I happened to have turned a year older this week and not surprisingly the whole birthday thing prompted me to think about my relationship to the notion of aging. 

Having had a friend unexpectedly pass away in the last few months I am still in shock that she died at such a young age and I am feeling incredibly grateful and excited to embark upon another year. Aging well is such a privilege. 

I find that instead of feeling badly about turning a year older (as I have in the past) I am thankful for the privilege of being able to embrace lots of lifestyle choices that help me feel (and look) great. I lead a much better life than I used to and shudder at how I used to treat my body. 

Thanks to low self-esteem and a stubborn eating disorder, I suffered for years from some mental health challenges before I learned some coping mechanisms to manage myself. 

My aforementioned disordered eating happened to leave me with early onset osteoporosis which after working diligently for the past few years with both a naturopath and family physician, I have actually been able to regain some bone loss. I attribute this to eating a whole food, mineral-rich diet based on the principles of holistic nutrition, moving my body, and adding weight training to my yoga routine.

My ND has also helped me realize that when one is in a state of constant stress this creates acidity in the body and this leaches out important minerals which can contribute to bone loss so I always try to take some time for myself every day to have quiet time.

Since I usually work late at night (yes, I'm a nighthawk) I like to keep my mornings uneventful. That's not to say that I don't work in the AMs but I also make sure I do something nourishing for myself - like cooking food for the day so I don't skip lunch or skimp on dinner. I love to take my dog for a walk. Do some yoga stretches. Put on a meditation tape. or just lie back and take some time to breathe. 

Having a spirituality oriented meditative practice, and navigating through some personal challenges (like the breakdown of marriage, late miscarriage, financial distress and a questioning of my life purpose) have also helped me to develop resilience and reprogram my mind, the positive result of which manifests outwardly in my body, even in my face and how I look at the world. 

Let me tell you, not properly nourishing your mind and body is your fastest ticket to aging quickly and badly. Looking back at the not-so-great choices I made for myself in the past totally fuel my fire to live well now. 

As we age our skin produces less and less oil, which causes the moisture barrier to break down. Your skin tends to become drier, which magnifies fine lines and wrinkles. 

Like many (myself included before I became holistically inclined) if you have used (or are using) harsh synthetic products in the past (think accurate, retinol and intense acids peels) your poor face may well have experienced intense moisture loss exacerbating the above-mentioned problem. 

This super luxurious oil blended with precious superfood oils will actively nourish and brighten your face. It’s really potent, so remember that a little goes a longggg way!

And please remember that age is just a number. Do me a favour by doing something good for your body, mind and spirit today.