This is one part of life people, especially women dread. We all wish to stay young forever. No woman wants to be reminded she is getting old. The worst crime any man can commit against a woman is to tell her she is no longer as sexy and young as before. This leaves a woman hurting and can cause hatred and bitterness.

Haven’t you seen women even competing with their daughters in the area of style and beauty? I have seen women go into their daughters room to check out the products they are using and possibly try it on themselves. I have also seen women wear things that they shouldn’t wear at their age just because of that urge to stay young. Isn’t it abnormal to see a woman in her late thirties and forties wearing bum short and miniskirts? You know some of us tend to emulate all these celebrities who don’t even dress right for occasions.

Today’s article is bound to help you age gracefully if you are there and if you are not, do things that will make you age gracefully when the time comes. Aging should be a thing of pride. I so much admire women when I look at their skin still looking fresh with their hair gray. I don’t like the idea of old women trying to darken their grays. Gray hair is a very big blessing from God.

Women are all over the place spending money on cosmetic surgery, anti-aging therapies and drugs, botox injections and gastric bypass. Ladies, all these are not necessary. It is all these artificial therapies that lead women in their fifties into behaving like teenagers. I wonder what a fifty-year-old woman wants to achieve by going for breast lift and firm-up surgery if not to push it out and keep luring young gullible men into their beds. This is one of the reasons why there is no respect for age any longer.

We should allow nature take its course. I agree there is so much we can naturally do to delay aging or to help us age gracefully. But whatever you will become tomorrow must be determined today. It is your today that determines your tomorrow. Whatever you do to your skin and body now will show up in your future.

I want to open your eyes to those little things we ignore as young people, but which help us age gracefully. But remember, your breasts will naturally sag when it will. Any man that tells you to go for bust lifting surgery after childbirth is not responsible enough.

Nigerian women, for ages have been with this negative mentality that all they need to be complete in life is a man. This is true to an extent, but I must let you know it is no longer true. If you are still single, don’t go on believing your life will get better by the time you get hooked to a man. If you are married, statistics have shown that most women will spend the last fifteen to nineteen years of their life single, either as widows or divorced. This is a bitter truth as we all pray to grow old and die with our man. May God grant you that heart desire, but my dear, I would advise you plan for your future.

In planning well for your future, there are things, habits you must drop and there are also those you must cultivate:

CLUBBING:
I don’t know what you enjoy in losing your night sleep for one noisy and rowdy place where all sorts of evil take place. I am not in support of night clubbing because there are more important things to do with your time. But if you must club, please reduce the hours you lose sleep as the result will show on your body with time. There is nothing like a peaceful life. You may decide to ignore this piece of advice, but with age, you will definitely appreciate it.

ALCOHOL AND SMOKING:
I marvel when I see women these days drink more than men. Guys are now reducing their intake of alcohol while the ladies are stepping up their game. It is a very shameful thing. One of the things that can help you age gracefully without having a need for surgeries and the likes is to completely stay away from alcohol and smoking. If you must drink, a little bit of red wine is good once in a while. I see people drink several glasses of red wine and if possible, finish a whole bottle with the excuse that it is healthy. Too much of every good thing is bad. The excess alcohol and smoking will lead to the premature wrinkling and dryness of your skin.

LOVE:
Everyone needs to love and be loved. There is nothing as refreshing as finding yourself in a relationship that deeply satisfies you. So many ladies are involved in relationships that are sucking life out of them. I have had girls send me texts on how much they love a particular guy but are in a relationship with another one simply because of the material gains. It is only in Nigeria I see people loving for money and beauty. This is because we have lost our cultural values. It is time we begin to put our emotional comfort and satisfaction above wealth. Stop thinking of what your friends will say about you. Let them laugh at your stupidity (if that is what they call it), but you will live a more fulfilled life in the future. Run away from any relationship that gives you regular stress and makes you frown.

FOOD:
So many women eat foolishly. So many of us lack self-control when it comes to food. I see women who are as fat as elephants eat more than every other person at a gathering. You may be saying it is nobody’s business, but I would advise you visit any of those fat old women and ask them what they go through. Remember with age arthritis and cholesterol problems set in.

Try to be a bit choosy when it comes to what goes into your body. Every woman should endeavour to take in enough skimmed milk and other sources of calcium and iron on a daily basis. We are the ones who go through pregnancy and child birth and if you don’t take care of yourself, by the time you are forty five, you will look like your husband’s eldest sister.

Detoxification is another good way to keep your system young. Occasionally, detoxify your system. If you are someone like me who is not so good with drugs, you can go about it the natural way. Periodically stay away from animal proteins and dairy products. You can also go for three days to one week eating just fruits and vegetables.

I see women move all over the place in search of a good diet regimen. Discipline does it the most. I see women looking haggard and dried out because of weight loss. Weight loss shouldn’t leave you dry when you do it the right way. People should be able to look at you and admire the freshness and suppleness of your skin in the course of weight loss. Remember, there is no drink as medicinal as water.

THE SKIN:
Aside those signs of aging that are personal to you like menopause, the first part of you that tells your age is your skin. Before I go on, I want to say it again that the best anti-aging therapy remains water. There are so many expensive, beautifully packed creams in the market and women are spending fortunes on them. That it worked for your friend doesn’t mean it will work for you. If you are in your late thirties, don’t go for the same cream your kid sister in her twenties is using.

I see women bleach and damage their skin because they want to achieve a very light colour. You don’t need those lightening products on your skin. So many people are battling with sun burn because they use lightening creams during the day. The best time to tone (I didn’t say bleach) your skin is at night. Toning is different from bleaching as the former has to do with a glowing complexion, dark or fair.

Fish oil supplement is a must for all women irrespective of age. As you are saving money for the Brazilian hair, also save money for good fish oil supplement.

Remember, having a monthly facial and skin treatment is a necessity. You can do it at home using the right product for your skin.

GET BUSY:
Madam, times have changed. Being a full time housewife is no longer in vogue. I hear women talk about how much their husband wants them to just sit at home jobless. I have been opportune to speak with so many men whose wives are full time housewives. It is either they believe you cannot make it in business or a job because they think you are too lazy, or they don’t want to see you become successful in life so you live your entire life begging from them. Others went further to tell me they won’t allow their wives work because they are not ready to share them with other men.

Woman, you should be able to use your brain and talents to make your life better. I have a friend whose husband stopped from working or doing business. She didn’t just get into the house and cross her legs watching Africa Magic. She had to pay a tailor in a shop within her compound. Everyday, when the husband leaves for his business, this lady goes to the tailor and when she was through with the learning, she started using the tailor’s machines to sew for friends. From there she was able to buy her own machine and started sewing in her house. We were shocked the day her husband gave her money to rent a very big shop for herself. This happened because she refused to sit idle a home. Her husband saw how resourceful she is.

Any day you stop thinking and giving your brain serious work to do, that is the day you start ageing and dying. Get busy with profitable things and learn to relate with those who know how to take care of their body and manage life. Remember, if you move with the wise, you shall be wise.

BE HAPPY:
A merry heart does good as medicine; so says the Holy Bible. Make it a must to be happy at all times.