Date a man half your age

Plus 9 more easy ways to cheat age

Plus 9 more easy ways to cheat age

Everyone wants to live a long life, but no one wants to get old, goes the saying. Today, getting on the career fast track is synonymous with leading a sedentary life.

Higher stress levels, easy access to junk food and longer hours at the office, often translate to lower immunity, complicated health concerns and shorter life spans.

But while aspiring to be the under-35 boss with the six-figure salary might be a healthy aspiration, living the life of one is far from that.

Since it might be a while before we're able to find the elixir or quick-fix solution to leading a long and healthy life, here are 10 substitutes that can help you do just that, and even have fun while you're at it.

1. Find a young lover
You become like the people you surround yourself with. Take the case of gorgeous 40-plus Hollywood actresses Halle Berry and Demi Moore who have much younger and more gorgeous men for partners. "We are only as old as we choose to be. So, I'm still 19," says the 43-year-old Halle. She has been dating the 34-year-old French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubrey since March 2005 and even had a daughter with him. "I have someone in my life who is apparently putting a sparkle in my eye, and he is nine years younger!" she told a magazine.

2. Grow an Aloe Vera plant
Why buy diluted Aloe Vera in a bottle from the supermarket when you can get all its skin rejuvenating properties right at home? "Nurture Aloe Vera plants for a lifetime supply of natural skincare. You can apply the gel inside the leaf directly to your face and wash off after 15 minutes," says beauty expert and dermatologist Jhoomer Kulshrestha. This gel is one of the most potent beauty secrets. Egyptian queen Cleopatra was one of its first documented users. Anti-ageing components of Aloe Vera reverse skin degeneration by stimulating the production of collagen and elastin. The gel is a natural skin exfoliant, with the ability to penetrate into the skin and transport healthy substances through it.

3. Stand on one foot
This may sound a bit bizarre, but with age, your balance tends to deteriorate. However, you can train and maintain it. The easiest way to practice balance is by doing yoga or learning a dance. Those of you with two left feet can simply stand on one leg while, say, talking on your phone at home. It's a great neuromuscular exercise, keeping the body and brain in touch. Training your balance helps reduce your chances of suffering a fall, and strengthens your bones.

Celeb inspiration Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Hollywood actors Demi Moore is 48, Ashton Kutcher is 32. The Ghost star said she was surprised how much fuss was made over the age difference between her and her husband when they first got together. It was one of the last things on her mind, she said. The couple began dating in 2003, when Ashton was 25 and she was 40.

4. Drink hard
water Or fresh pomegranate juice
There's a place in Central America that's home to some of the oldest people in the world. The secret, they say, lies in the water. Hard water. It's packed with minerals and minerals mean stronger bones, and stronger bones mean longer life expectancy. Given the number of old people who die from falling down and breaking a bone, being good to your bones makes more than good sense. If you don't have access to hard water, make sure to drink enough clean, filtered water, stock up on those green leaffies and take a calcium supplement as well. Green tea, fresh pomegranate juice and red wine, are also helpful in making you look and feel a lot younger than your chronological age. But make sure to stick to one glass of wine a day if you're a woman, and two if you're a man.

5. Sleep on your back
Getting a good night's rest, going to bed and waking up at the same time every morning might be only half your sleep battle won. Turns out, sleeping positions also play a key role in ageing. Sleeping with your face on the pillow, in the same position every night, for years, can lead to sleep lines or wrinkles. Women are most likely to notice lines on their chin and cheeks as they tend to sleep on their sides, whereas men notice these lines on the forehead as they usually sleep on their stomach with their faces pressed down on the pillow. The best position to sleep in? Your back. Sleeping on your back does not cause wrinkles as your skin does not lie squashed against a pillow.

6. Solve a crossword puzzle
You have to keep your mind ticking. Make sure you use your head to learn, solve puzzles and math problems, or read material that's stimulating. Extensive research done in this field has shown how those adults who stimulate their brains, stay less prone to mental deterioration.

7. Adopt a pet
Adopting a pet can actually add years to life expectancy. A study published in in Public Health Reports, in 1980, showed that the survival rates of heart attack patients were 28 per cent higher than those of patients who didn't have a pet. The reason? Having a pet significantly reduces stress levels, and reduced stress translates to a reduced risk of heart attacks. A pet also helps you get some exercise.

