The Elusive Search For the Fountain of Youth

So how exactly DO we stay young and healthy?? Look at any fashion magazine. Look at any weekly magazine. Look on the bookshelves. We are bombarded with how to and how not to. What to do and what not to do. Let me break it down for you in Ellen’s 10 Easy Fountain of Youth Steps:

• Diet and Exercise. OK, we all know that sucks but you gotta do what you gotta do. You wanna be healthy? Just do it. You don’t NEED to necessarily be on a diet. Just think about what you are consuming. Michael Pollan’s Food Rules is a handy little book. One page chapters. Things like, look at the ingredients. If a third grader can’t pronounce the ingredients opt for something healthier (sorry Cathy, sorry Juan). As for exercise, yes, it’s necessary. But you don’t need to join a gym. Put on those sneakers and hit the pavement. 

 

• Drink water. Not soda. Not juice. Not martinis. Drink water. Makes your skin look great. Drink lots. OK…I KNOW it has side effects. So take out stock in toilet paper. What can I say? It’s so good for you. And an added bonus is that it is a great weight loss aid. ‘Nuff said.

• SPF. In other words, if you’re going to be worshipping the sun, for goodness sake, slather on sunscreen. I wear a moisturizer with a fairly high SPF (50) 365 days a year. Even on overcast days those UV rays have a nasty habit of peeking through. Sun is nice. A light golden tan makes you look healthy. Sun causes skin damage and cancer. Wanna look like old shoe leather? Bake in the sun for 10 summers with no sunscreen.

• Smoke free zone. Don’t smoke. Period. Don’t smoke.

• Moisturize. Not just in the daytime with an SPF. Before going to bed as well. Your skin loses moisture as you sleep. After bathing or showering moisturize while your skin is still damp. Not just your face. After that morning shower slather on a great smelling body lotion. And don’t forget to wash and moisturize your face before you go to sleep.

• Zzzzz’z. It’s not always easy is our crazy, hectic, work filled week. But try. This is the hardest rule of mine to follow. I know that there are days when I can barely get 6 hours due to late gigs and early work days. I feel cranky and old and terrible the next day. Sleep is a wonderful thing.

• Less is more. As women age, we need less in the way of cosmetics. Time to toss the thick foundation. Lose the blue eye shadow. If you plan on being a drag queen, then fine. Do what you want. Your face is the first thing people see when they look at you. Unless you’re in Italy. We can talk about that another time. Mascara, a little blush, a lipstick or gloss. Great for daytime. Save the liner for evenings out. You want to use a bit of cover up? Go right ahead, but don’t slab it on so thick that it looks like cake frosting.

• 50 shades of grey should not be on your head. If you’re going to go all grey then do it. Don’t have long strands of grey or grey roots. It makes you look old and tired. Don’t want to spend hours at a salon for a touch up? Root touch up is available in stores everywhere. And there are coupons too.

• Join a gang. No…not really. Hang out with people younger than you. They give out amazing energy. Hang out with people older than you. You give them energy which makes them AND you feel good. Good, good, good, good vibrations…

• And finally. Read, read, read. Enrich your mind. It keeps you young. It keeps your brain working. It doesn’t matter what you read. Just read. READ.

And those are my rules. I try to do these rules 24/7 but as always, sometimes rules will be broken. Except washing my face before bedtime. That’s sacred.

And by the way…these aren’t my rules alone. I just like to makes lists and try to accomplish every item. Hey…I’m really 105 years old! Don’t I look great for my age???

See you on Monday…new blog post day.