10 Ways on How to Stay Young #NOWWellness

This post was created as part of the #NOWWellness Blogger Ambassador Campaign in which I am a financially compensated blogger ambassador and am providing tips on how to stay young with nontoxic bath products, personal care and food as you get older. The opinions are my own and based on my own experience.

 

In 2015, I turned age 50. At the time, I wasn’t scared. I was even more terrified when I turned 49. At the time, a lot of things in my life were not working right and I found myself feeling ill a lot of the time -even when my eating seemed on track. What I was doing not only had me sick and weak, it aged me. While I don’t claim to have discovered a fountain of youth, I did discover a wealth of information on how to stay young that has helped me feel and look good. Maybe I don’t look like my 40s anymore, but I have the energy and drive to enjoy my life and my family, in a way I never had the last few years. Here are 10 ideas on how to stay young:

1. Address the problem.

Detox your life. Before you start on real health issues, I have to ask you to address “that problem.” You know which one I’m talking about. It’s the one that is sucking your soul, killing your self-esteem, destroying your energy and honey, it IS aging you. It’s time to stop letting “that thing” wreck your life and get a hold of it. Whether it’s a big family issue or a “little” internal problem, you need to create to stop that problem that is holding your life hostage. This fall, I was sick all the time because I was stuck in a crisis I was SO close to I could not see all the ways it was hurting me. If you are sick without a medical or nutritional reason and cannot understand why ask a trusted friend to help you find the root of your problem. If you find the courage and grace from God to take the steps to get it under control or out of your life, I promise you will feel better, stronger and more empowered – and take years off your body.

1A. Don’t forget to address the stress, too!

Detox your stress. I wanted to update this part because I wrote this post on an upswing after a really, really terrible time in my life. In 2016, more junk hit the fan and by fall, 2016, I was feeling old and exhausted. I’m sure some of this was due to age/hormonal changes, some were due to the crash you feel after that initial high of getting your life back together and some were due to the fact that 2016 was marked by really crappy stuff happening to my kids. And let’s face it, moms, your life a wreck is bad, but when your children are suffering, that’s way, way WORSE. Parenting kids with disabilities can be so stressful!

You need not just to fix and conquer the big problems, you need to learn to manage your everyday stress. I’m back on this horse with many healthy suggestions, but I wanted to share this post because these changes have helped me through the “feeling old” part and now I’m back on my way to “young” – both at heart and in body!

2. Make the better food choice.

Detox your food. There’s long been debate about which is more important, eating right or exercising. For me, it’s eating right – hands down. That’s because while I can avoid exercise, I can’t avoid eating. Every single time I eat, I’m making a choice that is good or bad. (I don’t think too many foods are neutral.) You can eat fats, but will you choose ones rich in Omega-3, like avocados, or rich in bad fats, like a box of cookies. Both taste good, the choice is up to you. You don’t have to eat garbage or bland crap, but figure out the fruits and veggies you like, the fiber foods you want to embrace and make better choices for sweets. You should also consider wise choices like sticking to organic and nonGMO foods, and avoiding MSG.

3. Get your nutrients and heal your gut.

Detox your gut. You need to get your nutrients absorbed properly into your body, but poor gut health can make that a problem. Restore your gut and get high quality nutrients that create a solid foundation first. I’m using NOW Foods Biotin 5000 mcg Vcaps, which promotes immunity, skin health and provides a regulatory function as well as aiding in the metabolism of some amino acids. For gut health, NOW Foods Probiotic-10^TM is a great, easy to drink probiotic that you can throw right into your drink. It has no taste and, let me tell you, it’s immediately effective! It’s also dairy, wheat and gluten free.

4. Move enough every day.

Detox your routine. Some people love to exercise. I don’t but I do love going outside daily with my husband or my family. When I do that, I don’t even realize I’m exercising until I feel the burn later on. Use what works for you – a step tracker, a hiking trail, yoga, a local steep hill and get moving. I was so sedentary for so long that I was terrified of doing this but as soon as I started walking daily, I became used to it. Within 2 weeks, I was looking for a challenge. Within 3, I was looking better! What’s helped me was to enlist the people I love and work out together. Quality time + exercise = a fun way to get fit!

5. Get outside.

Detox your body. This was a long, harsh winter. This year, I was very sensitive to the cold so I avoided going out as much as possible. Big mistake. By March, I was totally depressed when I should have been happy. Fortunately, the sun came out in a big way (we had very little spring rain). I’m out there daily because it only took a few days before my mood completely changed. You will, however, have to take care of the next item the more you do this. This is a great thing to involve the whole family – with weather relevant events, like tubing in the winter, zoo visits in the spring, swimming in the summer and hiking in the fall.

