A man’s guide to looking, feeling younger

SLEEP, diet, exercise, and good skin care can trim years off your appearance. Follow these simple anti-aging tips for a young looking, healthier you.

Promote wellness
Maintaining your overall health can make you look and feel younger. These lifestyle choices promote wellness:
Sleep well: Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Getting appropriate sleep is very important for how you look. Not enough sleep can result in bags under your eyes and other health consequences that may make you appear older, research has shown. One study from the psychiatry department at Penn State College of Medicine found that sleep deprivation affected men’s mental acuity more than women’s. And another study from the University of California, San Diego, found that more men needed naps to reinforce learning. Men also wake up more often and have less slow-wave sleep, which is crucial for memory formation.
Exercise: “Exercise will help you to maintain your tone and your flexibility,” Shipman explains. Aerobic exercises are good for your heart and, researchers say, “whatever you do for your heart is also good for your brain.” Men who are fit and trim will look younger and feel younger than those who are fat and flabby. It’s amazing how putting on those extra pounds can age someone greatly.

Dress your age
Age is about appearance. You can take years off your appearance if you follow this simple anti- aging dress code:
Avoid clothing trends: When dressing, go with updated classics. Says Shipman, “If you are middle-aged and go with a trend that is for 18-year-olds, it will not look right.” And don’t dwell on trends from your past. “If you wore the look before, don’t do it again. For example, bell-bottom trousers from the ’60s will make you look dated — or like you never left that era,” Shipman warns.
All that glitters is old: “Less is best when it comes to jewelry as we age,” says Frank J. Buongiorno, a stylist at The London Shop, a men’s specialty shop. “We don’t want to get too carried away with rings and ID bracelets, and huge, oversized watches.” Toning down the jewelry as a man gets older is more age appropriate.
“Raze” an eyebrow: As men age, their eyebrows often get long and unruly. You don’t get character — you look crazy experts say. When you get your haircut, have your stylist trim your eyebrows at the same time. Buongiorno suggests that you keep a regular schedule of haircuts: “As a man grows older, he should keep his hair on the short side rather than in a ponytail.”
Trim unwanted body hair: As men age they tend to get hair in unwanted places, such as the ears and nose. Keep this growth trimmed and you’ll look younger — and if you look younger, you’ll feel younger, Buongiorno says. Also, if your body hair is turning gray, the shorter you keep it, the less noticeable the gray will be, Shipman says. That’s true of beards and chest hair.
Grow a beard: If you have a sagging neckline, sometimes a close cropped beard can be a great way of concealing it.
Following this anti-aging advice can make you look younger and feel younger, no matter what the calendar says. Staying fit and trim also will help prevent illnesses and chronic conditions that can age you prematurely as well. — everydayhealth.com