What Actually Helps With Healthy Ageing

When people think about healthy ageing, they’re usually picturing something specific:
looking fresh, youthful, and feeling like their body is still “on their side” – especially when it comes to skin.

Not many people are excited about the phrase healthy ageing.

What they really want is to:
• feel confident in their body
• like what they see in the mirror
• and trust that they’re looking after themselves long-term

Well, I have good news.

Because it just so happens that the habits that support healthy ageing, also happen to be the same ones that support strength, energy and how your skin looks over time. And they matter far more than most of the products that get labelled “anti-ageing”.

This post is a follow-on from my previous blog all about collagen – you can find it here:

Healthy ageing and protein: essential for skin, muscle and long-term health

Protein plays a key role in far more than just our muscles.

It provides the building blocks for:

• collagen and elastin in the skin
• skin repair and regeneration
• strong muscles and bones
• a healthy metabolism (that makes fat loss easier)
• recovery from exercise and the stresses of daily life
• keeping our immune system strong

As we get older, our bodies become less able to effectively digest and use all the protein we consume. So this means we often need more of it to get the same benefit.

For most women, significant benefits would come from:
• including a good source of protein at each meal
• spreading protein across the day
• choosing high-quality protein sources that contain all essential amino acids (e.g. fish, poultry, meat, dairy, eggs, soy).

This supports how skin looks and how the body functions with age.

Healthy Ageing and Muscle: Why Srength Training Matters

Muscle is often a forgotten factor when people talk about ageing, but it’s actually one of the biggest and most effective anti-ageing tools we have.

The amount of muscle we have strongly predicts our:

• independence in our later years
• balance and stability
• metabolic health and ability to maintain a healthy weight
• bone health and risk of osteoporosis
• confidence (both in how we look, and our physical capabilities)

If we don’t use our muscles, we will start lose them from our 30s onwards.

But strength training (especially when you are challenging your body and gradually lifting heavier over time) helps to:

• preserve our muscle mass and rebuild some of what we’ve lost
• protect our bone density
• improve our posture and confidence in our clothes
• improve insulin sensitivity, reducing our risk of type 2 diabetes
• reduce aches, pains and our chances of getting injured in daily life

Strength training matters for appearance in another way too:
muscle supports body shape, posture and how the skin sits over the body.

Thankfully, you don’t need hardcore sessions in the gym to benefit.
Just two to three 20-30 minute strength sessions per week can make a significant difference over time.

And many of my coaching clients do exactly this in the comfort of their own homes.

If you’d love to start strength training but aren’t sure where to begin, my Get Strong plans could be just what you’re looking for. Click the link below to find simple, effective training plans for women aged 40 and over who want to feel stronger, healthier, and more confident in their bodies.

GET STRONG

Healthy Ageing with Fruit and Veg: Unglamourous, but Highly Beneficial

Skin health is heavily influenced by what happens inside our body and the nutrients we provide it.

And the best nutrients are the ones we have evolved to eat, in their real, natural form – in particular, fruit and veg.

Fruit and vegetables give us:

• vitamin C (important for collagen production)
• antioxidants
• polyphenols
• fibre for gut health
• other vitamins and minerals essential for health and ageing well

Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are linked with ageing and disease – and regularly eating a variety of fruit and vegetables helps counter this.

Aim for fruit or veg in each meal as much as you can – get as much colour and diversity into your day as possible.

Eat the rainbow is a great daily mantra.

But remember the goal isn’t perfection – it’s consistency and variety over time.

More Unglamorous Basics that Support Healthy Ageing Better than any Supplements

There are a few habits that don’t get marketed as “anti-ageing”, but make a huge difference:

Sleep

This is probably one of the biggest factors in keeping us looking and feeling younger. Skin repair, muscle recovery and hormone regulation all happen during sleep, and chronic poor sleep accelerates ageing far more than missing any supplement.

Here are some ways to improve it:

Hydration

Hydration supports circulation, digestion, energy levels and skin appearance.

Most adults need about 2 to 2.5 litres of fluid a day, which is around 8 glasses. 

And you’ll be pleased to know that tea and coffee count towards your daily water intake.

Although plain water is best of all, herbal teas and low calorie fruit squash are great too if they help you drink more.

Stress management

Chronic stress affects hormones, inflammation and recovery.

Of course, reducing stress is often easier said than done. But tools like meditation, breathwork, journaling, talking to friends, or learning to say ‘no’ more could save a lot of money spent on less effective supplements and provide much better results.

Sun protection

Surprisingly, roughly 80% of premature skin aging is caused by UV exposure.

Regular sunscreen use protects skin collagen and reduces pigmentation changes.

So wearing sunscreen daily is essential for anti-aging.

A high SPF (30+, even on cloudy days) will help prevents collagen breakdown and the formation of dark spots, fine lines, and leathery skin texture.

It also protects against DNA damage, which can lead to skin cancer and premature aging. 

These habits aren’t exciting — but they work.

Supplements for Healthy Ageing: What Can be Worth Considering

Ideally, supplements should ‘supplement’ healthy habits and a quality diet, as they wont do much if the foundations aren’t in place.

With that in mind, these are some that may be useful for some people:

• Omega-3 – if you eat oily fish less than 3 x per week (this supports heart, brain and inflammation)
• Vitamin D – particularly important from October to March, but often this is helpful all year round if you don’t get much exposure to the sun. Vitamin D supports bone, immune and muscle health
• Creatine – benefits muscle strength and power, and newer research suggests it has positive impacts on brain health.
• Magnesium (glycinate) – may support sleep, relaxation, and reduce headaches for some
• Whey protein – a convenient way to make it easier to meet your protein needs, and an excellent source of the essential amino acids that protect muscle

Why Habits Matter More Than “Anti-ageing” Products

Most of what people hope to get from anti-ageing supplements actually comes from:

• enough protein
• strength training
• fruit and vegetables
• good sleep
• consistency over time

These are things you can influence every day, without spending money on well-marketed products that often do a lot less than they claim.

Although these habits are simple, they’re not always easy to put into practice on a consistent basis. And that’s where having the support and guidance of a coach can make an incredible difference.

Through my online coaching, I help women:

• cut through confusing health advice
• focus on what genuinely works
• eat well without restriction
• get stronger and fitter
• support sustainable fat loss
• improve energy and health
• and build a better relationship with food

Find out more about coaching here:

1:1 Coaching with Hayley

Healthy ageing isn’t about doing everything perfectly.
It’s about doing the right things consistently, in a way that fits your life.

For more ideas and advice on how to do this, grab my Weight Loss for Life Guide below.