggies and Fruits from Your Diet

Fruit and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which allow you body to perform optimally. They are also high in antioxidants which can remove harmful free-radicals that can contribute to aging. Nutritionists recommend having a variety of different fruits and vegetables with every meal to increase your overall intake.

9. Stress

Stress comes in many forms from physical to psychological to emotional stress and can have a toll on your body from cognitive impairments to hormone imbalance. Identify your stressors and remove them as far as much as possible, or try relaxation and coping techniques to boost your resilience to stress.

10. Skipping Exercise

If you want to keep moving when you are older, you need to move more when you are younger. Keeping fit and exercising regularly is not only essential for your cardiovascular health and metabolism, but it also prevents injury by conditioning your muscles and joints and improves your mobility.

11. Alcohol Consumption

Moderate alcohol consumption of certain beverages has been shown to be healthy for your body; however, excessive consumption of alcohol can cause mental decline and cause a host of other health issues including cancer and cirrhosis. Moderate consumption is considered one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.

AUTHOR BIO

Nathan Clark writes for Aesthetics, established in 2007, an award-winning Facial and Aesthetics Centre of Excellence in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Aesthetics, a skin clinic in Stevenage offers a wide range of facial rejuvenation treatments to give clients a smoother, beautiful and more youthful appearance.