8. Give up comfort food
In the short term, if you are chronically stressed, it might be worth eating and sleeping a little more to calm down, perhaps at the expense of gaining a few kilos. But seeking a long-term solution in comfort foods is going to be bad for you. There are serious health consequences of a diet high in fat and sugars u2014 abdominal obesity (which can lead to cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes and stroke), and cardiovascular disease itself.
For all the flak women get for bingeing and "emotional eating", men are equally in the deep. A recent survey of 500 affluent 18-50-year-old Indian men revealed that 39% of them consume junk food two to three times a week, and 24% of them consume it even more often. Moreover, 64% of them confessed that they find it difficult to stay away from their favourite snacks, even though they know they are unhealthy.

9. Put the rainbow on your plate
No, we're not asking you to eat marshmallows in seven colours. "The colours represented in foods are indicators of nutritional value and different colours mean different vitamins and minerals," says nutritionist Namita Jain, who runs LiveActive wellness centre. For instance, rosy-hued fruits and veggies offer a payload of an important antioxidant called lycopene. Lycopene is a carotenoid that is associated with a cache of health benefits, including protecting the skin from sun damage and decreasing the risk of heart disease and certain forms of cancer. Lycopene is most strongly concentrated in the reddest of all red fruits: the tomato. Lycopene-rich foods have been shown to decrease symptoms of wheezing, asthma, and shortness of breath in people when they exercise.

10. Find an exercise you like
It's not rocket science. The co-relation between looking younger longer and exercising regularly is well proven. It's perhaps the single most effective way to lengthen your life, taking years off your chronological age, making it the closest thing to an anti-ageing pill. The bad news? There are shortcuts! You'll have to put in the time and learn to get active. The results will be evident as you experience a jump in energy levels, a boost in metabolism, lower blood pressure levels, and feel upbeat.

Fitness experts can't stress enough about how you should pick a regime you enjoy. Don't make that arduous trip the gym, if you don't like it. Go for a jog along a promenade or learn a new dance form. Just make sure it includes a mix of endurance, strength, balance, agility, hand-eye coordination, and flexibility exercises.



Celeb Inspiration
Mandira Bedi:u00a0TV host
I get bored very quickly, so, I need something new on a daily basis. Sometimes I go to the gym or work out for an hour on my cross-trainer at home. But I love the outdoors. When the sun isn't shining too bright, I go running on Carter Road or Bandstand. My favourite songs play on my iPod, and nothing makes me happier. When my ankle was fractured, swimming was the only exercise I could indulge in. I'd swim 50 lengths of the pool, every day.

Don't botox, just run!
Exercise for wrinkle-free skin
The more you exercise, the better your circulation. You absorb nutrients well, and your body will function at optimum levels, allowing an effective draining of toxins. Good blood circulation is crucial for fresh, wrinkle-free skin, since it provides a higher dose of oxygen to particular areas of the body.

Survey Facts

66% indian men have no time to exercise
The four-metro survey conducted by AC Nielsen probing modern attitudes to health and fitness among Indian men in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, revealed that while u00be of the men surveyed wanted to achieve their ideal weight, look young and attractive, few of them actually found the time, or the will, to do so. It covered 500 men in affluent SEC A households, ranging in age from 18 to 50 years.
75% men want to reach their ideal weight
39% men have junk food three times a week
64% men can't stay away from unhealthy food
66% men have no time to exercise
65% men believe quick weight loss is harmful in the long run

75% Indian women believe they can fight age

The four-metro survey focusing on the attitude of 809 women aged between 18-50 years was commissioned by skincare giant Kaya Limited. This study was conducted across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, targeting women in the affluent SEC A households. It provides insights into the attitudes and current perceptions of the modern Indian woman, focusing on body, beauty and skincare.

6 out of 10
women: are confident they could fight the ravages of time.

Regular skincare tops the list of age-fighting measures, with

85% of the women surveyed believing in it.

77% give credit to anti-ageing technology.

73% of them believe technology can even help them look 5 years younger.

Women believe they can fight age by employing one or more of the following methods:

Avoiding sun exposure
65%

Regular skincare regime
85%

Use of technology
77%