If you were 39.….

[froidIci]

For this who are(well) past 39, What would you advice yourself in terms of self-care?

So far I've got -

1. Lose weight - in a sustainable way, it will never get easier
2. I do not drink, smoke, or have caffeine (if that matters).
3. Drink more water?

If you have face cream/oil suggestions for so far wrinkle free normal facial skin - do say!

A lovely skincare routine - look up Caroline hirons 👍

I'm 40 but I think I'd advise to just stop looking in the mirror so much, enjoy life and look at all those fabulous women out there who have aged and have tons of wrinkles and jowls etc but are absolutely killing it in their fields.

Start lifting weights now before perimenopause kicks in.

Exercise as much as you can

Start meditation and learn relaxation techniques (peri anxiety is brutal)

I'd just focus on health, exercise and sun cream. Everything else is marketing not substance.

Plus this too!

Actually I would say that finding joy in life, seeking out memorable experiences and learning self acceptance are far more effective than face cream

I currently don't own a dresser, a dressing
Mirror or even own make up or skincare beyond a moisturiser and toileteries

I'm mainly just grateful to have my two smalls a good DH and my health. A colleague at 35 has just got diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. She has a baby.

So I do get your point. But on the style and beauty board grateful for any advice on self care :)

I would say, everything in moderation. And, you are SOOOOOO much more than what you look like. I like to look nice, I exercise regularly, I have a good skin care regime, I have baby Botox and profhilo. But I do those things for me, I couldn’t give a fig what anyone else thinks. And, the older I get the more I understand that WHO I am is more important that what I look like? What is the point of looking great if you are a horrible person?

I also enjoy a drink, smoke occasionally (clutch those pearls) and drink enough caffeine to fuel a small city. Ageing is inevitable and frankly better than the alternative.

Absolutely! Not being a horrible person is also hopefully in the bag :) I am a nice person :)

Ah ok. In that case….Medik8 skin care (the whole regime, including retinol. Pricy but worth it for me - I’m 46) baby Botox (which does not create the weird frozen forehead) and profhilo. Profhilo HURTS for 20 seconds but is definitely worth it.

I'm 40. I can't do much exercise because of underlying health conditions but a bit of yoga helps me. I also like to get outside for 10 mins as soon as I wake up (if it's not raining) as the fresh air peps me up a bit. Get decent sleep. I have a pretty simple skincare routine and have started incorporating vitamin C into my morning routine which makes me feel like I'm doing something!

@Buildingthefuture what are baby Botox and profhilo? Do you ever get any negative side effects?

Sunscreen is the obvious one

I would say

1 use a good spf every day to prevent age spots and sun damage

2 eat a healthy diet

3 excerise and start weights

if only i could follow my own advice 😂

Exercise as much as possible, eat as healthily as possible (within moderation). Wear organic sun cream but still don't lie in the sun cooking yourself. Take an A-Z vitamin every now and then. Make plans and have things to look forward to. Use organic brands for face and body such as Green People and Trevarno as much as possible. Work as little as you can get away with and play as much as you can!

Don’t start dyeing your hair, let it be what it will be.

Good skin care and definitely SPF every day.

Don’t get overweight, it is harder to lose when you hit peri-menopause.

Don’t lose yourself in prioritising everyone else in the family (kids; parents).

• Drink loads of water
• SPF everyday
• I don't think you need much more than good moisturiser, toner, cleanser, and maybe facial oil - I'm a big fan of the No.7 Protect and Perfect range for the basics. Also hand cream!

- Weightlifting, and then whatever combination of yoga/walking/swimming/cycling etc works for you - you'll need to sweat, but you can make it enjoyable.

• A good haircut, neat nails - doesn't have to be fancy or expensive but just something where you look intentionally put together.
• Loads of fruit n veg, healthy fats (far better to have full fat greek yoghurt than a diet equivalent), protein.
• Fresh air!

Above all, take as much pleasure as you can - in food, in movement, in rest, in your loved ones.

Loving this thread, OP (as a brand new 40 year-old)

Not much to add myself but have recently re-joined the gym after having a baby and weight training has helped me get into shape and I'm definitely noticing my strength improving.

I bought myself an expensive cleansing balm for nighttime face routine but other than smelling amazing all night I'm not sure it'll be worth the money (I'm only on day 3!).

@hazandduck Baby Botox is Botox but just a bit less? So I get a slight lift to my eyebrows, decrease in my forehead lines, lines between my eyes etc, but I can still move my eyebrows and forehead. I don’t look “frozen”. Profhilo is not a filler (I’m terrified of those!) but it improves the skin tone and texture. I go to a Dr for both and it’s a very subtle difference, I just look like I’ve slept well, a bit less tired and a bit more…..perky? It’s hard to describe but it works for me. And no, 3 years in, I’ve never had any side effects at all. Like I said, profhilo HURTS but it’s over in seconds.

Fab advice so far :)

A question about sunscreen. As a brown skinned first generation migrant to UK with diagnosed off charts low Vitamin D I'm
Never sure about sunscreen. I mean it wasn't a thing growing up in the cku try I grew up in with baking equatorial grade sun rays - skin cancerslao very rare. Now in the Uk Obviously very different skins around including my DH who's pale white with many moles.

I guess does someone of m ethnicity really need sunscreen for Uk sun when we all merrily roam about in home country without it in crazy sun?

I also agree about sunscreen. Every day. Even in winter. And cleanse, tone and moisturise, every morning and every night, also using appropriate eye cream.
I would also recommend Prai neck oil. That stuff is bloody fantastic at smoothing and firming the neck area, but the feckers have stopped making it!!! I’m currently trialing a few others, so we will see…..

The only things that need to go on your face are cool water and sun cream. Every woman i know that spends a fortune on skin care has wrinkles. I use nothing but i am the one that is wrinkle free in my late 50s.

All the usual good advice

Drink water
Stay out of the sun
Exercise outside
Loads of veg, lots of protein
Little alcohol
Healthy weight
Good moisturizer, doesn't need to be expensive
Don't for God's sake smoke

Keep your weight down
Eat healthily
Find an Exercise that you love to do and make time to do it often.
Find some true women friends and laugh with them.
Skin care should have started many many years ago. Mosturise every day use one that had spf in it.
The good care of your teeth.

@froidIci yes, you do need it to protect your skin but it doesn’t have to be expensive. I’ve tried sooo many but my current favourite is Nivea dark spot sun cream. It’s about £8 off amazon, doesn’t leave you greasy, smells nice and provides excellent protection. The Medik8 day moisturiser is also SPF 30 and a lot of foundations now have SPF too.