Whether you decide to undergo a facelift, liposuction, or treat yourself to new breasts, aesthetic surgery is often the expression of a desire for change, to be more in harmony with yourself, and to feel good in mind and body. This is also the case with non-surgical rejuvenating techniques: aging well means taking care of yourself, your skin, and your body every day, so your mind and body are in harmony. Any aesthetic procedure is more beneficial when it is an integral part of a holistic approach to well-being and lifestyle.
A more global approach to improving our well-being is essential for us to grow old in the best possible way.
How can you improve your internal balance and health through a better lifestyle?
Here are our 10 recommendations.
1) A healthy, balanced, and varied diet
Food provides our body with vitamins, minerals, and all the nutrients it needs to work properly at all levels. It is not a question of calories! A healthy, varied diet comprising as few processed products as possible (high in calories and low in nutrients) is THE secret to happy intestines, good health, and radiant skin. It is a way of life, not a diet!
However, you can allow yourself a treat from time to time as there is nothing worse than feeling frustrated.
2) Physical activity
Again, you must listen to yourself. Sport can be integrated into our daily lives little by little, just a few minutes to start with, but you don’t have to become a marathon runner if it’s not your thing. The idea is to integrate about 10 minutes of cardio training and muscle strengthening a day. Ideally, it is best to choose a variety of activities you enjoy doing: cycling, elliptical trainer, swimming, fitness videos… Done every day, this will help decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and protect your immune system.
3) Restorative sleep
Sleep is a major public health issue! According to the latest recommendations, people aged between 25 and 65 ideally need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a day, yet people sleep 7 hours a night on average and sleep is essential for good health! A lack of sleep has harmful effects on morale, the body (obesity) but also the skin.
Conversely, if you sleep little but feel good then keep this rhythm as each case is different.
Sleep is good, but quality sleep is better. The sleep hormone – melatonin – needs to be produced to initiate sleep, which means you need to establish a ritual before going to bed and above all, stop using any screens 30 minutes beforehand. Drink herbal tea that promotes sleep (camomile, valerian, lemon verbena), and check that the temperature of your bedroom is no higher than 21 degrees.
4) Protect your skin
Beautiful skin is also skin that is protected from the harmful rays of the sun – its number one enemy – in summer and winter. You must apply enough sun protection under your make-up every day. On holiday, avoid exposure during the hottest hours of the day. The skin on your face and body will thank you: it will age better (fewer wrinkles and more tonic), and your complexion will be more even (no spots).
5) Stop smoking and limit your consumption of alcohol
With smoking, the radiance of your skin goes up in smoke. Smoking promotes the early appearance of wrinkles, dark circles, dry skin, and a greyish complexion. As for alcohol, it tends to worsen skin problems. It is a powerful vasodilator leading to the appearance of varicose veins on the face and its high sugar content increases blood sugar levels, which prevents skin cells from regenerating themselves properly.
6) Shift from consumerism to minimalism
Choosing a minimalist lifestyle means consuming less but living better with fewer things. It means concentrating on what is essential, what really matters to us. The consumer society in which we live sometimes pushes us to think we need lots of things that we could in fact go without. And this is true in all areas: work, family life, activities, leisure activities, and lifestyle. With make-up, for example, choose light cosmetics that respect your skin and the environment and, from time to time, let your skin breathe!
7) Take a break
Isn’t time a true luxury? Time for yourself, to treat yourself, spoil yourself, and meditate far from the stress, obligations, and mental load. Taking time out for yourself means letting go, sometimes saying ‘enough!’ so you can recharge your batteries. How can you take time for someone else if you don’t have time for yourself?
8) Take responsibility for feeling good
Having the desire to live a healthier and more balanced life is above all a choice, a choice that ultimately depends on you and you alone. Feeling good is not about being a good student by eating properly and doing sport, it is a much deeper approach: it is genuinely deciding to be happy and it is the desire to implement this approach.
9) Accept imperfection
Without becoming complacent, caring starts with yourself. Perfection is unattainable and it does not exist! So, stop judging yourself, keep an eye on yourself instead and get to know yourself better. Our emotions especially have an impact on our body: feelings of frustration (linked to anger and disappointment) or guilt send negative signals to our brain, which then sends negative signals. Should we repress our emotions? Certainly not, but rather become aware of them, welcome them, and use them constructively.
10) Listen to your emotions and feelings
This brings us to what is most important: you must learn to listen to yourself. Listen to the little voice and know how to listen to your body because even though this advice applies to everyone, we are all different. What works for one will not necessarily work for another and inversely. The art is finding a way of letting go but in a controlled way that ultimately brings well-being and the feeling of being at one with yourself.