Best Anti-Ageing Secrets

Water: 

• Drink more water and (sorry girls lol) less alcohol. I’m trying to drink at least 2 litres of water a day! Being properly hydrated helps burn calories, enhances mental clarity and reduces the signs of aging.

Wear SPF every single day:

• There are so many nice facial tanners out there now, so no excuse!

Self-Care: 

• It’s the little things! I try to get regular manicures and pedicures; and get my hair done whenever I see the greys lol 🙂 I feel it’s so important to have an hour out, have a cup of coffee, build a relationship with your Nail Technician, your Beautician, your Hairdresser or whoever it is… and have the chats. Time away from work; time away from the kids; time away from your partner; time away from house-work… Self-care really helps me to de-stress. We’re all so busy running around looking after everybody else and it’s important to recognise that we need to look after ourselves first in order to be able to look after everybody else. When I take time out to do things like nails and hair for myself, it’s a little bit of ‘me time’ and I feel more relaxed after it.

Smoking: 

• Sorry girls… but if you’re a smoker, try at least to cut down. We all know smokers are more prone to wrinkles on their face.

Exercise: 

• Exercise doesn’t just make you feel younger… I read somewhere it may actually turn off the aging process in your chromosomes and I’m running with that!!
• Everything starts to seize up as you get older and you have to keep moving or you’ll seize up. I don’t even own a scales so I’m not led by weight at all. My motivation to do exercise is for headspace and mental health mostly. Once I’m 5 minutes in, the happy endorphins start pumping away regardless of what type of workout I’m doing. When you think about it – you’re bringing the oxygen levels right up to the surface of your skin so immediately you’re getting that healthy glow. Because of my age, I’m using more weights than cardio and when you’re finished your weights session you’re actually burning fat all day long after a weight session.
• If you find that you’re self-conscious in a gym and that makes you reluctant to go… Then recognise that as a trigger and go get yourself some good workout wear! Whether it’s a supportive bra or new runners – get something to solve that problem. For those of you that follow me on my social channels you know that I’ve always worn the same brand of workout wear to the gym and as a result I’ve recently become a Brand Ambassador for iSpy Clothing. I chose them because you can’t see through their leggings – as many of you will remember from my squat test on Instagram lol 🙂 I think if you’re comfortable in your skin in a gym, you won’t have adjust your leggings or your bra or wonder if other gym-goers can see your knickers when you’re bending down. Let’s face it, we’re all there to get our work out done so I want something I can grab to wear that will be comfortable and I can focus on what I’m there to do. So find something you’re comfortable in and release those endorphins!

Skin-Care/Body-Care:

• Hydration is key. Do the pinch test: Pinch the skin on the back of your hand or cheek. If it snaps back immediately, it’s well hydrated… or if it takes a few seconds and drops back slowly, your skin is thirsty.
• Serums and moisturisers: It’s a minefield out there with every brand pushing the next best thing. But saying that, serums are essential, hyaluronic acid is great for keeping skin hydrated as are serums with Vitamin C.
• Top Tip: Never go bare. Always apply your body lotions right after showering; and your serums right after facial cleansing. You’ll thank me for it.

Reduce Screen-Time:

• I’m trying really hard to do this. I’m well aware I’m not going to get this time back with Daragh. In 2 years’ time, he’s probably going to be gone to college from Monday – Friday and I’ll be saying to myself I shouldn’t have been working or I shouldn’t have been on the phone. I’m working in the Office and then I’m working on Social Media and the weeks are flying by… So I’ve made a conscious decision to try and be more present and switch off on the weekends.

Supplements:

• Symprove: I recommend Symprove and I’ve been on that since last August but I’m not on the daily dose anymore, I take it now every second day. Symprove for me isn’t just for bloating – it’s for all-round wellness. It is a higher price point but it is the only one that has been proven that it works and certified by Kings College which is an independent college in the UK.
• Altrient: This is 1000mg of Vitamin C and I took that after the Hysterectomy initially to help with internal healing and I’ve stayed on it ever since. That counts as my Vitamin C intake and it’s the strongest dose you can take: 1000mg.
• Revive Active: I take this for energy as I’m on the go all the time: I’m in the gym, I’m getting very little sleep so I find this is great for my energy levels and I take it religiously. Paula Radcliffe recommended it who is on the back of the box as one of their Ambassadors and I have to say since I started taking it I feel great.
  • All the above products are available from Meaghers Pharmacy. Full disclosure: I’m a Brand Ambassador for Meaghers Pharmacy, however, please note this is not a paid-for ad, I’m simply sharing my daily routine and tips of what I use myself. 

Eat well: 

• Go back to basics. It’s not rocket science even if you were never to take a supplement, eat your 3 standard meals a day. Consume more fats ladies: the healthy fats that is i.e. avocados (and not pizzas ladies). The rest is common sense really.

Sleep:

• Get more of it! This is something I need to work on as I’m a nightmare (excuse the pun lol!) with sleep. My sleep pattern is all over the place. I’ve never been a good sleeper since my marriage broke up. I’ve tried so many different things like magnesium, sleep sprays, reducing screen time and I’m still not a great sleeper. Maybe it’s a case that some people are and some people aren’t. My mind is always active and working and thinking… so I find it hard to relax. Ironically when I was at home for the 6 weeks recovering after my Hysterectomy, it was the only time I didn’t have black bags under my eyes… It was because I was sleeping so much! I looked really fresh-faced and people were saying to me ‘Oh my God, you look so well’ even though I’d just had surgery… but I was getting about 9 hours of sleep a day. It just shows you – sleep really is a miracle worker!

* This is not a paid for article and any links contained in this article are simply brands that I use myself.