Aging Backwards Tuesday Tips #61: Is Staying Young a Full-Time Job?

Someone said to me recently, "Look at you, you just sit around and have beauty treatments all day long, don't you?" Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. It doesn't take "having beauty treatments all day long" to keep Aging Backwards. That's the "beauty" of what I do. I find all kinds of secrets, tips and shortcuts to pass along to you that make it easy to look and feel young while still living your life. Not many people have time to "sit around and have beauty treatments all day," including me!

Here are some quick tips for Aging Backwards when, like me, you can't make it your "full-time job."

1) Instantly younger hands. Everyone knows by now that hands can show your age. In fact, many celebrities have been victims of ridicule for their "old lady" hands, including Sarah Jessica Parker in this photo from the Daily Mail. I found this tip by accident one day while experimenting with SPF lotions.

Kiehl's Tinted Sunscreen does double duty when it comes to your hands. Not only does it protect your hands from sun damage, but the tint actually gives a subtle youthfulness to hands. Another quick way to lose years from your hands is with polish and jewelry. According to a recent study, people thought photos of hands with polish and jewelry looked younger than the same hands without the polish and jewelry.

2) One minute relaxer. Try this several times a day for a quick and simple way to calm and relax yourself. Take a deep breath. Hold it for a count of five, release it for a count of seven. Repeat three to five times.

3) Five minute makeup. Another shocking comment I heard from an acquaintance one day was, "You probably take two hours to get ready to go out so you should start now." Excuse me? I can do my makeup in roughly five minutes and here's how: I start with my SPF 30 sunscreen. Next, I dot a bit of concealer under each eye and blend. Then, I lightly brush on my mineral powder foundation, followed by a little blush. Eye shadow, liner and mascara come next, followed by lip liner and gloss. That's it. I've even been known to take under five minutes for the whole thing. I interviewed Bruce Grayson, head of the Emmy's makeup department, for my book Aging Backwards: Secrets to Staying Young, and he told me that we need less makeup as we age, not more. So, a five-minute makeup routine is just right for me.

4) Six minute cat nap. Six minutes - that's all the time you need for a "power nap" that will not only make you feel better, but will also improve your ability to learn and remember, according to German researchers at the University of Duesseldorf. The researchers performed experiments in which they asked students to review and memorize a list of 30 words. Afterwards, the participants were allowed to play a video game or take a nap in a quiet room. The nappers remembered more words than the video gamers. The results suggest that most of the memory improvement is linked to changes that take place in the brain just as you start to fall asleep. "These processes remain active for a certain time period even if sleep is terminated shortly thereafter," said Olaf Lahl, the study's lead author.

5) Ten minute jump rope workout. Skipping rope is an awesome way to keep Aging Backwards. Of course, check with your doctor before doing it, especially if you have health issues, and be careful not to trip yourself if you're new to jumping rope. Start with a slow skip until you get the hang of it. Here's what I do: I warm up with a slow jump for about a minute and then I rest. I do another minute of jumping, upping my pace this time around. Then, another rest period. I repeat this pattern for ten minutes, each time jumping a little harder and faster than the last. That's it! Easy, effective workout.

Doing all of these tips back-to-back would take less than half an hour. So you can see that staying young is definitely not a full-time job when you know the Aging Backwards shortcuts.