When a discussion takes place about restoring a thing, it’s first important to consider what that thing is, and why you want to restore it. Before we begin talking about restoring youth, let’s get some groundwork in place.

We might think of youth as an age, somewhere between about 15 and 24 years old. We might think of youth as a way of being – possessing qualities that we usually associate with young people. Here, we’re going to focus on the latter. We don’t want to, while restoring youth, restore the angst of being a teenager, the pains of studying late for exams, or the existential panic of those first post-college years. Instead, we’ll focus on a few positive qualities associated with youth: a healthy body, outside the box thinking, and a sense of freedom.

Exercise

When it comes to restoring youth, looking and feeling your best is an important part of the package. Dancing the night away, long walks in the country, sports – many of us are very active in our youth. That means that if you want to restore your youth, you’re going to have to start exercising regularly. You don’t need to go to the gym every day, either! Take up activities that give you pleasure – from the aforementioned dancing to activities like swimming, yoga, football, or anything else that sparks joy. For those who haven’t been exercising for a while, remember to start slowly and talk to your doctor before engaging in high-intensity contact sports. As you progress and become more fit, you’ll be able to up the intensity.

Eat Well

Those of you whose youth was like mine will have eaten more than one bowl of ramen at 2 AM. The eating habits of young people aren’t necessarily what you want to emulate (though there are, of course, youth with great diets). That said, as we get older, our bodies process foods less efficiently, so what we put in has that much more of an impact on what comes out. Want to be fit, improve your skin, and increase your energy levels? Avoid processed foods, eat a balanced diet, and space out your meals throughout the day.

Hydrate

Want to start restoring your youth in the easiest way possible? Stop reading this article for a moment, grab yourself a big glass of water, and drink the whole thing. 

We’ll wait.

How refreshing was that?!

As we age, our sense of thirst diminishes. Water, like good food and exercise, is essential to a healthy body. When we’re looking to restore youth, that’s more or less what we’re doing; when we’re younger, we tend to be healthier. Staying hydrated is going to be particularly important if you’re following our advice and exercising more – the more you sweat, the more you’ll need to restore lost fluids.

Sleep

Much like our sense of thirst, our sense of fatigue tends to diminish as we get older. Youth and sleep are tightly associated; we all know a twenty-something who can sleep 10+ hours every night. Try to emulate that. Sleep is so important for your overall health and for boosting your energy levels that it would be almost impossible to overstate its value. There’s evidence that muscle growth and tissue repair occur primarily during sleep. These two things are essential to a youthful look. What’s more, there’s speculation that sleep may influence brain plasticity, which we’ll talk about next.

Play

We’ve talked a lot about restoring youth physically. It’s important to mention here that the mind and body aren’t separate, and that healthy bodies lead to healthy minds (and vice versa). When we’re young, we play all the time. That doesn’t necessarily mean sports, either; we makeup games with one another, play alone, create fantastical worlds in our own imaginations. To recapture youthfulness, you need to recapture the spirit of play. 

Absolve yourself of the notion that everything is work, that everything needs a defined goal. Go about the world with a sense of ease, looking for opportunities to be creative and enjoy yourself, instead of new obstacles to be tackled. Play with friends, play alone, just lean into that creative spirit. Trust me; there are so many physical, mental, and emotional benefits to play.

Be Curious

Curiosity killed the cat, but we’re not cats, so being curious is the way to go. Kids are incessantly curious: “What is this? How does it work? Can I use it?”. These kinds of questions will continue to serve you well and can help you develop a more useful mindset. You’ll engage with things that you might normally brush off. This will lead to novel experiences, new ways of thinking, and a more positive, optimistic, and youthful attitude. Even when thinking about this article, if you’ve decided to ignore a piece of advice, or something isn’t resonating, consider it again with a spirit of curiosity. You might be surprised at what you’ll find out about yourself.

Care for your Skin

Our skin’s natural ability to regenerate diminishes as we age; damage from the sun and other sources accumulate. There are all kinds of steps you can take to care for your skin, from skincare for acne to daily moisturizing rituals. A simple skincare routine can have pretty drastic rejuvenation effects. The most important form of skincare of all? Sunscreen. Reducing sun damage will help you retain your youthful look, all while reducing the possibility of developing skin cancer. 

Cosmetic Procedures

Though you should follow all of the steps above to keep a youthful outlook, attitude, and appearance, you can intensely boost skin rejuvenation through the use of cosmetic procedures. These might include a Botox cosmetic procedure, a facelift, laser therapies, or any other of a wide variety of procedures dermatologists have available. These procedures can be long-lasting, but the best results can be found when you pair them with the lifestyle changes we’ve already discussed. To stay youthful, you have to live youthfully, in mind, body, and spirit. You can do it! 

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