| |
 |
Forever
Young
The definition of what it is to be over
50 has radically changed in the past 20 years. The 80's marked
the beginning, where a 40 year old [woman] could still be
attractive and play lead roles in life and on the big screen
(remember Joan Collins in Dynasty?).
Now two decades later, 50 most defiantly isn't old; 60 is
an acceptable age where women are still attractive - And as
time goes by, latter ages will follow - by 2023, being 70
will be seen as an amazing time of age to live and experience
new things in life.
Each day continues the social conscience of age and beauty.
Sounds too good to be true? Well it is true and the reality
of the world around us. People over 50 who refuse to grow
"old" are the one paving the way for generations
to come.
The following [page material] is all from Jane
Fonda's Women Coming of Age - the book is well worth
reading at any age. Check your library or local bookstore.
|
|
The creators, producers, participants, distributors of this
website and connected media disclaim all liabilities or loss
in connection with the exercises and advice herein.
© 2003 Jane-Fonda.net
|
The
Process of Aging
In all my probings of the biological reasons for getting older,
I've found that the process of aging is, to a large degree,
negotiable. The point we all need to grasp, finally is that
we have considerable room to modify our experience of aging.
 Genetics
plays a part. The chronology of our years can't be changed.
But these are only two among many factors that determine just
how we age and how long we live. The disease and the decrepitude
that have previously made the idea of aging intolerable are
not inevitable. Rather, they are often the result of the misuse
and the disuse of our bodies.
For better or worse, all that's come before begins to add
up in mid-life - our eating habits, our exercise patterns,
whether we smoke, the way we've generally lived our lives. |
 |
The
Myths
 Our
generation inherits a whole mythology of aging that prescribes
an early obsolescence for women, heaving us over the hill
at forty, removing us from the flowing mainstream of life.
We are to have no worthwhile contribution to make to our
society. We are to believe it's too late to fulfil or to
reshape our life's goals, whatever they may be. We are led
to expect an inevitable and swift decline in our physical,
psychological, and intellectual well-being which means becoming
unhealthy, emotionally bereft, and mentally dull.
Often, the fear of being discarded for "younger models"
in our jobs and in our relationships with the men pressures
us into denying our age - not only to others but to our
selves as well. But when we take up the exhausting burden
of denying our age, we are also denying who we are. To the
extent we succeed in passing as younger, we abandon where
we've been. We rob ourselves of genuine pride in the years
we've really lived. And we separate ourselves from the women
who may show signs of aging more quickly, at a time when
closeness with other women can give us strength, solace
and validation. Our lives end up consisting of three phases:
being young, pretending to be young, and old age. The whole
rich middle period is lost. As an actress I can tell you
Act Three can be pretty shaky when Act Two is missing.
|
The
Double Standard
For a man, the middle years are his prime, a time when he
is more likely to be at the peak of his career. His self-worth
and his sexuality derive from his full participation in life.
These are not tied to the state of his physical being or,
more narrowly, to his reproductive organs as they are from
us. His attractiveness is not in question. His sexuality is
above suspicion.
While a woman's face, like her body, is valued as long as
it remains smooth and unchanging, a man's lines are the product
of experience. The changes in his appearance become additions
to who he is as a person, whereas those same changes in us
become liabilities.
Paul Newman gets silver hair and becomes distinguished. I
get gray hair and am told I'd best dye it. My pal Redford
gets furrows and character lines. I get wrinkles and crow's
feet. It aint fair!
Turning
Points
All of the myths and misperceptions about middle-aged women
in this society are on a collision course with new realities.
Some may already be familiar to you:
.There
are more of us than ever before
.We're
entering the middle years physically stronger than ever before
.And
all of this is occurring at the same time that women of all
ages are reexamining their place in society and discovering
the real potentials that exist from them. |
The
Body Mature: The Skin
The skin is our body's envelope, the wrapping that delivers
us to the world. Though we all play lip service to the dictum
"Don't judge a book by its cover." we tend to judge
a person's age and state of health by the quality of her skin.
