10 Easy Habits that Help Prevent Signs of Aging

Whether you're at an age where you're starting to notice life's wear and tear or you're still oblivious to the slow, sure deterioration of your body, you'd be wise to adopt and practice the following 10 habits, which will keep you looking and feeling young long after you're anything but.

1. Play games that require strategy.

Think of your brain as a muscle. Exercise it with games that make your mind work, such as Sudoku, Scrabble, and crossword puzzles. According to numerous studies, just a small bit of cognitive calisthenics can help prevent memory loss.

2. Floss.
It takes less than two minutes to do each day, yet many of us neglect threading helpful floss through our teeth. Ironically, flossing can prevent much more than the occasional cavity. In fact, according to the American Academy of Periodontology, people with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to have heart disease. Plus, several studies suggest links between oral health and strokes and even premature births. With so much to gain, there's nothing to lose in making flossing a habit! Can't bring yourself to floss in the morning? Put a flossing tool in the center console in your car-it's a far better grooming habit than some other common on-the-road pastimes.

3. Turn down the volume on your headphones.

Preserving hearing as you age is hard enough. The last thing you want to do is unintentionally promote hearing damage that can affect you now and later. Unfortunately, that's exactly what you may be doing if you regularly crank up the volume on your ear buds or headsets, which provide the most direct delivery of sound into the ear. Plus, according to OSHA, the louder the sound, the less time it takes for damage to occur.

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4. Exercise.
We've heard it a gazillion times; exercising is good for you. But just how good, beyond helping to keep weight in check? Studies suggest that regular physical activity can help your body resist Alzheimer's, heart attacks, constipation, osteoporosis, insomnia (which also ages you), decreased libido, cancer, and psychological illness. Even 10 minutes a day-or a stroll around the block-can make a difference.

5. Eat your share of fruits, vegetables, and foods with omega-3 fats and calcium.
Fresh produce is rich in antioxidants, which keep your brain cells from rusting-literally-while Omega-3-rich foods, including salmon, walnuts, and tuna, are also known as brain fine-tuners. Calcium, found in milk and yogurt, is critical for bone health and density.

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6. Drink at least eight ounces of water per day.

Keeping your body properly hydrated is critical for vitality inside and out. Even a little dehydration will affect the look and feel of your skin-as well as compromise your regular body functions. Prolonged dehydration puts stress on your body and causes all kinds of havoc. Keep water near you and drink it often and regularly and you will look and feel better every day.

7. Moisturize with products that contain vitamin C.
Less elastic, thin, dry skin is one of the most obvious signs of getting older. While no one can hold onto the supple skin of youth, you can increase your chances by moisturizing with creams that contain vitamin C, which is known to increase your skin's collagen production.

8. Wear sunscreen.
You've heard it before, we know. But it's worth saying-especially to those of us who are still too young to realize that what we do now deeply affects how we look later: According to the American Academy of Dermatology, sunscreen is one of the most critical anti-aging products available. Nowadays it's even easier to remember to wear it-just buy moisturizer with sunscreen and you'll cover two aging-signs-prevention essentials in one quick application.

9. Get enough sleep.
Not everyone has the luxury of catching eight hours of shuteye on a regular basis. But for many of us, lack of sleep is elected in order to make room for other things-like playing around online, reading, watching TV, or socializing with friends. Unfortunately, what you gain in the pleasure of these elective pursuits you lose in vitality, literally. In fact, according to WebMD, prolonged sleep deprivation has been linked to high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, obesity, mental impairment, depression, and poor quality of life-all of which can take years off your life.

10. Don't smoke.
Smoking does more than destroy your lungs. It does a pretty serious number on your skin, too. So much so, in fact, that there's a term called "smoker's skin," which describes skin that looks much, much older than that of non-smokers. To that we say no thanks.

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Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.