It’s Never Too Soon to Adopt Healthy Habits

Taking stock of your diet, exercise habits, even your emotional outlook in your 20s and 30s can pay huge health and beauty dividends later.

Women don’t realize that some of the best anti-sagging, wrinkle-erasing, life-lengthening tips, writes Hallie Levine in an article in Cosmopolitan, are easy and take just minutes a day.

For starters, your skin really takes a beating. Up to 80% of the signs of aging are caused by sun exposure. Use a moisturizer that contains SPF 15, or apply sunscreen along with your foundation, every day.

Smoking decreases your skin’s oxygen supply, leaving it sallow and leathery. No matter your age, once you stop smoking, your skin will start repairing itself within a few months.

“Frowning, brow furrowing, squinting and forehead wrinkling, can eventually cause permanent wrinkles,” says Ronald Moy, a Los Angeles dermatologist.

Besides a daily multivitamin, reach for the antioxidant blend of vitamin C and E. Try Protegnra, available over-the-counter. “Antioxidants get rid of free radicals, compounds in your bloodstream that increase your risk of cancer and heart disease,” explains Paul Lachance, director of the Nutriceuticals Institute at Rutgers University.

A 1997 University of Maryland study also found that a vitamin C and E combination increased the ability of arteries to expand to accommodate increased blood flow, even after patients consumed a McDonald’s meal.

When it comes to your emotional well-being, a 1993 National Center for Health Statistics study found that working women had lower cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and body weight than did those who stayed home. Another study found that pet owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels than do non-pet owners.

“Animals encourage touch and contact, which relaxes you and lowers your blood pressure,” explains Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University.

The best source of oil is flaxseed, available in health-food stores. It’s rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which act as antioxidants and anti-carcinogens. Recommended dosage is one tablespoon a day, used in cooking or even mixed into yogurt.

Your best source of protein is fish, especially fatty fish like tuna or salmon, because it’s packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, a vital nutrient for the brain and blood. Eating 35 grams of fish daily (less than one serving) almost halves your risk of a heart attack, according to a 1997 New England Journal of Medicine study. “Even eating three to four ounces, two to three times a week is sufficient,” stresses Lachance.

Women who consume the National Academy of Science recommended daily dosage of 350 milligrams of magnesium can exercise harder (they require less oxygen and have less heart strain) than do women who consume 175 milligrams, according to a 1997 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Humane Nutrition Research Center. You can find magnesium in multivitamins or foods such as bran and dark green vegetables.

Walking with hand weights is the best form of exercise. Doing so for half an hour, three times per week, builds muscle, which burns fat. It provides cardiovascular benefits and weight-resistance training, which is critical for strengthening bones, thus warding off osteoporosis. Start with half a pound in each hand and build up to no more than three pounds.

Research has shown that 30 minutes of physical activity a day can reduce a woman’s risk of cardiovascular disease by 50%.