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How would you like to look thirty-five years old when you are fifty? Is it possible? Sure it is, if you take care of yourself when you are young.

But what if you are already forty or fifty? Is it too late? It depends on how well you have been taking care of your body up until now. It can never hurt to slow the aging process whatever age you are by following these six anti-aging steps.

These steps do not require any large amount of money or a great deal of time. Each is very easy to do and does not involve any foul-smelling creams or ointments. Anyone can follow these steps and see improvement in their health and looks.

First and probably most important is to eat right. This is more important than most people realize. The food we put into our systems either heals our body or destroys it.

What foods are best for fighting the aging process? Fruits, vegetables, nuts, dried fruits, spices and cereals top the list. The very best from each category are berries, beans, hazelnuts and walnuts. If you can eat these foods regularly your body will reward you with increased energy and healthy skin.

The second step is to minimize the time you spend in the sun. It is very important to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun which can damage your skin and make it tough and wrinkled years ahead of its time.

When you go outside be sure to use a makeup that has sunscreen in it. If you are going to be outside for awhile, use a sunscreen. The number on the sunscreen indicates the length of time it will protect your skin. The bigger the number, the longer it should provide protection.

The third step to more beautiful skin is to not smoke. If you don*t smoke now, be sure you don*t start. If you already smoke, quit. Smoking cigarettes is bad for your insides and bad for your skin.

The fourth step to having young and healthy skin is to take high quality vitamins and minerals, especially Omega-3 and antioxidants. Whether you get the Omega-3 in fish oil, flax oil, or any other way, it is one of the most important supplements your body needs.

Antioxidants fight the things called *free radicals* that are in your body attacking your healthy cells. That is actually what causes aging. So the antioxidants you get from your food (especially berries, beans and nuts) and from supplements helps your body destroy those free radicals, which leads to better health, more energy, and slower aging.

The fifth step is daily exercise. The best type of exercise is about thirty minutes of light aerobics, walking, or swimming. There is no need for a heavy workout. This light exercise, done daily, will greatly improve your energy level and help your body feel younger.

The sixth and final step is perhaps the most difficult for many people: Get a good sleep every night. Our lives are so full that many of us find it very hard to get to sleep before midnight. Then the alarm goes off at six in the morning and another full day with too many activities has started again.

This is terrible for your skin (and for your whole system). Our bodies need about eight hours of sleep every night. If you need to reduce the number of activities you are involved in, examine what could be eliminated from your schedule.

These six steps are not hard, but they might require a major shift in lifestyle. However, this shift will be worth it years from now when you look and feel years younger than your peers who continued to eat fast foods, did not exercise, and grabbed a few hours of sleep each night.