to be confounded by health nut, non aging women?

[anonnobody]

I think we all know some women like that who dine on miso soup and spiralised corgette, who don't drink, smoke or eat mars bars, who do yoga, meditation and never leave the house without SPF 30 sunblock on. I have a couple of friends who fall into this catagory and it is fair to say that as we all are hitting 40 they do look really good and much younger than us mere mortals. I guess you can't get drunk with them but they are still good friends and great fun but I just can't get my head round how they do it. I mean how do you get to the point where you have the time and headspace to sprout your own seeds, ferment your own kefir, do yoga every day and do all your cooking from scratch?

I am tempted by the way these women look to follow at least some of what they are doing but it just seems impossible to me also it seems like its a bit all or nothing you need to go the whole hog rather than just bits and bobs. Even if I did it all I think its more about prevetion than fixing the current rapidly declining state of affairs that is my appearance. How do these women know so young to do these things, I never thought about it till I was over 35 and yet they were using high spf as teenages!

Are these women aliens from another planet?????

[EveryoneElsie]

Its just the factor 30 sun block that works, the rest of it is bollocks. I've always worn it as I burn so easily, but then I look like I just crawled out from under a rock.

[WorraLiberty]

YABU for assuming we all know women like this...I certainly don't.

But perhaps they didn't 'know' to do these things so young? Perhaps they just enjoy living that way?

It's totally alien to me, but some people must enjoy it

[TheNaze73]

Lots of them women where I am. Each to their own I suppose. A good sun block & the lack of stress from not having children is probably the secret there

[anonnobody]

True the most youthful of them do not have children so that must be a big part of it!

[ImperialBlether]

My daughter's a bit like this now. She's 26, no children, goes to yoga several times a week, eats clean (most of the time) and hardly ever drinks. She looks amazing and is very, very supple. It's the yoga that's made the biggest difference, though she says not drinking means she's happy to get up really early and go to bed early.

I don't know how people do it who have children as well as a full time job, though.

[ImperialBlether]

One thing my daughter says is that yoga is really good for depression - she had intermittent problems with it a few years ago but nothing since she started yoga.

[FrankUnderwoodsWife]

I know lots of women like this!
They spend time and money on skin care. They work out a minimum of 3 x a week, and this is non negotiable.
SPF everytime they leave the house, they take off all their makeup at night. And they use makeup daily.
They NEVER eat carbs but drink like fishes.
They're all bloody brilliant, intelligent women who want to make the most of themselves. We all believe 50 is the new 30 (I'm the youngest and oldest looking at 40 )

[Sallyingforth]

They may look good when you meet them but I'll bet when they stare into the mirror first thing in the morning they feel just the same as you.

[Farahilda]

Good nutrition, regular exercise and sunblock are all very good for your health and your skin. So yes, I can see why they look bright eyed and bushy tailed.

It's all cumulative though - you can't do much about the ageing profile in your genes, other than remove the factors that would advance it. So starting now might hold back further ageing and should make you more energetic, but it won't unravel the past.

They probably find time for tantric sex, as well.

[anonnobody]

Perhaps they do but one of them very rarely wears any make up and she is the youngest looking and healthiest of the lot. She is 39 but looks early 20's easy. So annoying!

That is interesting about yoga and depression I need to look into that.

[anonnobody]

I suppose it is when healthy lifestyle and good genes collide you get the non agers I have mentioned. I looked great up until my early 30's when suddenly, over night my face fell apart and its only got worse since then. I don't think I could undo all of that without some serious surgical intervention and I won't do that.

[capsium]

Slapping one cream on as opposed to another is exactly the same as in time stakes. I would burn badly in the summer if I didn't wear any. I don't wear sun cream in the winter but do moisturise more as my skills gets dry - so some form of cream is going on my skin.

As regards to diet, cooking, eating and drinking, you get can used to preparing and consuming whatever you like. I have spiraliser courgette and like it. I like cauliflower mash and cauliflower 'rice', I cook low carb versions of cakes and deserts for treats. I like cooking and healthy recipes don't have to be fiddly and I will only eat food I like so there is nothing so amazing here. You can get used to drinking less alcohol too, get stuff you sip, don't build a habit up of having wine with most main meals. I enjoy red bush tea and millicano decaf coffee too.

And lots of people enjoy sports and exercise. Me not so much, but I like walking and cycling.

