If you are trying to look 10 years younger or more, there is no
shortage of information or products to help you achieve your goal.
Nowadays, it seems everywhere you turn there is some new product or
cosmetic procedure claiming to remove wrinkles, restore elasticity,
bring back radiance... the list goes on and on.
But before you try
that breakthrough product or visit that hot new medical day spa there
are 3 anti aging traps you need to know about. Fall into one of these,
and no matter what products you are using, you could be undermining your
results without even knowing it.
Anti Aging Trap #1- No Passion for Anti Aging or Complete Acceptance of the Aging Process
"Passion
for anti aging?" you say. "Of course I have passion for anti aging. Why
do you think I spend hundreds of dollars on products and procedures?"
Let's
make one thing clear- passion for anti aging and looking 10 years
younger has nothing to do with how many products you buy or how many
visits you schedule with your plastic surgeon. Passion for anti aging
starts in the brain:
For example: Every morning when I wake up,
the first thing on my mind is anti aging. I am constantly researching,
studying, putting test ideas into practice to stay and feel younger and
more vibrant. I thoroughly enjoy it and a day doesn't go by without me
thinking about anti aging and trying to look 10 years younger.
Now
I know everyone doesn't or even can't wake up with anti aging on the
brain. There are kids to get off to school, jobs to go to, bills to pay;
the list goes on and on.
But to really achieve any level of anti aging, you do have to have some passion for it.
Why?
Because
passion for anything, whether it be looking 10 years younger, losing
weight, or getting a promotion starts in the brain. The moment you set
your mind to achieve something your brain immediately goes into
overdrive coming up with ideas to bring this plan to fruition. Passion
is the fuel which drives this process. The more passionate you are about
an idea, the higher the probability that you will achieve what you
desire.
Unfortunately, anti aging or trying to look 10 years
younger or more quickly loses momentum. This is because many people feel
there are only a few options to truly stay youthful. Once they start to
age, they believe the only options they have are plastic surgery or
Botox. Which brings us to the next anti aging trap:
Anti Aging trap #2- Overloading On Plastic Surgery and Cosmetic Procedures
I
recently met a 48 woman who was obviously addicted to plastic surgery.
Her face was smooth, taut and unlined. She had no wrinkles on her
forehead, around her eyes or around her mouth. But guess what? She
didn't look ten years younger. She looked like a 48 year old woman that
had a lot of work done.
Her face was mask-like, even when she
smiled. You can see this look on a lot of celebrities (Courtney Cox,
Nicole Kidman, Joan Rivers). Maybe that's why some people think it is
the best way to fight the aging process. People love to emulate their
favorite stars.
Now I'm not against plastic surgery. Compared to
only 10 years ago, plastic and cosmetic surgery has come a long way in
helping people everywhere to look and feel younger. And perhaps that's
the problem. Because it has become so much more affordable it is now the
quick fix instead of the last resort. Too much plastic surgery or
cosmetic procedures will not make you look 10 years younger. It will
however make you look strange, unnatural and like a plastic surgery
junkie.
Anti Aging Trap #3 Setting the Bar Too Low
When
I ask women what they really want to achieve from all the effort they
put into staying youthful, more often than not most of them respond with
the following:
"I want to look good for my age."
The only way I know how to respond to this statement is "Why?"
If
you truly want to look good for your age, no matter if it's 30, 40 or
50+ then I say go for it. You could probably achieve your goal in a
matter of months if you haven't done so already. But know this:
You
will never go to a college sporting event and be mistaken for a coed by
4 different students. You won't be able to wear a mini skirt and look
"age appropriate". (Sorry to use that phrase. I actually despise it but
that's a whole other article.) You will never go for a jog and have 3
seventeen year olds on scooters ask what college you go to.
Why?
Because "looking good for your age" is setting the bar way too low. Sure
you look good, but only for your age. It's the equivalent of the
comment: "you throw pretty good for a girl". You want to look good
period. You want to look so good that no one can say you look good for
your age because no one can tell how old you are.
I know plenty of
women aged 40+ who can and have been mistaken for a college coed. Who
still have the ability to pull off a mini and flip flops. And who have
17 year old boys waving to them from their motorcycles and scooters
Now
that we discussed the 3 Anti Aging Traps and how easy they are to fall
into, let's talk about the good news. Look at the following quote:
"Anti
Aging to us is a lifestyle. My wife and I decided a long time ago that
we weren't going to age. We were going to eat right, constantly try new
things, take care of our bodies. But most importantly, we set our mind
to it and I guess we're doing all right."-from a 52 year old man and his
46 year old wife.
This quote came from a married couple I
recently met who I had guessed to be in their mid thirties. The man
confessed to me that he was actually 52 years old and his wife was 46. I
was pretty stunned. Being as obsessed as I am with anti aging, I can
usually guess peoples' ages pretty well. So this really threw me for a
loop.
This couple looked, walked and talked like they were 35
years old. And a young 35 at that. It was truly amazing and I couldn't
stop looking at them.
So how were they able to look at least 10 to 15 years younger? Is it possible that they had some plastic surgery?
They
were very open and honest about their beauty regimen and upkeep. They
told me they have had "absolutely no Botox". And no plastic surgery.
They both have skin peels every six months to rejuvenate their skin.
They eat no processed food whatsoever and a lot of fresh fruit and
vegetables. They exercise 5 days a week, stretch extensively to stay
flexible and agile and keep abreast of new innovations in the anti aging
industry.
Everything they told me was fascinating and their plan
was obviously working for them. But I kept going back to their original
quote: "My wife and I decided that we weren't going to age."
That
small statement is one of the key reasons why they are able to stay so
vibrant and young looking. In their mind, they wouldn't accept the aging
process and when they had that affirmation set firmly in their brain
that set in motion a life-long plan of fighting aging at every turn.
Once that affirmation was solidly in place, everything else that
followed became second nature to them.
And that is the true key to
anti aging and staying young and vital. Believing with absolute
certainty that you can. So stay passionate about anti aging, don't
overload on cosmetic and plastic surgery and set that bar way up high.
When you avoid these anti aging traps, you'll be surprised how quickly
your body and mind respond. You may just wake up a couple months from
now looking 10 years younger.