You're fighting the feeling. That means that despite a few little aches and pains, you're ignoring the age on your driver's license because deep down inside your spirit feels like it's 20.
As the years pass, however, you find yourself doing little things on a daily basis that aren't the behavior of a 20-year-old. In fact, you're rapidly aging yourself without even knowing it.
Is your life a case of "age before beauty?"
There are several bad habits that people form as we age that actually make us appear even older without even knowing it.
I asked "Change Your Age" author Dr. Frank Wildman who revealed Four Things People Do to Age Themselves:
*Very Sallow, Labored Breathing.
"One of the things that identifies physical aging is very sallow, labored breathing," says Dr. Wildman. "Often this isn't the result of a physical ailment, but becomes a bad habit that develops as we age.
"We all know older people where you can hear the sound of their breathing because it's very shallow," he says. "You can hear the effort. What you're actually hearing is the sound of resistance in the tubes of the body. This is caused from slumping down in posture.
"If you look from the nose to the trachea and down to the bronchial tubes, it's obvious that sitting in a slumped or bent position is actually causing you to have a resistance to air filling your lungs," he says.
"If you're slumped and your muscles are tight that way, you will get in the habit of labored breathing," he says. "You're actually requiring your neuro muscular system to fight to get in your full air."
The Fix: Sit up straight; stand up straight. "If you straighten your posture you won't slump and there won't be this effort to breathe. Suddenly, your breath will be soundless again. And take bigger breaths that will lift you up."
"You also need to be aware that a habit of slumping will soon become a deeply set habit that affects your spine and rib age and ultimately your breathing as you age."
*Smoking
"It's easy to look at old movies where it was dubbed as glamorous for people to smoke," Dr. Wildman says. "The truth is many have kicked the habit, but people still smoke. Even younger people are smoking now, which is quite disturbing."
"Smoking ages you tremendously," he cautions. "There are so many ways that it will make you look and appear older including it grays your skin and even lowers your ability to function sexually because it affects your central nervous system."
The Fix: "The long-term consequences can kill you, so get rid of that nasty habit," he advises.
*Slower Head Movements
"People age themselves by suddenly making very slow head movements. Someone calls your name and you don't respond quickly and move your neck slowly in his or her direction," he says. "Perhaps your neck is a little stiff. Older people also don't move their eyes independent of their neck, which is a habit."
The Fix: "If you can't move your head with as much independence, it's time to do some exercises like the ones in my book," he advises. "You don't want to get into the habit of slow head movements, which can make people think you're much older." You can also check with your doctor if you experience neck pain.
*Pushing Yourself Off of Chairs With Your Hands
Dr. Wildman says that you need to use your legs to get out of chairs…not your arms. "People push themselves off chairs as they age, which becomes a habit," he says. "Use your legs." It keeps them strong and using your arms "is a definite side of aging."
The Fix: Use your legs to get up at all times and keep your arms at your sides.
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