Looking young is a $60 billion a year industry -- that’s
$1,600 worth of hormone treatments, plastic surgery, skin creams
and supplements for every retiree in the US. But you don’t need to
spend a lot of money to age gracefully -- looking and feeling your
best.
To help you start,
Bottom Line/Retirement spoke
with 69-year-old Valerie Ramsey, one of the most sought-after cover
models in the country. This grandmother of eight is the
"centerpiece" for print ad campaigns for fashion and beauty
magazines and has graced the runways at numerous fashion shows.
Ramsey is also a motivational speaker and has made regular
appearances on the
Today show,
Fox Business
News with Neil Cavuto and
Extra. She’s
never hidden her age or tried to pretend her hair isn’t gray. Her
"grace" is as much about feeling great and staying healthy as it is
about maintaining her looks...
MY STORY
My life has unfolded in a reverse direction. Until my 50s, I was a
stay-at-home mom raising six children. Then, my husband and I moved
cross-country to California, where I learned how to use a
BlackBerry and a computer and got a job in public relations. Not
long afterward, I discovered that I had uterine cancer as well as a
severe case of cardiomyopathy (a weak heart muscle).
I wasn’t ready to retire and become an old lady with medical
problems. I’ve always had a sweet tooth and rarely exercised when I
was younger. In fact, I was famous in my family for doing "vertical
laps" in the pool -- bobbing up and down. But in the 1990s, I
decided that I
had to
and
would live a healthier lifestyle. I began
nutritional and workout regimens and was able to beat the cancer
and control my heart problem.
At age 63, a television producer I met liked my look and
recommended me to a modeling agency. Out of the blue, the agency
booked me to do a runway show in the Fairmont Hotel Grand Ballroom
in San Francisco!
Standing backstage surrounded by 18-year-old waiflike models, I
felt like Grandma Moses.
What was I doing
here?
But I also had a revelation -- aging gracefully isn’t just about
looking younger. That’s a losing battle with diminishing returns.
It’s about
feeling younger, making the most of
the time you have by becoming happier and more content with who you
are. It’s about choosing behaviors and attitudes that promote
robust health. When you feel young inside, it creates a potent
energy that bubbles out of you. Everyone notices it, and heads turn
when you walk into a room.
My secrets...
EATING WELL
Many of us fall into the trap of eating the same foods the majority
of the time. So it’s easy to slip into eating habits you aren’t
even aware of.
Rules that I follow every day...
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I drink an eight-ounce glass
of water first thing in the morning, which helps me to rehydrate
and wake up. (I drink a total of at least 64 ounces of water daily
to hydrate my body and skin.)
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At every meal I sit down --
and eat slowly. Not only do I enjoy the food more this way, but I
consume less.
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I eat a big breakfast (half a
grapefruit, one slice of whole-grain toast with butter and two
scrambled eggs) or, at the very least, a snack within 45 minutes of
waking, a balanced lunch (turkey or chicken with a complex
carbohydrate, such as sweet potatoes, and veggies or half a tuna
sandwich on whole-grain bread) and a light dinner (salmon, tomatoes
and vegetables) by 7 pm. I also snack on fruit, especially apples,
and protein drinks made with whey.
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I never go longer than four
hours without eating. Otherwise, I get too hungry and tend to
overeat at the next meal.
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I always opt for natural
carbohydrates, the ones that come from the ground, such as rice,
yams, sweet potatoes and beans... and whole-grain breads and
cereals in moderation. And when eating carbohydrates, I add some
fat or protein. When you eat a carbohydrate by itself, you get a
bloated-belly feeling.
EXERCISE
I think of working out as the secret weapon that provides me with
the stamina for everything else I want to do in life. I have a 30-
to 45-minute routine every day that my daughter, who’s a personal
trainer, prepared for me. This includes 30 minutes on a treadmill
or elliptical trainer followed by 15 minutes of weights for my
shoulders, biceps and upper body.
To find an exercise regimen that works for
you: Do something you like enough to stick with.
Try daily power-walking, join a class at your gym, play tennis, do
Pilates. Or go back to what was fun when you were a kid, such as
bicycling and/or swimming.
SLEEP
I try to get at least seven hours
of
uninterrupted sleep a night. Sleep is how
your body repairs itself from the day’s activity. Our bodies are a
chemistry lab, not a bank account. When you shortchange your sleep
patterns, you’re not only tired the next day -- you’ve also lost
out on critical healing.
COMMUNICATION
I look people in the eyes and smile when I talk to them. When you
greet someone, focus on sending out positive energy, and this
energy will translate through your own eyes. People will experience
you as radiating warmth -- and, yes, youth.
ATTITUDE
Think positively all the time. According to the
National Science Foundation, we have more than 65,000 thoughts per
day, nearly 95% of which are the same thoughts we had the day
before. We have the ability to create and shape our life
experiences through our thoughts. This is essential for older
people because it’s downright
rejuvenating to
believe that there is still plenty of time left to create positive
experiences in life.
As you go through your daily exercise routine, practice turning
every negative or fearful thought you have into a positive
one.
Examples...
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You’re taking the car to the
shop because you need new tires. Rather than dwell on how much they
will cost, focus on how much easier and safer it will be to drive
through snow and rain.
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You are waiting for your
spouse to come home so that you can go to a dinner party. You
think, "I don’t want him to be late."
Better: Turn the thought around and think, "I want
him to be on time." That small twist can alleviate a lot of tension
when your spouse does arrive.
Other strategies...
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Make a list of your best
qualities and stick it on your mirror to read while you brush your
teeth.
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When someone compliments you,
thank him and believe what he said.
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Turn confrontations into
positive experiences.
Example: If a situation erupts during a conversation,
you can calm the other person down without speaking a
word.
How: Imagine a band of gold light beaming down on the
other person’s head. Keep the imagined stream of light steady as
you listen when the other person speaks (or yells). The person will
feel you relax, and that will diffuse his own tension.
ON COSMETIC PROCEDURES
I favor only minimally invasive, outpatient procedures with
board-certified doctors. This prevents you from spending enormous
amounts of money and from winding up with an unnatural, plastic
look.
I personally have had treatment on my face to remove skin cancer
and sun damage... photorejuvenation, a treatment performed with a
cool-tip laser that reduces fine lines and age spots and stimulates
collagen production... and copper bromide laser treatments to
repair broken blood vessels and sun damage.