Since I was a little girl, I have been curious about aging, and anti-aging in particular. It just seemed kind of strange to me that my grandfather’s fabulous and savvy sister, Aunt Ira, had her fun, loved young people, dated younger men, always looked stylish, was a successful African American business woman in Memphis, Tennessee in the turbulent 60’s, and looked to be my mother’s age, when in fact, she was older than my grandmother. Grandmother seemed to look down on her sister-n-law for loving her youth and youthful lifestyle a little too much. However, the ironic thing is this: my great aunt lived to be 96 years old. Whereas my beloved, sweet, older looking grandma had a heart attack and died from worry in her late 60’s.

Why do some women age differently, or just look better than others as we get older?

When we think of anti-aging for a woman, we generally think of the way she looks and moves. Usually, this spills out from her thoughts and her feelings about herself, her body, and how she thinks and feels about her overall lifestyle and her ability to contribute. My belief is that for a woman in her 40’s and beyond to have and maintain that special alluring, radiant glow about herself it’s going to be important for her to embrace the fact that she is indeed, aging, and that she still deserves to glow, shine and sparkle, to create new goals, and to be filled with energy and vitality, which all comes from self love—the first and most important anti-aging process.

Aunt Ira was sophisticated and savvy. She knew her value and knew how to take care of herself…all the way to 96 years old. Grandmother seemed to hold a lesser value of herself within her subconscious mind and didn’t seem to know how to take control of herself after granddaddy died in his mid 40’s, followed by the lose two adult daughters, one who was my mother. While my great aunt was out having fun, being young at heart, energetic and vital, hanging out with younger people and running her businesses–my grandmother was heartbroken, worrying, being ill, lethargic, and building up for a heart attack that tool her life prematurely.

Today there are millions of women like my great Aunt Ira, but not enough. For all of us who are fabulous, mature women with some knowledge of natural anti-aging it is our responsibility to share our health, wellness, beauty and holistic anti-aging secrets with younger women and girls, and to let them know that it is good to be attentive toward “self” starting now…even at 5 years old. It starts with what we feed our children and what we give them to drink at an early age. It starts with the suntan lotion we choose to use before sending our little ones out into the sun. Anti-aging is about walking more, just because, and for every good reason. Anti-aging is about communicating truthfully, specifically and clearly, it’s about laughing until your belly hurts and expressing our true thoughts and feelings. It’s about being content and appreciative and at peace just because…

In addition, loving relationships are truly amazing in helping a woman to feel wonderful and special and gives her the ability to share her excellence. This inner glow is the essence, the source that spills out and over. Consider yourself blessed when you have true self love and consider yourself even more blessed when you can share love, family love, girlfriend love, child love–from your own children or others, or a wonderful fulfilling romantic love relationship, which comes with great romance and sacred sex.

In conclusion, anti-aging starts with our mind-set, what we think of our self and how we feel about what we think. This, my darling, sister-friend, is the great elixir of life that can even reverses the aging process…and without much effort.