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?????

[fascicle]

There's a programme on telly tonight for anybody interested in defying the ageing process:

www.radiotimes.com/episode/d4k74n/how-to-stay-young--s1-e1-the-body

[StarlingMurmuration]

I'm 37 but only stopped getting asked for ID when buying alcohol etc a couple of years ago, and frequently get told I look much younger than I am. I don't do any of that stuff, not even the sunblock (though I do stay out of the sun because I don't like getting hot). I am however rather fat - I think my fat plumps out my wrinkles.

[PinkPjamas]

I'm early thirties, still get asked for I.D often and people usually estimate me mid to late twenties.
It could be because I'm vegan of 15 years,havent eaten meat since I was eleven, and usually run at least three times a week. I eat a lot of veg, nuts and water, use barenaked noodles as a 'carb', don't eat much junk.

Or it could be because of genetics, my mum looks young. I'm short.

I have crappy, fine, damaged hair but great skin and a round face. I'm slim.

I also drink WAY too much wine (not that I have a problem but it's a habit with dinner and relaxation, and I also have botox once a year. Some days, I live off hummus and Linda mc sausages. I'm not health obsessed
I'm pale and have worn factor 30-50 most days since I was a teen . Im not really bothered what I look like unless I'm in the mood for it or going out somewhere special and often look like a rag bag :) (like today)!

[PlummyBrummy]

I wasn't looking too bad up to my early thirties but then I had two non-sleeping kids and it has added YEARS! Eating too much crap, stressing and not looking after myself probably hasn't helped but it was definitely the lack of sleep to begin with. Starting to pull myself back together now but who knows how long it'll take!

[lljkk]

No way Silky! I look at least 10 yrs older than I am, I reckon. This matters to me about 2 on a 1-10 scale. Actually it amazes me how young a lot of women I see (in real life) look. They look 5-10 yrs younger than we both are, and 20+ yrs younger than I look.

[silkyoreilly]

Everyone thinks they look young for their age though, even if they don't say it. It's pretty rare to meet someone who's thinking 'well, I'm 40 but jesus, I look about 60'. We're all vain but we have no idea how others really see us. The 'you look so young' schtick is something everyone gets told, usually when they're being buttered up. That sounds really negative but I think most women look pretty good whether they look their age or not.

[StaggeringOn]

At school, the nuns went from wearing full headdress covering forehead, neck and side of face to small scarfs. Where their skin had been covered they had twenty year old skin. Of course the centre of their faces were those of women in their 50s and 60s. Looked weird, but taught me a good lesson re sun damage. Probably the only useful thing I learnt there.

[ootsideinbacktaefront]

Thanks Japanese, I will get a moisturiser with SPF as I'm only an occasional makeup wearer, I am starting to look a bit wrinkly 😁

[Pettywoman]

My SIL is like this. Mostly raw food, gluten free, limited caffeine and alcohol. She does yoga and meditation and she takes a gazillion vitamin supplements and is vegetarian. She's in her 60s now but looks late 40s. She's obsessed by health, especially alternative medicines.

[HPsauciness]

LOL at people on here who are in their late twenties and think their great looks are down to their lifestyle. In my twenties, I partied a lot, had a great time, and was also a size 8. It was easy then.

The harder times, for me, body-wise have been post-birth the second time around when that elasticity which was there first time wasn't and I didn't ping back, being very time-poor due to little kids so not eating as healthily as I would have liked, and now in the menopause which, with the best will in the world, makes your skin lose elasticity and weight gain is not as easy to reverse.

That said, I still look good for my age, I'm afraid those extra pounds don't look good around the waist, but they do help the wrinkles plump out. That, nice hair and a smile is what I aim for. No interest in injecting anything or indeed eating seeds all the time.

I don't know any of these uber-healthy women who look 20 years younger. The ones I know look nice, but not noticeably different than anyone else, and a couple are quite old looking in the face even though they have slim bodies. No-one is truly defying nature, nor is Jerry Hall, even with great dental work, hair dye etc, she looks lovely, but her age!

[MyLifeisaboxofwormgears]

I know several yoga freaks, I know it works for them but for me yoga is hell.
And if you are hypermobile, it's actually counter productive. Tried Pilates, that was dull too.

Now I pull weights, but eat lots of cake.

I do find people with relentless healthy lives and exercise are a weeny bit dull to talk to - they have substituted doing for thinking so don't have a lot of conversation, but not as bad as people who are obsessed with their kids, which is also unhealthy.

