Ways to slow down the aging process

With age, the skin suffers natural wear and tear, just like the rest of the body. As we age, the fibre network weakens, and skin sags as it loses its support structure. The skin becomes thinner, loses fat and is replaced with a rougher texture.
According to Joshua Ssozi, a nutritionist at Makerere University, several factors contribute to aging and these include exposure to sun rays, poor nutrition, living a sedentary lifestyle as well as age. While it is impossible to stop aging, the following steps can slow down the aging process:

Eat healthy meals
As we grow older, fighting the ultra violet rays from the sun through constant repair and regeneration requires the right nutrition, to stay young and healthy.
Eating junk food frequently will ruin your skin and make you appear fat and older. Eating a balanced diet makes you look younger. Focus on foods which contain antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, A and B, which are important for a healthy skin.
Eating healthy is good for your whole body, particularly your eyes. Ssozi says foods rich in vitamin A, C and E help to reduce the impact of both cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
Ssozi says, “Deep green and leafy vegetables are filled with vitamin C, beta carotene, and loaded with lutein. These antioxidants act like a natural sunscreen for your eyes and protect your eyes from harmful ultra violet rays.”
Legumes like kidney beans, black-eyed peas and lentils are good sources of zinc and they help protect the retina. Sunflower seeds help keep your eyes to be healthy and disease-free because they are excellent sources of vitamin E and zinc.

Exercise
Exercises, once done daily have a positive effect on your skin and the general body. Running and working out keeps your blood flow normal which keeps the skin and the entire body looking young and radiant. You will have strong muscles, bones, controlled weight even with older age.

Drink a lot of water
A minimum of eight glasses of water a day, is recommended, according to Dr SSozi and he adds that, “Drinking a lot of water is the easiest and cheapest way to looking younger and beautiful. It hydrates and moisturises the skin leaving it radiant and healthy all the time.” He says warm water is an ideal option, because it helps break down food, prevents constipation and improves blood circulation.

Have enough sleep
Having plenty of rest is very important while you fight aging. Depriving yourself of sleep is likely to make one bad-tempered, confused, suffer from poor memory, affects your health and puts you at risk of heart problems, high blood pressure and diabetes.
It also affects the skin by creating dark patches under the eyes. Having enough sleep keeps you stress-free and energised all the time.

Throw away make-up
Dr Edward Ogwang, a dermatologist of Skin Specialists Clinic, says many women think that wearing make-up makes them look younger.
“Cream and powder foundations are the worst skin enemy. With age, wrinkles around the eyes and mouth are inevitable and their visibility may be reduced by using creams and moisturisers, although they do not eliminate them completely. Throwing away make-up will actually make you look younger,” he says.