Anti-Aging Secrets For Women 40 +

More Magazine's Peggy Northrop Shares Advice

(CBS) 
Take a Vacation
Getting away or taking a real vacation at least once a year is key, Northrop says. The vacation doesn't have to be expensive. All you need to do is disconnect from your office. She says those who do that are 30 percent less likely to die of a heart attack than people who stay chained to their desks.

Relax
Forty and forgetfulness seems to go hand in hand. But Northrop says there is no correlation between the two. The problem is stress.

She explains, "We're all sleep deprived. And then hormones come along and disrupt your sleep even more. Then add stress. Average women dealing with work, kids, a husband, aging parents, etc., have about 50 measurable stress responses a day. No wonder you can't remember where you put your keys! Or worse, you get in the car and can't remember where you're going!"

So what can be done? Meditation is one answer. Northrop adds, "The founder of the Stress Reduction Program at the University of Massachusetts says, 'If exercise takes care of your body, meditation takes care of your mind. Practice peace. You need to find a way to cultivate a peaceful state of mind, if you haven't already. Meditation works, there are a lot of books out there to help you get started. Church services, or simply prayer or a solo walk in the woods can also help. The benefits are proven--more than a dozen studies have found that people who have some kind of spiritual ritual reap tremendous health benefits.'"

The good news is there are some things that actually improve as you age. In terms of your body, Northrop says, with menopause, cellulite tends to become less noticeable. And if you've had skin breakouts, those are going to go away.

But she notes the biggest change is emotional. "So many women say that, especially as they get to 50, they have less stress and they feel more creative and way more confident. And I agree," she says, "If I'd known that middle age would be this great, I would have looked forward to it more."