For a handful of people, good genetics play a big part in youthful looking skin. For the rest of us, it has more to do with our habits than our genetics. Having good healthy habits in place means that we are taking care of our bodies from the inside out. Some unhealthy habits are ones we are so used to doing, we don’t realize the toll it takes on our bodies. These are the 5 habits to avoid or eliminate from our routine so that we can be the healthiest we can be!

Drugs and Alcohol Wear Us Down

Excessive alcohol and drug use will age you faster than you are going to want. Alcohol is full of unhealthy carbs that can pack on the weight and the sugars will dehydrate. This will cause loose jowls and plenty of wrinkles! Drug use will also deplete our skin of water and drying it out. Both habits also lead to other habits that can wear our skin down. If we are drinking and drugging, we aren’t eating well or getting the right kind of sleep. While some people make efforts to quit these habits on their own, others resort to residential drug treatment programs to help them make the break.

Cigarettes Are Not Your Friends

Despite tremendous efforts in sharing the dangerous effects of smoking, people are still engaging in this awful habit. Here is why smoking is so bad for the skin. The carbon monoxide displaces the oxygen in the skin and then nicotine reduces our blood flow and dries the skin out. The act also depletes us of vitamin C, a nutrient needed for natural skin repair. Therefore, many long-time smokers are wrinkly and have rough skin. The only way to avoid further damage is to stop immediately. If you haven’t started at all, hopefully this will be enough to keep you from starting all together.

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Water is Your Best Friend

Another big reason for rough and wrinkly skin is not getting enough water. Soda and sugary juices dehydrate our bodies and we lose precious water needed for maintaining elasticity in our skin. Before you start bulking up on 8 full glasses a day, you can get your water intake by eating watery foods. Cucumbers, celery, cauliflower, watermelon, and strawberries are a few examples of foods you can eat that bulk up your water intake. We still recommend walking away from soda first!

You Must Sleep at Night

Lack of sleep is detrimental to maintaining healthy and youthful looking skin. Overall, when we don’t have routine and regular sleep, we cannot allow our bodies to do the repair work needed each night. Thus, we lose moisture levels in our skin. Around the eyes, we will notice sags because the skin is losing elasticity from the lack of moisture. By getting regular night of sleep, each night, we can let our body do its job and maintain good moisture levels.

What You Put in the Body, Affects the Outside

Bottom line, you are what you eat. If you are indulging in fried, greasy foods all the time then you are going to “fry” your skin. Your body needs nutrients to maintain healthy skin. Lots of vitamin C, A, B, E, and K are needed. You won’t find those in fried foods, you find them in fruits and vegetables. Omega-3’s are extra important so load up on healthy fish. Lastly, don’t forget that protein is needed. No, not a cheeseburger or steak. When we are talking protein, we mean beans and legumes!

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Taking care of our skin is so important. Remember that what you eat, drink, and how you treat your body has a tremendous effect on your skin. If you are doing all the right things, you can look to anti-aging products to help combat the aging process. When we are doing things the right way, we will still age in the way our bodies want to.