HOW TO GET THAT YOUTHFUL LOOK

Maybe you've noticed them too.  I'm talking about women whose faces appear to have landed on the wrong bodies .The face is usually taut and unlined.  It looks maybe forty or  fifty but the body is a different story. It has little to do with size although a very small thin woman may look like an odd child and slack skin on the rest of the body  is at odds with a smooth face. However it's posture and pace that  are the real giveaways  .

 Too many of us ignored our mother's admonishments  to stand  up straight.  One of my mother's favorite tips for a youthful look was to lift from the ribcage.   This simple and easy to hold adjustment  automatically flattens the stomach, squares the shoulders and is not a hard position to maintain.

I recently discovered  that don't walk as fast as I used to.  It's not that I'm unable to pick up the pace but rather that if I don't give it some concerted thought, I tend to amble along.  So now I'm making a new effort to be mindful of my posture and pace, hell bent on  projecting that youthful energetic look  no matter what my age.

The Easiest Way Not to Look Old

There's a new book out, How Not to Look Old. I haven't read it yet but I have read and heard plenty about it. The author, a former editor of Glamour offers a myriad of valuable tips such as shortening your skirts and cutting bangs in order to project that youthful image many of us aspire to.
Clothes, hair and makeup visually define who we are and hint at our age. But there's another important factor in the equation; one that shouts old no matter how well you've nailed the perfect skirt length or lip color and that's posture and bearing. If you don't pay attention to them, all else is for naught.
Just look around any mall and you'll see what I mean. As we age osteoporosis and the force of gravity conspire to cause many of us to bend at about a 25 degree angle from the waist. We just sort of pitch forward. Some of us may be a bit hunched in the shoulders or our necks may have shortened . I realize I'm not painting a pretty picture here but as I said, look around and you'll see what I mean. If you're focused on achieving that youthful look, it's something that must be addressed .
The solution is simple; make a concerted effort to straighten up. The most effective way is to lift from the rib cage which may over time, have taken to resting on your stomach. Try this first standing sideways in front of a full length mirror. You'll notice that as you lift the rib cage,your shoulders drop and your chin raises a bit; your lower back lengthens and flattens as does your abdomen. Now practice walking in this position. It may take a little practice but keep at it and soon it will become automatic.
This is a trick I learned from my mother who even at 85 did not want to look like an old lady and never did.
Cheers, Barb