We often relate aging with decline, particularly in the way we look, but also in the way we feel. And of course, as the years pass, we're more likely to feel aches and pains, and we have to work harder to maintain our physical fitness. But I don't believe that age always has to equal decline. At 49, I actually think I look and crucially feel better than I did 10 years ago. So this is me, aged 39, and this is me today. And so what I want to do in this video is just round up the things I believe have made the biggest difference for me in the last 10 years. So age 39, I definitely did look a little bit different. I had my natural dark hair, which was glossy and in good condition, but I also had a bit of a dodgy skin care routine in that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I didn't wear makeup that suited me, and I didn't put any thought into my diet because I hadn't yet realized that what I ate and drank also influenced my energy levels and overall health and vitality. So I just kind of muddled through, and it was starting to show on my skin, which was dull and lifeless. And I look a bit puffy around the face, and I don't feel particularly energized. It was only in my 40s as I started to become more aware of the aging process and began to explore how I could look and feel as good as possible for as long as possible. That I began to make changes in my life, my skin care, and my daily routines in general. And now I don't go overboard, you'll be pleased to hear I like to keep things simple and easy. And so I've picked out three key areas in which I've made the biggest difference. So before I talk you through them, if you're interested as I am in all things anti-aging, as well as lifestyle and consumer product reviews, then don't forget to hit the subscribe button to watch my future videos because I'm a journalist dedicated to bringing you independent, no nonsense, and evidence-based impartial advice and recommendations. So at number one, I'm going to start with the least interesting but most important point, and I'll keep it brief. What you eat and drink is probably the single biggest factor in how energized you feel and look. And since moving from eating just whatever to being more aware of what I'm putting in my body and why has had a really dramatic impact on everything from my skin to my body shape and to how vibrant I feel. And the trick is not to go overboard and deny yourself the things you love, but just to try to pack in as much plant fiber to your daily diet as you comfortably can. You know, add more veg into the dishes you're making. Chop them up fine or pulse them if you have to, but even the sauces that you make, just try and get a couple more in. And then eat more fruit and whole grains, have nuts and dried fruit as a snack. You'll be amazed how easily you can start to incorporate more plant fiber and I guarantee that along with drinking lots more water you will see and feel a difference. So I'm not going to drone on about that. I just take my word for it that eating a plant fiber rich diet and I also do have a little meat with that, but that has been the single biggest thing I believe in looking better and feeling better age 49 than 39. The second thing that's made a big difference is the variety of skin tightening and collagen boosting treatments that I've tried over the past three years in particular. As some of you will know that started with thermal ablation for me, which was a skin tightening treatment around my eyelids. And here's my before picture before I had tixel and my after picture after having the tixel treatment. So with an intense heat treatment using that on my eyelids, I think it did cause a little volume loss. But then it definitely tightened them because the sagging was really quite severe. So the overall result was an improved one. Then a few years ago, I had all therapy for lifting and tightening my gel area and it definitely did lift and tighten. But with so many of these very intensive energy based treatments, it also caused a little bit of volume loss because I lost fat under my chin and in my cheeks, which I was actually happy about because it had a contouring effect on my face and it gave me more definition. Now that was a big positive for me, but it might not be so attractive to others who have little or no fat to lose in their face. So that's the sort of thing you have to consider and weigh up before making a decision around those kinds of treatments for me. It was a positive difference. There is so much you can do at home now as I do. Regular viewers of the channel will know I use microcurrent almost daily. I recommend something like the new face or more recently I've been trying this Phoenix microcurrent roller, which I'll share a full review on shortly. But basically by using microcurrent, you're not only toning your facial muscles, but you're also stimulating the skin cells, increasing the blood flow and supply of oxygen and improving the conditions for collagen production. So I will link to the devices I use on my face in the description below. Then if you add in something like a red light mask or a radio frequency device to warm the deeper layers of your skin and again stimulate collagen production and cell activity, you are really optimizing conditions for your skin. Finally, by using a higher strength retinoid to speed up, skin cell turnover and renewal while helping your skin create better quality collagen. You are really doing all you can to optimize your skin's health, vitality and volume. And for me, retinoids have greatly improved the texture of my skin and also helped give it a glue. And unlike in my 30s and early 40s, I now always protect my skin with sunscreen to help prevent further UV damage. When it comes to makeup, this isn't an area in which I'm gifted and I've had my share of disasters, including, as seen on this channel. And so now I keep it really light and simple. I rely on my new favourite Maybelline Colossal Curl mascara to do the heavy lifting around the eyes and just having those fuller high impact lashes naturally lifts your eye area. And then on top, I use a Max Factor Foundation with sunscreen and then I'm just using a bit of blusher and some lip liner. That's an important one because the lip liner can make your lips look so much fuller and you don't need lip filler if you're using a lip liner. Finally, another thing that I think has made quite a big difference is in using a brow pencil or sometimes I use a brush and powder to just define my brows and fill them out a little bit. And it just takes a few seconds in the morning but by defining my brows in that way, I'm framing my face and I think it's one of the things that has probably taken years off me. So if you want to take a look at my makeup favourites, I'm going to link to them all in the description below. Third and finally, another major thing that I've changed is my mindset. So 10 years ago, I believed age was a barrier. I believed that when you were approaching 50 and over 50 things started winding down rather than winding up and I could not have been further from the truth. And once I started to understand that there are no limitations to what we can achieve and when, only the limitations we place upon ourselves in our own minds, then that's when the world started to feel very different to me. Throwing off the shackles of my incorrect beliefs about myself, you know, oh, I'll never have what they have or oh, I wouldn't be able to do that. It's just nonsense and I was standing in my own way and now the opportunities I'm seeing and my ability to seize on them are far, far greater, 49 than at 39. And again, I think that's reflected in the energy I give off. It's just much more positive. And that is actually something that I want to explore a little further on this channel. But I'd like to hear my subscribers views on that. Would you like to hear from mindset experts on the honest channel who could inspire us to get more from life and maybe even give a little bit more as well? Let me know in the comments because your opinion is important to me. So these have been the fundamentals for me of the changes that I've made in the past 10 years. And I've done videos on most of the aesthetic treatments and devices that I've talked about. So take a look here if you haven't already watched those. But today I just wanted to do a very quick roundup to define everything that I've done that has made the biggest difference. And of course, I'm still learning every single day. And that's what I love about this channel and the brilliant subscribers who so regularly share what's working for you is that we are learning together. So that might be it for me today, but you will not want to miss my next video because aesthetic specialist Dr. Chen Shu is back with some brilliant insight and advice for those who might be considering or are currently using Tretenoan, otherwise known as Retinay. And we dig very deep into safety, long-term use and alternatives. So I will see you then for now. Thanks for watching.