Oh, the youth of our 20s. Metabolisms are faster, hangovers are easier, sleep is less of a necessity to function. The changes as we age into our 30s aren’t drastic, but they are still noticeable. When it comes to health and beauty routines, what worked for 21-year-old you won’t necessarily work for 31-year-old you. If you’ve officially crossed over into your third decade of life (welcome!), here are some simple steps you should make sure you’re taking to ensure you can still look and feel your best as your body matures.

Skincare

Exfoliate, exfoliate!

The older we get, the slower our cell turnover is, resulting in more dead skin cells and a loss of radiance. Add an exfoliant into your routine twice a week to keep that youthful glow.

Plump it up

As those cells begin to turnover less, your skin recovers less easily from inflammation and collagen tends to break down faster. When this elasticity breaks down, it results in crow’s feet, laugh lines, bags under the eyes, etc. Finding skincare with hyaluronic acid and retinol-style products will be your saving grace.

Protect from the elements

As we age, our skin becomes more susceptible to the elements like pollution and sun damage. Heck, even your computer screen emits harmful UV rays. The best thing you can do to combat this is add vitamins. Topical skincare that includes vitamin C and E are essential for your morning routine. In addition to the sunscreen you should absolutely be wearing every day, these vitamin-packed products will help protect your skin from environmental stressors.

Wellness

In our 30s, we’re often juggling all types of things like full-time jobs, relationships, kids, pets, aging parents, etc. That’s a lot! Burnout is very, very real. This is a really important time in your life to be making wellness a priority.

Diet

No, not like a Jenny Craig diet, but what you’re putting in your body. While your metabolism might not be as fast as it was when you were 20, this decade should be all about gut health. Your diet should consist of mostly whole foods that support a healthy gut bacteria. You should also be ditching sugar and increasing the healthy fats. And don’t forget, sugar is in so many foods you might not necessarily think about, so checking labels and paying attention to recipes is even more important now.

Self-care

Meditation and yoga should become a crucial part of your wellness routine. You should also be focusing on building more lean muscle mass as you get older, which yoga and Pilates is great for. The older we get, the less muscle mass we have, which is just a natural part of aging. It’s important to use this time in your life when you’re still strong to build healthy muscle and good habits. Less muscle mass means less mobility and greater weakness the older you get, so taking care of yourself now is key.

Supplements

In our 30s, stress can eat up a lot of our essential nutrients. Incorporating supplements such as vitamin D, vitamin C, omega-3s, B-vitamin complexes and probiotics should become a cornerstone of your wellness routine to help cover any bases your diet may be missing.

Sleep

When you’re 22, you can thrive off of 4 hours of sleep, no problem. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” was a common phrase of my youth. Now it’s, “please give me all the sleep you have.” In your 30s, you should be sleeping seven to nine hours per night. Lack of sleep can lead to hormonal imbalances and your overall wellbeing is compromised. Make sure you’re getting the allotted amount of good, natural sleep.

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