Unfortunately, many women get nervous about aging — and not just for health reasons. There is so much pressure nowadays to look youthful and attractive and this has led to many new technologies and beauty procedures such as botox, facelifts and fillers.
But there’s nothing quite like feeling young inside. Feeling happy, at peace, and comfortable with oneself is what I think all women should aim for as they age. Nothing radiates beauty like a young, happy heart.
Jane Fonda certainly seems to agree. At 82 years old, the iconic movie star and fitness guru is proving to the world that beauty truly comes from within. Here are some of her secrets.
Jane attributes her success, above all, to one big secret: to just keep moving, both figuratively and literally.
But this isn’t to say Jane hasn’t had a long history of struggles. Under immense amounts of pressure in her life, her health hasn’t always been perfect, and she fought eating disorders for a good part of her life.
She struggled with bulimia in particular from her teens until she finally overcame it in her 40s and has not looked back since.
Female stars are certainly under the watchful public eye and when Jane underwent plastic surgery to her jawline and under eye area, the media had much to say.
But two-time Academy Award winner says she did what felt right for her — according to Jane, the minor work she had done gave her “an additional 10 years of professional [acting] work”.
Positive Spirit
Jane also recently opened up about further health challenges: a cancerous growth in her lip.
But the young-hearted movie star took even that with a degree of joy and humor, posting a photo of herself on social media with her mouth covered and writing: “I’ve found a clever way to disguise my lip bandages from the removal of cancer.”
Indeed, Fonda is clearly happy with her life and doesn’t let the fact that she’s 80 stop her from living her life to the fullest — and precisely the way she wants.
“Half-Metal, Half-Bionic”
By the time we’re 80, however, it’s quite normal to encounter and live with a certain degree of health problems. And Jane is been no exception to this rule.
“I have a fake hip, a fake knee, and I’ve had a number of back surgeries, so I’m sort of half-metal and half-bionic now,” she told the Daily Mail. “I have osteoarthritis and getting in and out of a car is a challenge. But I feel lucky that I did a lot of fitness work earlier in my life because it means I’m stronger now.”
Amazingly, despite all this, Jane continues to keep an active lifestyle. The key, she says, is to persist, no matter how slow you go.
Fonda continues to take long walks every day as well as activities such as resistance training, yoga, and cross-country skiing.
“I’m never going to stop. The most important thing is to keep moving, to stay active. That’s what I do and that’s how to stay strong,” she said.
According to Jane, far too many aging people just give up at some point, but there is no need for this.
“The mistake that so many people make is that if they can’t do what they once did, then they don’t do anything. Big mistake.”
Instead of stopping, says Jane, one should adjust their workouts to be age-appropriate. Instead of running, for example, one can walk. One can also continue to weight lift, but choose lighter weights and move at a slower pace.
“Keeping your body active is absolutely critical. If you’re in a wheelchair, move your arms,” she said.
Diet Tips
For Jane, it’s very simple: forget the scale and apply truly transformative health-conscious changes to your everyday life.
Aware of just how problematic they can be, Jane is no fan of fad diets,
“Most diets focus on weight loss on the scale, and they enforce temporary (and often unhealthy) restrictive behavior. Unfortunately, this scenario sets us up to fail,” she said.
Jane also suggests staying close to other fitness-minded individuals, staying consistent with workouts, and starting the day with a healthy, filling breakfast.
“Allow yourself to indulge in a piece of chocolate every once in a while,” Fonda added.
Jane has proven an incredible gusto for life and seemingly limitless amounts of energy — at 80, she is still not ready to retire.
“I support other people besides myself and I need to bring in money. Plus, it’s fun. I never would have thought that at my age I could say I’ve been working too hard to spend time pampering myself, but I’m happy to say that’s the case.”
But Jane is quick to point out that she does not take her energy for granted.
“If you had told me when I was 20 or 30 that I would still be acting at 80 on a show like [Grace and Frankie], I would have said, ‘You’re out of your mind’,” she said in a recent interview with Ellen DeGeneres. “I didn’t think I’d live this long. Every day I get up and I want to pinch myself. I feel very blessed.”
Above All
Jane’s top tip: don’t try to be perfect as it’s simply impossible.
“It’s a losing battle and you’ll just be unhappy,” Fonda said during an interview with Healthy Living. “Your anxiety will drive you to do things like eat too much or drink too much or whatever.”
Instead, Jane suggests taking the time to seek meaningful relationships with others.
“I meditate for 45 minutes to an hour every day,” she said. “That keeps me calm and grounded. Trying to be intentional about how we live, staying interested, staying curious, paying attention to young people, cultivating young friends — these kinds of things are, I think, important to staying youthful.”
Aren’t these tips great? Share them with your family and friends. With today’s stresses and fast-paced lifestyle, we can all use a more youthful perspective in our lives!
