Tips For Staying Forever Young

1. Meditate

Meditation is one of the most effective relaxation techniques you can use to your advantage to stay young, and it can significantly reduce your stress levels and improve your overall mood. Mediation comes in a variety of styles, and when it comes to staying young, whatever works for you is the best choice.

Some people prefer to engage in specific meditation techniques with the use of guided imagery, chants or specific breathing techniques. Other people prefer to just take 15 minutes each day and find a quiet place to unwind, in which they can clear their thoughts and refocus their energy.

The key to meditation is learning how to regulate your breathing. Controlled breathing helps to purify the mind and bring about mental clarity, as well as to induce physiological changes within the body that can bring about positive health effects.

2. Laugh

You’ve probably heard it before... laughter is the best medicine. There are dozens of research studies that suggest there is truth to this statement. Laughter can affect an individual's health positively in a variety of ways. On an emotional level, an individual can lighten an angry or upset mood with a simple laugh. It’s near impossible to not soften the mood, no matter how foul it may be, when something or someone makes you snicker.

From a physical standpoint, laughter releases serotonin, the hormone responsible for creating feel-good feelings. It is believed that higher serotonin levels correlate with lower stress levels, well-balanced hormones and better overall health. Many individuals who are in good health and have a youthful appearance report that they consider themselves to be light-hearted, they don’t take things too seriously and they are able to laugh often.

3. Sing

Remember when you were a child and your mother would sing you a bedtime song? Or when in Kindergarten many of the lessons you were taught were led by a song from the teacher? Remember that feeling that came over you every year when the happy birthday song was sang for you as you turned another year older? So many of our milestones and life events are connected to songs, and for good reasons.

For one, children are better able to relate to songs, which make it easier for them to retain the information they learn. As we become adults, we hold onto those childhood memories. Songs help us make connections. That’s why you may not remember the name of your first grade teacher but you may still remember the morning routine song that you sang in her class every day.

Many adults who sing regularly report that the act of singing elevates their mood, makes them less tense, helps to alleviate stress and anxiety and elicits happiness. All of these factors can contribute to improved overall health and extended youth. So the next time you’re in the shower, driving to work, or making dinner... just sing! Don't care who's listening!

4. Dance

Dance, no matter what kind, is a free form of movement that keeps the body limber, the muscles loose and puts the mind at ease. There’s something about dancing that creates a care-free environment free from worry and stress. Aside from the physical benefits of staying active, dancing helps to improve your mental state, it alleviates stress and it encourages happiness — all important factors in the quest to stay young forever.

5. Love

When it comes to staying young forever, experiencing love on many levels may be the most important factor of all. Both giving love and receiving love play an important role in maintaining your youth. Think back to when you were a child and you fell and scraped your knee. What was the magic solution to get rid of the pain and make you stop crying? If you were like most children, it was a great big hug from your mother along with a promise that it would be okay. That’s the power of love. Having meaningful relationships with loved ones can be the single most important factor in helping to improve your overall health and maintain your youth.

None of us truly stay young forever — but with the right steps, we can definitely feel young as long as we live.