by Cindy Abrahams

Created on: February 28, 2009   Last Updated: May 16, 2012

You've seen it touted in the chemist's shop, in the magazines, on the Internet, you can stop aging, you can turn back the hands of the clock and be youthful and beautiful your entire life. You don't have to live with those wrinkles and lines and sagging jowls. There are anti-wrinkle creams, and moisturizers that plump up your skin, and fillers to fill in the creases, and fade creams to hide the marks of too much fun in the sun but ask yourself this, is it worth all that money? And does it work?

The magic potions and elixers don't come without a hefty price tag both on your purse strings and to the environment and perhaps even to your own health and your ego when they don't work. Growing older is a natural process of life. Growing older gracefully and beautifully is an art form. How do you do that? First by taking care of yourself, the old adage of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure holds true when it comes to aging.

More and more people are rebelling against the marketing campaigns (conveniently pitched at the youthful market) and standing up and saying this face, this body is mine and I think it is just wonderful the way it is and understanding it is never too late to develop a regime that will help them grow and look good no matter what their age.

Begin by re-evaluating how you view yourself and make small changes that will pay off big dividends. First, if you are a smoker or heavy drinker or you are carrying excess weight get help and stop NOW, nothing ages you faster than these three things. Begin eating a healthy simple diet based on plenty of vegetables, whole grains, healthy fish and servings of fruit. Add water to your diet. Those eight glasses of water do a lot more than any wrinkle filler can do to help you look beautiful at any age inside and out. Exercise, 30 minutes a day is easy to fit into any schedule and those sagging parts will soon be toned and fit and no longer sagging and you'll have the added benefit of adding energy which will help you with the next item which is to get out and socialize, and laugh. Laughter will bring a glow to your face no amount of $700 dollars a jar cream can do and finally and the most important, find something you are passionate about and embrace it with all of your being.

Add a simple beauty routine to the above mix, meaning gently cleanse your face morning and night, tone it and add a moisturizer. Once a week use a masque or scrub depending on your skin type to slough off old cells, never go to bed with makeup on, wear your sunscreen and eat those fruits and veggies and omega-3 rich foods along with drinking plenty of fresh clean water. Keep it simple and stop fretting.

Follow the above advice and voila you will have found the magic elixer to maintaining inner and outer beauty throughout your lifetime with the added benefit of saving a ton of money you would have spent on products that may or may not do the trick. Use that saved money for items that bring you happy memories and you will add even more to that anti-aging bank account.

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