6. Take care of your skin.

Detox your skin. By that, I mean ALL your skin. Not only should you get outside and expose it for 15 minutes of Vitamin D, you then should use do a good, clean organic sunblock to protect your skin, nontoxic products for your hair, face and body care. Finally, protect against fleas and ticks with clean sprays. Clean is the name of the game, here. Remember that your skin is your largest organ and skin cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. And, improper skin care can really age, so treat your skin kindly with clean products to stay young and healthy looking.

7. Get the toxins out of your home.

Detox your home. I’ve been doing this for years, but this year we have really stepped up, by throwing out more of our old plastics, buying LED lights and hiring an organic lawn care company. I’ve just gotten seeds to plant bee-friendly flowers as well, so in addition to keeping my backyard chemical-free, I can also help the local bee community thrive! If you’re really interested in detoxing your home, your kids and your family, check out my step-by-step course, where you can learn to detox every part of your home in just 4 weeks with less than one hour a week.

8. Limit or eliminate alcohol.

Detox your liver. I know that nobody likes this one, but truthfully alcohol is really not good for you. I’m not even talking about the addictive end of it, or the way it’s so easy to have “too much.” It usually contains sugar, sometimes glutens, sometimes fat, sometimes sulfates and it’s often an allergen. It has zero health benefits, in my opinion. I think we’d all like to believe red wine is healthy, but I believe the downside outweighs the up. Now, I’m not saying that everyone has to eliminate it but drink it in moderation. I did this and have never felt better. Trust me, it’s far more enjoyable when you save it for occasions and celebrations!

9. Make healthy drink choices.

Detox your liquids. Rehydration is so important but sometimes basic, filtered water is so boring! That said, make smart drink choices. Smoothies are a great choice over a traditional snack, and adding good flavor to water is far more fun than boring water. Lay off the sugar-loaded drinks (which are everywhere this time of year) and make your beverages count. I’m a fan of Acai Lemonade Slender Sticks. They are sugar-free (they use BetterStevia to sweeten), No-GMO and contain 10 super fruits for a blast of nutrients, including LOTS of Vitamin B-12. Definitely my summer go-to choice!

10. The biggest key on how to stay young? Be grateful every day.

Detox your mindset. If you are reading this, here are 3 things to be grateful for: your ability to read, your ability to see, your access to the Internet. It does not take much to be grateful every day. I swear, 5 minutes on Facebook usually makes me think, “there but for the grace of God go I”! What is that tiny thing that you are grateful for? Write it down. Write another tomorrow. Switch up your perspective to focus on what you have rather than what you don’t and it will make a difference!

Of these, the first and last are most important. We need to become our best and time and faith can help us do that, but we also need to take care of our one and only body. This is 49 for me, and I love it! I feel like I’m staying young and healthy. You can start them at any time – you don’t have to be approaching 50!

Here are TWO delicious smoothie recipes that combine a healthy snack, a better beverage and your nutrients, one chocolate and one vanilla.

Chocolate Power Up Protein Smoothie

• 1 tablespoon NOW Foods Chocolate Sprouted Brown Rice Protein
• 6-10 ounces almond milk
• 1/2 cup of organic kale or baby spinach or mix
• 1/2 cup fresh cut pineapple (include some juice)
• 1/4 cup organic frozen strawberries
• 1 banana
• 1-2 teaspoon hemp, flax or chia seeds
• add your supplement of choice

Tropical Delight Vanilla Smoothie

• 1 tablespoon NOW Foods Plant Protein Complex, Creamy Vanilla
• 6-10 ounces coconut milk
• 1/2 cup fresh cut pineapple (include some juice)
• 1 orange peeled
• 1 banana
• 1/4 crushed ice ice
• 1-2 teaspoon hemp, flax or chia seeds
• add your supplement of choice

Blend them up – delicious and you’re powered up to go. Now, are you ready to take control of these 10 ways to get, keep and maintain a youthful feeling, both inside and outside your body? These tips are easy to integrate and blend into your life. Take them one at a time.

I’m sure you have tips of your own, so please share: How do you stay young?

This post was created as part of the #NOWWellness Blogger Ambassador Campaign in which I am a financially compensated blogger ambassador. The opinions are my own and based on my own experience.