33 Ways to Feel 10 Years Younger

Age has a way of sneaking up on us. One minute, you're pulling all-nighters to finish that essay, and the next, you’re feeling aches and pains in places you didn’t know existed. While there's nothing you can do to halt the passage of time, there are things you can do to feel younger.

1. Eat Breakfast

Eating breakfast gives you more energy for your daily activities, and provides important nutrients that you require throughout the day. Contrary to what you might think, a healthy breakfast — one with a good balance of whole grains, fats, fiber, and protein — can also help you to maintain a healthy weight. Set yourself up to make a quick breakfast the night before: chop vegetables for an omelet, keep hard-boiled eggs in the fridge or put out fruit that is quick to grab and go.

2. Take a Walk

You don’t have to hit the gym for hours on end to stay active and healthy.  Walking is one of the easiest ways to stay active without undue strain on your joints — a brisk half-hour walk every day will help you stay strong and feel more energized. The impact is even greater if you can manage an hour — recent studies suggest that an hour of walking daily optimizes your longevity. If losing weight is your goal, try this quick and easy calculator to figure out how many calories you burned during your walk.

3. Protect Your Skin

Your skin is one of the keys to looking and feeling younger. To reduce early aging and prevent skin cancer, it’s important to wear sunblock whenever you’re outside (yes, even during the winter). Even on cloudy days, up to 80 percent of the sun’s UV rays can penetrate your skin, according to the World Health Organization. Make sure to wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

4. Gain Flexibility and Core Strength

No matter your age, improving your flexibility and core strength will make you feel younger and more capable of doing what you used to do. There are gentle forms of yoga and Pilates that are suitable for all ages, or you could see a physiotherapist to work on more serious issues. Don't wait until you can't straighten up to get treatment.

5. Deal With Anxiety

Don't live your life worrying about the future. If you need help dealing with anxiety, consider talking to a therapist. Letting go of things you can't control will help you to enjoy the good things you have now.

Try this stress level detector tool and see if your anxiety level is reaching unhealthy levels.

6. Switch Up Your Wardrobe

If your wardrobe is starting to get old, maybe a clothing refresh is in order. You might want to try a "capsule wardrobe" — purging your wardrobe of things you don't like and keeping a "mini wardrobe" of pieces you truly love. You swap out the items every three months to keep things fresh. Consider donating clothing you no longer wear to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.

7. Super-Charge Your Meals

Chronic inflammation is at the root of many of our modern diseases. Get rid of the processed, inflammatory foods, and start eating meals high in antioxidants and nutrients. For example, eat 4-5 servings a day of colorful fruits and vegetables.

8. Eat More Omega-3 Fats

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish like salmon and tuna, as well as certain nuts, can help reduce inflammation in your body and lower your risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease or cancer.  T Omega-3s are essential for your health, so make sure you're eating fatty fish a few times a week, and keep some nuts around for a healthy snack.

9. Cut Down on Your Sugar Intake

Eating sugary foods can cause spikes in your blood sugar and subsequent sugar crashes, leading to fatigue as well as long-term blood sugar problems. Cutting down on your sugar intake can help to regulate your metabolism and maintain a steady energy level throughout the day. Replace sugary foods with nutrient-rich whole foods, like vegetables, fruits, whole grains and meats.

10. Savor Your Meals

Many other cultures take several hours to enjoy a leisurely meal — and those are the same cultures with lower rates of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Take time to enjoy healthy meals slowly (and make sure the food is tasty!). Not only will you eat more mindfully, but you'll also gain greater enjoyment being present in the moment.

11. Be Proactive About Your Health

Take advantage of preventive care services offered by your health insurance company. Preventive care goes well beyond getting your annual physical. These services can include vaccines, prenatal care, breast exams, mammograms, high blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, just to name a few. Preventive care may be covered 100 percent by your health plan if you see a doctor in-network.

12. De-Clutter Your Home

Ever noticed how clutter from the past can weigh you down in the present? Give yourself a fresh start by aggressively de-cluttering your home. If you're having trouble letting go, move the items in question into a box in the garage first — if three months later you haven't touched them, donate them.

13. Get in Tune With Nature

Taking a walk out in the park or taking a hike in the woods can have positive effects on your health and wellbeing. A walk in the forest has been shown to decrease stress and reduce your blood pressure. Being outside can also improve your memory and your eyesight, and help you to concentrate better and think more creatively. So go ahead and take a mini-retreat to the park — it will likely help you perform better in other areas of your life.

14. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene

Make restorative rest a nightly habit. Turn off the screens a couple hours before you head to bed — the blue light emitted by electronic devices can mess with your body's natural circadian rhythm. Keep work out of the bedroom to keep stress down, and get blinds or blackout curtains to keep your room dark. As I get older, I find that going to bed at the same time every night helps me fall asleep faster — any later than 11:30, and I'm likely to toss and turn for hours.

15. Take a Nap

You know you're supposed to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, but sometimes it's not possible. A 30-minute nap during the day may snag you some of the benefits a longer sleep would provide. One large study showed that men who napped regularly had a 64 percent lower chance of a heart attack than men who didn't nap.