[specialsubject]

Jerry Hall is only 59, and the photos show reasonable wrinkles. She looks so much better than Paula someone the cosmetic guru who was the subject of another thread here; facelift so tight she practically has a beard...

Hall's hair is probably dyed of course. She also SMILES which takes years off - the slapped arse fish pout face of most models puts years on even the youngest.

with a lifetime stink stick habit she's done well, but that mainly gives wrinkles round the mouth due to the sucking, and she may have had a bit of work there. Can't speak for the state of her lungs of course.

spending the next few years standing next to her grandad won't harm her appearance...

[lljkk]

Is Jerry Hall lying thru her teeth or does she really do all the 'wrong' things & still looks 25 yrs younger than she is?

Lena Horne was famous for looking 35 yrs younger & didn't do anything special to be that way.

[FarAwayHills]

I think good genes along with a healthy lifestyle play a big part. By healthy lifestyle I don't mean living on bird seeds and green juice. I'm talking home cooked food from scratch, sensible portions, not too much alcohol or anything processed. Also being active.

My DM and DGM both look amazing and at least 10 years younger than their age. DGM is in her 90's. Neither of them has ever been overweight, DGM had 8 children They have never dieted or taken exercise classes but both had busy lives running after kids etc. They both have the occasional drink on special occasions. Tea is their main tipple

I think I'll stick to this plan as it seems to have worked so far for the ladies in my family.

[JapaneseSlipper]

I'd say it is possible to impact on your appearance through lifestyle. I know a family with 5 sisters, all now in their 60s and early 70s. Two in particular looked very similar when younger - only a year apart, and often mistaken for each other, or for twins.

One used expensive skincare and lived a reasonably clean lifestyle. The other smoked - not to excess, about 5 a day - and drank. They both had the usual level of sun exposure of children and teens scampering about in a hot town in the 60s - ie. a lot. They look quite different now.

[JapaneseSlipper]

ootsideinbacktaefront I don't like sunscreen either.

You can get moisturisers with SPF that feel light and non-sticky. You can also get makeup with SPF (if you wear it).

Personally, I use both of the above and in summer I wear a hat and sunglasses. If I know I'll be outside a lot, I will wear a separate 50+ sunscreen. I have lately started to wear quite open-weave, lightweight knitted tops in summer. I know they are not 100% effective against the sun but they protect my chest and arms and it's better than wearing a vest and baking.

There are also some sunscreens for facial use that aren't as sticky and awful as the stuff you get in a chemist. Japanese skincare brands have some good ones. They cost more but at least they aren't revolting. And for body, there are the drytouch spray sunscreens. Again, not as good as the creams, but better than nothing.

[lemmein]

I loved spiralised courgette - weird, cos I don't like courgettes!

[NickyEds]

You're probably right capsium I'm biased because I have a friend who is now low carbing and will not shut up about bloody spiralise courgette! It's just as nice as pasta!! don't you know. Over and over again.

[capsium]

Since the only alternative is death, why are we so afraid of looking "old"?

I agree, with you lljkk. However, saying this I have really felt people treating me better, they are much more friendly and chatty, when I look better (when I have been at my slimmest and not in my scruffiness stuff). Sad, and I am not saying this is right, but a lot of people are, at least subliminally, affected by appearances, I think. I have heard a lot of people saying they feel 'invisible' past middle age. So we shouldn't pander to the attention but it is easy to see how people connect looking old to feeling less positive about themselves when this is the message reaffirmed by society.

[lljkk]

Since the only alternative is death, why are we so afraid of looking "old"?

[capsium]

Life is definitely too short to spiralise a courgette!

All of the couple of minutes it take to spiralise it and wash the machine? Or the 30 seconds they take to whizz round a pan and cook? As cooking goes IMO they are quick and easy.

Fair enough if you hate courgettes, however don't let the hype about spiralisers put you off, they are just a convenient cutting gadget, they don't have to be treated as a fad.

[NoCakeLeft]

Fermenting kefir is not that difficult and doesn't take that much time either.
I can give you some milk kefir grains.
Misses the point of thread completely

[NickyEds]

It's the sun and the fags that get you I reckon, loads of other things make a difference but they're the biggies. I'm 36 and after 2 kids in 2 years I look every bloody days of it but I've never smoked and hate being in the sun so I think if I get some decent sleep and lose 2 stone I'll be okay. Life is definitely too short to spiralise a courgette!

[ootsideinbacktaefront]

Do people put suncream on every day or can you get SPF in other things? I hate wearing suncream.

[yadrosh]

My last sentence refers to the media, not you guys on MN!! No edit function on this forum!