Look Younger and Feel Better

Healthy Ways to Look and Feel Younger

Discover the diet and fitness secrets for fighting wrinkles, feeling energized, and looking years younger, naturally
By Hollis Templeton fitbie
 

Boost Flexibility and Mood

As we age, we lose flexibility and range of motion, says Stanten, explaining that yoga helps maintain—and increase—flexibility, builds strength, and delivers a host of other anti-aging benefits.

SEARCH: Forms of yoga

Yoga can help reduce the oxidative stress that breaks down skin’s elasticity, and it also alleviates tension in the jaw and brow, which can help minimize wrinkles, says Stanten. Yoga also helps increase levels of melatonin, a hormone that aids in sleep—and one that naturally decreases with age.

People who practice yoga report feeling more relaxed and experience lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can cause the body to store fat in the abdominal area, increasing your risk for cardiovascular disease, according to researchers at Thomas Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and the Yoga Research Society.

Yoga has also been shown to help alleviate pain better than traditional exercise and stretching. In an Annals of Internal Medicine study, 100 participants with lower-back pain were divided into three groups: those who practiced yoga, those who performed aerobic and strength-training exercises followed by a stretching routine, and those who received a self-care book on managing back pain. After 12 weeks, the yoga group reported less pain and more back-related function and relied less on pain relievers.

Stanten advises using longer yoga practices for improving flexibility and toning muscles, and shorter routines for relaxation. If you’re new to yoga, start with Hatha, a gentle yoga class, then move on to faster-paced Vinyasa, a flow yoga, she suggests.

MORE: Perform this anti-aging yoga routine three times per week to banish stress and improve circulation, balance, and flexibility.

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