Beauty at every age: Top tips at 54
TEST OF TIME
Michelle Villett asked asked five women to reveal their diet, skin-care and exercise habits—and then got the world’s top anti-aging docs to weigh in.
ANNE TILLMAN-GRAHAM, 54 “There are days when I look in the mirror and go ‘Whoa!’—that’s not how I feel. But you have to keep a sense of humour [about aging]. That, and wake up every morning loving what you’re going to do.” Besides her job as a Toronto-based marketing executive in the cosmetics industry, Tillman-Graham is passionate about fitness. “I’ve been running marathons since 1993, and I’ve done four triathlons. You become addicted to the adrenaline.”
HER DIET Tillman-Graham starts every day with a whey protein shake, a soy latte, yogurt and fruit; for lunch, she has another shake with a fruit or vegetable salad. She snacks on protein bars or raw almonds. For dinner, she has rice pasta with meat sauce, or fish and sautèed vegetables. She avoids desserts and alcohol, but indulges on weekends with cookies and a couple glasses of wine. She also drinks three litres of water daily.
HER SKIN-CARE REGIMEN DDF Advanced Micro Exfoliation Cleanser, Advanced Eye Firming Concentrate, Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew spf 15, and Advanced Firming Cream. When she exercises outdoors, she wears spf 50. “I also do microdermabrasion, Botox and Restylane. Would I have plastic surgery? There are days when I think I could do it, but I’m a bit afraid of going under anaesthetic. You have to be careful.”
HER LIFESTYLE “My workout is my sanity. What I do physically has really helped with stress. I’ve run right through menopause and have taken no medications for it. I get about seven hours of sleep a night—I’d like to have more but the workouts don’t allow it.”
HER EXERCISE ROUTINE “I have to do some form of exercise every day.” She runs five to eight kilometres three or four days a week and 10 to 15 kilometres on weekends. She also includes a cycle class once a week. “Swimming usually constitutes a day off, and I do that two days a week.” When she’s training for a triathlon, which she does every other year, she doubles up on her workouts. (Think two-hour runs and six-hour bike rides.)
WHAT THE DOCTORS SAY “Anne has a great attitude towards life that should serve her well for years to come,” says Dr. Weil. To help repair collagen, she should include more foods with vitamins A and C in her diet, such as sweet potatoes and oranges. Eating more cold-water fish (salmon, cod and sardines) or taking an omega-3 supplement will help reduce the inflammation that leads to aging skin. “Women in their 50s should be taking a calcium-magnesium supplement [for healthy bones], a good B-complex vitamin [to aid stress management] and an antioxidant like alpha-lipoic acid, CoQ10 or astaxanthin,” says Dr. Perricone.
“Anne might consider exploring a gentle yoga class as a balance to her vigorous exercise,” says Dr. Weil. Dr. Perricone recommends easing up on the marathons and triathlons. “Exercising for more than 45 minutes to an hour is counterproductive as far as aging goes,” he says. ìIt pushes up stress hormones, overwhelms the bodyís defense systems and generates a high level of free radicals.” To help offset the effects of hormonal aging that can be brought on by menopause, Tillman-Graham should use products containing retinol and hyaluronic acid. As for the cosmetic procedures, “fillers are okay,” says Dr. Perricone, “but I’m not a fan of Botox. I’m concerned that it’s a neurotoxin in your body, and there could be a problem with it causing loss of muscle, which makes you look older [over time]. Light therapies or electric stimulation of the muscles can prevent aging in a more natural way.”
DOCTOR’S ORDERS
FemMed Heart Health Omega 3 + CoQ10 soft gels ($30, femmed.com); Kiehl’s Dermatologist Solutions Double Strength Deep Wrinkle Filler ($57, kiehls.ca); DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew UV Moisturizer SPF 15 ($46, at Sephora)