Getting Older vs. Getting Bolder

By Debbie Lavdas

Lately I’ve been grappling with the idea of aging gracefully like a poignant Audrey Hepburn poster, or digging my heels in and giving gravity a ride for its money. Who am I fooling? It’s going to be the latter. I’m not ready to chill at will or go with the flow; I’ve got a 3-year-old wild child I need to keep time with (as evidenced below).

Lately I’ve been grappling with the idea of aging gracefully like a poignant Audrey Hepburn poster, or digging my heels in and giving gravity a ride for its money. Who am I fooling? It’s going to be the latter. I’m not ready to chill at will or go with the flow; I’ve got a 3-year-old wild child I need to keep time with (as evidenced below). 

So, in an age of go big or go home, I’m all in with proactive, preventive paths to reflect the way I feel. I declare that I’m curbing my unenthusiasm for the whole settling thing—not to become 25 again, just to be my best self now. I’m going bolder vs older.

Let’s face it, we all try to stay current and prevent aging ourselves too quickly… with up-to-the-minute style looks, by coloring our hair on-trend, with skincare breakthroughs (that I will get to in a bit) and by working out to stop muscle atrophy and to stay strong. Just the other day, I was joking with a friend about how I should throw in the towel and go back to laying on the couch and eating chips (which never caused me any of my current gym injuries), and my friend obnoxiously enlightened me that I’ve got these injuries because my “body has been doing absolutely nothing for the past many years.” She was completely right. That’s why lately I’ve been doing a lot to undo the “doing nothing” for too long. So for the past six months, I’ve been committed to stepping it up. Prevention is indeed the best medicine I’ve learned—before things start to get away from you. 

My prevention path has been one of body, mind and spirit. This weekend in fact, I even amped up my yoga experience with a trip to Lululemon (getting a new mat setup is seriously like Yogi Christmas—can I get an “ommm” to that?). Now, a new mat won’t improve my technique (well, maybe a little), but it will motivate me to do more downward dog. And more flexibility means less injury. Plus, I’ve also been working with a trainer and a nutritionist since April, and have dropped 20 pounds and 10 percent body fat. All of which makes getting stronger—and better, and sexier and healthier—easier.

Additionally, a few weeks ago, I went from blonde hair/don’t care to “fall” into fashion. I’m not gray at all, but I’m certainly not naturally espresso with caramel contrast. It was time to transition from overprocessed into brunettes-have-more-fun (before the beachy look was fully washed up).

Finally, I’ve begun exploring putting my best face forward—which I briefly alluded to above—by learning about the latest and greatest available tools to combat and counter time. Meeting with the team from CosmetiCare, located in Corona Del Mar, has shed new light on skincare aspects I never even knew about. 

The medspa staff has beauty fixes for issues before they become ISSUES. Their secret is in taking preventive care – even before the hint of that first smile line appears, for example. Their medspa offers nonsurgical treatments that slow down the signs of aging or treat issues present already, such as hyperpigmentation, acne, brown spots, fine lines, wrinkles and congested or oily pores. Did you know that you can prevent issues from occurring by getting certain noninvasive skin treatments well before problems arise? 

It’s a journey—for all of us. And all of the options may not be the right ones for each of us, but we’ll have the ammo, answers and alternatives to age on our own terms—before turning back time is more Audrey-Hepburn ethereal than a reality. 

To get the inside story on the latest fixes that you may have on your preventative radar, maybe stop in and have a chat with the CosmeticCare team. Why go it alone when you can take on anti-aging and other skincare measures with your own personal beauty team? You’ll build a trusting relationship with anti-aging experts including certified nurses and estheticians – who can render expert, up-to-the-minute advice and create a skin regime just for you.