I’m not a big fan of anti-aging tips and tricks. In fact, if I see one more online ad with a tagline like “Doctors hate her! Discover the one weird trick this woman used to look 10 years younger,” I’m going to scream.

I’m not sure what makes me more frustrated – the fact that companies think that we are naïve enough to buy their latest pills or potions, or the fact that so many of us still fall for their lies.

1. Wear a Genuine Smile – smile and the world will smile with you!
2. Spend Time with Young Children – bring out your inner child to feel young.
3. Burn Fat the Old Fashioned Way – motivation and commitment are necessary to stay at a healthy weight. 
4. Embrace Your Passions – now is the time to do what you always wanted to do. Sing, paint, travel, whatever it is just do it!
5. Stop Helping the Clock by Smoking and Spending Time in the Sun – sun exposure and smoking are two things that have been proven to age skin prematurely. 
6. Give Your Skin What It Really Needs – Water and Nutritious Food – feed your body what it needs to be in the best shape it can be.
7. Find Friends Who Make You Laugh – laughter is definitely the best medicine! Keep the drama and negativity at bay, and choose friends with who you have fun with.

These Are the Only Pro-Aging Tips You’ll Ever Need

By now, we know what a 60-year-old body looks like. We live in one every single day. Even those of us who purchase the latest anti-aging creams and capsules know they won’t make us look younger. Not really.

So, what’s the alternative? Should we abandon trying to look our best? Should we accept invisibility? Heck no! There are still plenty of things that we can do to look and feel great. But the anti-aging tricks that we need are not the ones that will cost us hundreds of dollars a month.

Actually, the term anti-aging is not the proper wording for wanting to look and feel our best as we age. I prefer to use pro-aging – because there is nothing wrong with getting older. What do you think?

Here are 7 pro-aging tricks that every woman over 60 should use.

1. Wear a Genuine Smile

Nothing will make you look older and more tired than wearing a perpetual scowl. The opposite is also true. A genuine smile activates all of the good muscles in your face and tells the world that you are a confident, happy person.

Smiling can also make you happier, through a process that psychologists call the “facial feedback effect.”

This is great news, because, the happier you are, the more likely you will be to engage in activities that keep your body and mind in great shape.

Read HOW TO LOOK AFTER YOUR TEETH AFTER 60.

Feel confident about your smile by keeping your teeth healthy and white. Flash those pearly whites by visiting your dentist regularly, brushing with a whitening toothpaste, or even getting a whitening treatment. 

2. Spend Time with Young People

Nothing will make you feel 10 years younger quicker than playing in the park with an ice-cream-fueled 5-year-old. As I wrote previously, young kids can also teach us a surprising amount about getting the most from life after 50.

Read WHAT 5-YEAR-OLDS CAN TEACH US ABOUT LIFE AFTER 50.

If you don’t have young kids in your family, why not consider volunteering at a local youth center or becoming a mentor? Giving back has been shown to make you happier and it may just keep you feeling younger too!

3. Burn Fat the Old Fashion Way – By Walking!

Ok, I get it. Staying in shape really is harder after 60. It requires commitment and discipline. But, if we are honest with ourselves, we all know that exercise, combined with a healthy diet, is the single best way to look and feel youthful.

If you are looking for a way to “trick” anti-aging, here’s an easy way to get in shape in just one minute a day.

Read YOU CAN DO ANYTHING WITH YOUR LIFE AFTER 60 – IT ONLY TAKES 1 MINUTE A DAY.

Let’s say that you want to start running. Try the following. On the first day, go for a one-minute walk. The next day, walk for two minutes.

Continue this process until you are walking for 30 minutes at the end of the month. Now, start running for the first minute and walking for the remaining 29.

If you continue this process, by the end of the second month, you will be running 30 minutes a day. Too easy? That’s the whole point!

Remember that good footwear will keep your feet comfortable and your motivation high.

Read BEST WALKING SHOES FOR SENIOR WOMEN.

4. Embrace Your Passions

Most of our adult lives are spent looking after other people. As parents, we often put our children’s needs ahead of our own. As employees, we support our co-workers and managers. Now, in our 60s, it’s time to start embracing our own passions.

Read WHAT TO DO IN RETIREMENT: SHARING YOUR PASSIONS AND GIFTS WITH THE WORLD (VIDEO).

Anti-aging creams often claim to give you a “healthy glow.” Well, I promise that nothing will make you glow brighter than knowing that you are making the world a better place, in your own special way.

Learn from the pros! Sign up for a monthly subscription at Masterclass and explore your culinary passions with Gordon Ramsey or Creative writing with Margaret Atwood.

Read HOW LOSING YOURSELF IN YOUR PASSIONS CAN HELP YOU FIND HAPPINESS AT ANY AGE.

5. Stop Helping the Clock by Smoking and Spending Time in the Sun

When doctors are working with a patient, they always try to “first do no harm.” The same applies to anti-aging.

There are very few, if any, guaranteed anti-aging tips or treatments. But, there are plenty of things that will take years off of your life, while making you look older.

By the time we reach our 60s, it’s easy to assume that “the damage has been done.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Once again, we all know our problem areas. If you still smoke in your 60s, now is the perfect time to quit. Read more about the 4 bad habits we should kick in our 60s.

Read OLDER ADULTS AND SMOKING – WHAT ARE THE FACTS, HOW CAN YOU QUIT?

Also, read KEEP YOUR SKIN SAFE AND LOOK GREAT WITH THESE SUNSCREEN PRODUCTS THAT DOUBLE AS MAKEUP

And read 6 REASONS TO DITCH THE BOOZE AFTER 60.

6. Give Your Skin What it Really Needs – Water and Nutritious Food

Your skin is amazing and, for the most part, it is perfectly capable of taking care of itself. Sure, using a natural moisturizer will help to lock moisture into your skin. But, for the most part, all your skin needs to stay healthy is sunscreen, water and a balanced diet.

Read THE 7 BEST MOISTURIZERS UNDER $15 FOR MATURE SKIN (#7 IS MY FAVORITE!) + BONUS!

Despite what the supplement companies might want you to believe, the best way to get the vitamins your skin needs is to eat a balanced diet, with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Want to find out more about healthy eating tips for women over 60? Read our article 15 HEALTHY EATING TIPS FOR WOMEN OVER 60 that lists the best things you can do to improve your health.

Some women don’t drink enough water and quite frankly don’t like drinking water. One easy way to drink more water is to add some flavor to it.

Read DOES HEALTHY EATING = HEALTHY AGING?

Also read VIBRANT AGING STARTS WITH THE RIGHT NUTRIENTS.

7. Find Friends Who Make You Laugh

Good friends are an essential part of your “anti-aging kit” for two reasons. First, laughter is a natural mood and energy booster. With the right friends on your side, you will be more likely to engage in the healthy behaviors that will keep you feeling healthy.

Second, and more importantly, surrounding yourself with good friends will remind you to be true to yourself. This means learning to love your aging body.

Read HOW WE DEVELOP FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS THROUGH LIFE.

Also, THE JOY OF NEW FRIENDSHIPS AND THE COMFORT OF THE LIFELONG ONES.

No anti-aging pill or potion is going to make you more perfect than you already are.

In the next couple of decades, advances in biotechnology, genetics, and nanotechnology will almost certainly give us the ability to reverse many aspects of the aging process. If your doctor offered you the option of reversing the aging process would you take it? Read our article ARE YOU READY FOR THE REAL ANTI-AGING REVOLUTION? about the real anti-aging revolution that is on its way.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What other pro-aging tips would you offer to women in their 60s? Please join the conversation.