16. Practice Balancing

Your balance deteriorates as you age, putting you at greater risk of falls and fractures. With practice, however, you can regain the sense of balance you've lost. Even just standing on one leg while you accomplish daily tasks can help. You can also incorporate balance exercises into your workouts.

17. Lift Weights

Strength training can help generate new muscle (muscle which we tend to lose as we age). Stronger muscles will give you better stability, prevent bone density loss, not to mention make you feel young and fit.

18. Stop Smoking

Smoking puts you at risk for a host of health problems, including asthma, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, stroke, and more. Research shows that on average, smokers die 10 years earlier than non-smokers. The good news is that if you quit before the age of 40, you're likely to regain most of those lost years. But even if you're older, it's never too late to quit. In addition, smoking visibly ages you, so if you're interested in looking younger, stopping the habit is a good idea.

Need a financial incentive to quit smoking? Check out this interactive calculator to see how much money smoking is costing you.

19. Help Someone Else

Volunteer at a food bank, give blood, or otherwise find a way to contribute to others in need, and you may find that you gain a sense of meaning and satisfaction. Living life with purpose can help you to feel more active and can revitalize other areas of your life.

20. Learn Something New

Keep your brain active and in shape by learning something new. Learn a new language, join cooking classes, or take up a new hobby. The new skills you learn, as well as the new relationships you foster, will help you feel youthful and keep your brain healthy for years to come.

21. Socialize With Friends

It's hard to prioritize spending time with friends, but having an active face-to-face social network is actually vital to your health and happiness. Numerous studies show that people with extensive "social capital" are happier and less likely to be ill. So give yourself permission to have that coffee date or grab a drink after work with friends!

22. Make the Bed

This might seem like a trivial factor in your life, but making the bed could perk your day up. Having a neat bed makes you more likely to keep your bedroom clean, making it a more restful retreat from the stress of the day. Some people also find that it sets the tone for a productive day.

23. Laugh Often

Some researchers have found that laughter boosts your immune system, improves your circulation, and can even lower your blood sugar. While the results aren't definitive, you can rest assured that laughing can only help your health.

24. Travel

Open your mind to new adventures by booking a trip to a new and exciting destination. If you never got to go backpacking when you were young, now's your chance. And don't let jobs and other commitments stand in your way. If you prioritize your time to travel, it will happen. Making connections with a different culture may be one of the best things to refresh your mind and give you a fresh perspective on your daily life. Plus, research shows that spending money on experiences rather than material possessions can make you happier in the long run.

25. Pamper Yourself

How you feel about your appearance can have a lot to do with your overall self-esteem and confidence. If you feel like you've been in a rut with caring for your looks, try doing something to pamper yourself. Get a new haircut, a facial or a pedicure. Both women and men can benefit from a little pampering.

26. Get a Massage

Those little aches and pains can really make you feel your age. Consider getting a massage from a licensed massage therapist to have all the kinks and knots worked out. You'll be so relaxed afterwards, you might just have the best night's sleep you've had in ages.

27. Act Young Again

Doing one of the activities you loved as a child can make you feel like you're young again. Go for a walk and jump in the leaves, ride a merry-go-round, or go to an old-fashioned ice cream parlor.

28. Make Friends of All Ages

Making friends with younger people can make you feel young again, as they include you in activities you might not necessarily try on your own. And getting to know older people can help you to see how much you still have to learn. Either way, friends of all ages will enrich your life.

29. Surround Yourself With Positivity

Life is too short to spend it being cynical or negative. Surround yourself with positive, encouraging people, and you'll find that the glass is half-full more often. Similarly, carefully curate what kind of entertainment you allow into your mind. Keeping the input positive will also help you to have a more positive attitude.

30. Focus Inward

Meditation and prayer are great ways to de-stress and to ground yourself in the present. Let your anxiety melt away as you focus on your breathing, or on a positive message or mantra. You may also find that exploring religion or spirituality can have a good impact on your health — studies show that people connected to a religious community are healthier and live longer.

31. Do Something Creative

We all get stuck in mental ruts, so break out of it by doing something creative. You don't have to be artistic to enjoy painting pottery, breaking out your old electric guitar, or playing with some sidewalk chalk. Simply going to an art show can kick-start your creative juices.

32. Get a Free Fitness Coach

There’s an app for everything – including your health. Many health insurance companies offer free fitness tools and apps to help their members set health goals. These tools provide incentives when you reach your goals.

33. Have Some Chocolate

Not that you needed a reason to indulge in some chocolate, but dark chocolate has been shown to help lower your blood pressure. It also contains a lot of antioxidants, as well as compounds that may stabilize your mood. Remember, only the dark stuff works this way — milk chocolate or hot cocoa don't have the same effect. And you still need to consume in moderation.

You don't have to resign yourself to "feeling your age"! Instead, resolve to take care of your physical and mental health, and enjoy life to the fullest.

This article is sponsored by Cigna. This article is for educational purposes only and is intended to promote consumer health. It is not intended as financial or medical advice and you should always consult a professional for financial or medical advice. For tips on how to improve your health, visit www.Cigna.com/knowyourbenefits.

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