If as we grow older we expect to be able to keep our skin
just as it was in our youth, we'll be doomed to frustration.
If, on the other hand, we understand how the skin functions
in midlife and adjust our goals and life-styles appropriately,
we'll be surprised how much better we can look.
A few basics first. The skin is composed of two layers The
innermost is the dermis, which contains the nerve endings,
blood vessels, sweat glands, oil glands, and hair follicles.
The outer is the epidermis, the layer of our skin that's constantly
renewed. Cells on the underside of the epidermis continuously
divide and slowly migrate to the surface, where they dry out,
flatten, and die, and are then washed, rubbed, or blown away.
Both the dermis and the epidermis are supported by a deeper
layer of fat cells and a network of collagen and elastic fibers
that give our skin its strength and elasticity. Collagen is
the body's most abundant protein and the principal support
not only of the skin but also of the blood vessels and connective
tissues or our cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.
Certain changes occur in this infrastructure or our skin as
part of the natural aging process. To some extent there is
nothing we can do about them but they can certainly be slowed
and minimized.
1.Drying
- The sweat and oil glands that are important natural moisturizers
for the skin slow down with age, largely as a result of hormonal
changes, especially after menopause. With less moisture and
oil, in addition to years of accumulated exposure to the elements,
the skin dries.
2.Wrinkling
- Some people think this dryness causes wrinkles. That is
not exactly the case, although dryness certainly accentuates
them. Wrinkles are primarily caused by the aging process known
as "cross linking" As a a result of cross-linking,
unwanted bonding occurs between molecules in the skin's collagen
and elastin, which then shrink and tighten. As a result, the
skin gradually toughens and loses its elasticity and we begin
to notice wrinkles and sagging.
3.Sagging
- The skin's underlying cushion of fat cells also shrinks
as we get older. And because the skin itself is less elastic,
it can't so easily conform to the face's smaller dimensions.
Like a balloon from which some air has escaped, excess skin
begins to sag.
4.Thinning
- With age, fewer skin cells are produced and there is little
turnover in collagen. The skin becomes thinner as a result.
Remember protect your skin when in when in the sun! |
My
Skin Regime
I'm often asked what "beauty secrets" I practice,
what creams and lotions are best to buy in search for the
perfect cosmetic formula for smooth, youthful skin. I think
women are surprised when I respond that I have no special
secrets - of that kind. It's not that I haven't tried virtually
everything.
But after many years, I have found no basis to advertising
promises that we can have beautiful skin by using just the
right skin care product.
Of course, proper cleansing and moisturizing are essential,
and some products are better than others; I'll talk of that
later. But for me, the truest, most reliable beauty potion
is regular vigorous exercises combined with good nutrition.
These are the most important things you can do for your skin.
If your budget is limited, you'd do better to invest your
money in a regular, sweaty, speed-up-your heartbeat exercise
program than in a lot of expensive hormonal creams, masks,
facials and the like, who's effect will be at best temporary
and superficial. Exercise, on the other hand, increases the
circulation and brings a rich flow of nutrients and oxygen
through the blood to the skin's cells.
Consistent, strenuous exercise appears to retard every aspect
of the skin's aging that we've discussed, including sagging,
and loss of elasticity. It can rejuvenate unhealthy worn-out
skin. The whole process of normal cell breakdown and production
is tuned up and the connective tissues become stronger and
less vulnerable to damage. If you've ever been in a dressing
room with a group of professional dancers changing clothes,
as I have, you've probably been struck by the quality of their
skin. I first noticed this when I studied ballet in my early
20's. I made a pont of noticing skin and found almost all
of them had beautifully even skin tone. Subsequently, of course,
doctors have given a scientific explanation to my observation:
dancers, like athletes, have more collagen in their skin -
it's thicker!
During a workout, the skin's temperature can rise from 86
to 90 degrees or more. This is thought to stimulate an increase
in the production of collagen, which, together with other
positive effects of exercise, thickens the skin - making it
firmer, less wrinkled and better toned.
Page
Two: Menopause. Click Here |
|
|