[UrgentSchoolHelp]

Sounds to me like they probably also do Botox and peels and that marine jelly stuff that costs a squillion pounds for a tiny pot. Face lifts too, I'd guess.

[capsium]

^desserts. Typo.

[Delacroix]

Cooking for scratch isn't the crazy witchcraft some folk make it out to be... I start around 5.30pm, serve up around 6 - 6.15pm... so, job done. No homegrown-miso here, though.

Worn SPF since I started work at 16 and bought some, because my mother had been a big fan of spritzing my toddler self with factor 2 oil and encouraging me to sunbathe 'as dark as possible' for 2 weeks each year. Our holiday photos show me a sickening shade of burned-white-person-orange. Time will only tell what damage that did, but I feel no desire to add to it now.

I don't drink much mainly because I never really got into it. I had some time in my twenties going out for after-work drinks and date-drinks but other than an occasional bottle of wine, drinking at home never became habit. Now I do none of the above mostly due to the cost - it seems so wasteful now, when I could spend that same money on things that last longer. Never got into the smoking habit.

Always done sport out of habit... so cycling, martial arts, dance... fitness wasn't a major 'thing' when I grew up, it was just something you did that marketers hadn't gotten around to yet. Again, if it's something you've always done it's something you feel is just part of everyday life.

Er, I dunno. I don't think I even look young despite the above, I feel kind of cheated :) I don't think it's massively complex, nor do I think it takes much effort. I think what's weirder is the bragging element of these things, the photos and the dopey #i'msuchagoodgirl hashtags because you ate a spinach leaf, this belief you should be rewarded or praised for the 'extraordinary' achievement of doing what a lot of people call just 'every living'. Seriously, you walked to work, drank water and made a stir fry for dinner... that's called Dull Average Thursday, not OMG I #ATECLEAN and did 5000 steps day.

[WorraLiberty]

Personally I don't equate looking young with looking good, as they don't always go hand in hand.

For example, I think Helen Mirren looks beautiful but I don't think she looks younger than her years.

Equally, I know quite a few 24 year olds who imo don't look good at all.

[scarlets]

I look a lot younger than I am, yet I'm a sun-worshipper with a questionable diet (lots of fruit/veg but lots of white carbs and processed snacky food too) which means I'm slightly overweight, and I do drink alcohol occasionally and caffeinated drinks far too often. So, I think it's genetics. I know health freaks with amazing figures but facially, they look their age.

Nothing wrong with looking uour age anyway. I don't care who knows that I'm in my early 40s.

[Kennington]

My husband cooks a peasant diet and I don't sunbathe. These things probably make the most difference.
Also the art of light make up is the key - I look a horror before artifice but after I will get mistaken for being much younger.

[CosyNook]

No, I don't know anyone like this, or anyone who cares about it either.

[MrsJayy]

I know a few women like this little boxes of bird seed for lunch yoga pillates gym 3 times a week they look their age mind you just with lovely skin and swishy hair 1 though has botox I think she looks quite surprised good for them you have to admire their dedication I'm to lazy for any of it.

[RunswickBay]

Aren't they just a smidgeon dull though?

[elfycat]

I nearly vomited the first and last time I tried miso.

I look younger than I am, not by loads, but people are often surprised that I'm over 40 unless I have my hair tied up when the non-dyed, grey-self-highlights show up (I'm 44)

I think it helps that I'm overweight (by more than I look. No one believes how much I actually weigh). I guess I'm just a deceptive person .

I've always worn sun tan lotion on hot days. Hardly ever wear make-up and mostly clear it off. I eat a ton of fruit, veg, nuts and seeds and drink lots of tea and cola fluids and water. I'm dabbled in yoga but it's never taken.

I actually put it all down to genetics (thanks Dad, who has always looked younger than his age).

[specialsubject]

I eat my veg cooked and whole, not mushed up. I try to move around and minimise car use.

I don't drink alcohol because I don't like it, so that's easy. I've never smoked because it is revolting, so that's also easy.

I eat good carbs, love them.

I do wear suncream because getting burnt hurts and looks stupid, and I also know now that it is the only thing that really does have an effect on skin. I do no other 'skin care' other than washing.

none of this seems a big deal. With the exception of alcohol, isn't it what normal people do?

[NewYearSameMe]

The youngest looking women that I know are mostly at least a quarter Chinese. I guess there's really nothing that I can do about that for myself.