According to Celebrity Cosmetic Dermatologist and Wellness Expert, Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, being healthy depends on many factors. Our bodies have an approximate preset figure that might be under or over what society considers ideal, which puts enormous pressure on too many people to yo-yo up and down the scale.
For Frank, eating at specific hours can have an impact. “Once you change the timing of when you eat, you may realize that you’re less hungry and you’re no longer mindlessly snacking, so you’ll eat less and maintain weight more easily without even thinking about it,” he said, adding that “what you eat has a direct effect on your sense of well-being and longevity—and your skin.”
The Global Skincare Consultant for Madonna and MTG, Japan’s largest skincare and technology company, shared with HOLA! USA, the inside scoop on all things wellness from his new book “The Pro-Aging Playbook.” A guide that empowers its readers to chart their personal path by harnessing proven techniques for professional, proactive, and progressive care — and of course, to help you look and feel your best.
Find below nine nutrition, movement, stress, sleep tips from “The Pro-Aging Playbook” and Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank.
1. Try Fast Mimicking This very short-term, periodic fasting jolt makes a big difference in how well your body functions. It also gives you the psychological jolt you might need to make further changes in your attitude toward what, how, when, and why you eat.
2. Try Intermittent Fasting Intermittent fasting means that you eat all your meals, including snacks, within eight hours. It isn’t about restricting calories, although, of course, it’s not a license to gorge. Instead, it’s about optimizing and regulating your metabolism—because calories are not all the same.
3. Beware of your Supplements Without regulation, studies have shown that up to 40 percent of supplements tested don’t even include the ingredients listed on the bottle, contain a smaller percentage of the active ingredient, and might well contain other ingredients they’re not telling you about.
For example, Turmeric is a well-known anti-inflammatory, but it is almost as potent as aspirin as a blood thinner that can cause you to bleed out during surgery. Melatonin is a sleep-regulating hormone that can have severe implications for your hormonal balance.
DHEAS (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate) is available over the counter, but it’s pre-testosterone and can lead to sex-hormone imbalances. Grapefruit juice or supplements, for example, can decrease how well your liver metabolizes certain drugs, which can then alter the drug levels in your bloodstream.
4. Move! The number-one thing you can do for pro-aging, longevity, and beauty is to get moving. Period. Study after study after study reinforces this. Not just because it tones you, but it makes your skin brighter, and it decreases wrinkles. It improves sleep and cognitive function, your immune system, and the functioning of every organ of your body—including your skin.
Exercise is the number-one booster for mood disorders, feelings of insecurity, and emotional issues. Even if you can’t do a dedicated exercise session, you should always move as much as possible in your daily routine. You don‘t have to be good at whatever kind of exercise you do—you just have to be able to do it and be engaged while doing it.
5. Love how you exercise Strength training will be an enormous help to not only rev up your metabolism but to improve all aspects of your movement and overall well-being.
6. Stress and Sleep Stress and the hormonal symphony as a whole affect the aging process, the look of your skin, and the ability for your everyday functions to work for you or against you. If you’re wondering why you can’t lose weight, have trouble building muscle mass, have sleep irregularities, irregular periods, dark circles under your eyes, skin issues such as acne, and sexual dysfunction…think about stress and the physiologic changes that go along with it.
There’s no way you can ever manage your stress quickly and well—or look your best—if you’re exhausted from a lack of sleep. It’s called beauty sleep for a reason!
7. Wind down before bedtime Have your bedroom be a calm and peaceful environment. Don’t drink anything caffeinated or stimulating afternoon. Don’t exercise within three hours before bedtime. Don’t use alcohol as a sleeping aid.
8. Meditate Part of what makes any kind of meditation so significant is that it’s a daily habit. Whatever form of meditation you do, one of the most satisfying benefits is that it helps you sleep better. Study after study confirms meditation practices clearly affect brain functions, from its metabolism, hormone production, neurologic pathway plasticity, and neural waveform—all of which help mediate its regulatory functions. Meditation makes you stronger, more centered, and more focused. It allows you to say, “I need this time now for myself.”
9. Pro-Aging Tips for Stress Management Stop blaming yourself. Focus on the now. Find your pleasures, and enjoy them.
