Just because you want to spend more time on your physical appearance doesn’t make you vain by any means. Being able to look after yourself and your appearance is a great way to give yourself some much-needed self-care, which is important when it comes to your mental wellbeing. Unfortunately, not enough time is spent on prioritizing this area of our health.
With that being said, by spending a little more time on your physical appearance this year, you’re likely to see a great improvement in your health and well-being in general. Here are ten tips to get you started.
Try some new hairstyles or get a new haircut
Has it been a while since you’ve experimented with your hair? It might be a good time to book yourself into your local hair salon or barber for a fresh new cut. It’s often said that a new hairstyle or haircut can make a big difference to how you feel both on the inside and out.
Perhaps you want to try something that’s wildly different from what you have in your head currently. It might be that you’re looking to do something a little more refined or mature now that you’re in a new chapter of your life.
The type of hairstyle or haircut you go for will depend on what look you’re trying to achieve and this is something that’s personal from one person to another. Check out these half-up half-down hairstyles for inspiration.
With that being said, try some new hairstyles and perhaps consult with your hairstylist to find the best look for what you’re after and what might be best manageable for you currently.
Change up your fashion style
Being able to switch up your fashion style is always useful, especially when it comes to your physical appearance. Over time, your body shape and style are likely to change, which is part and parcel of growing up.
At every life stage, whether that be your teens, your adult years, becoming a parent to hitting those golden years, it’s worth changing up your fashion style to suit your new tastes and preferences.
Fashion is also an extension of your personality, so it’s always good to experiment with what clothes work well and what you might want to leave on the clothes rail in-store. Make sure you’re spending time in-store, trying on different outfits, and be sure to pick out some wildcards that you wouldn’t have typically gone for before.
Start eating well
Eating well is important and something that you definitely need to do more of when you’re not feeling your best. Even though you might feel healthy in other ways, the food you consume and put into your body can impact your mental well-being, as well as your appearance in general.
For example, if you consume a lot of fatty and greasy foods, chances are you might start breaking out more easily on your skin, which can make individuals feel more self-conscious.
Being aware of what works well with your body and what might be hindering it is something that you will likely learn as you become more in tune with your body. It might be that you have intolerances or aversions that your body just doesn’t like. Therefore, it’s well worth experimenting with a food diary to see what agrees with your body and what doesn't.
Work out to have fun and get fit
It’s important that you work out to have fun and get fit, rather than to feel as though it needs to be a chore every time you get around to it. When it comes to making changes to your physical appearance, doing exercise is one of the best ways that you can alter your appearance.
Whether you have goals to lose weight, maintain the weight you are currently, or put on weight through muscle mass, working out is a great way to spend time on yourself. It’s not only good for your physical appearance, but it also does wonders for your mental well-being too.
Work on your self-confidence
Self-confidence is something that takes a lot of inner working on to achieve. Not everyone is born with a natural confidence and that can be hard for some to accept. With confidence, you can breeze your way through life at times, which is tough when you might be severely lacking confidence in yourself.
However, it’s something you can train yourself to get better at, and a lot of the time, faking it will eventually help you to relax and spur on that self-confidence naturally.
Spend more time on pampering yourself
Spending time on yourself is certainly not a bad thing, especially when it comes to spending some tender-loving time on you and you alone. If you want to positively improve your physical appearance, give yourself some pampering sessions.
This could be a bubble bath and face mask combination at home, or indulging in a spa day away for a truly relaxing experience. You may want to play around more with makeup and skincare or you might want to treat yourself to other forms of pampering such as getting your nails done or your hair cut more regularly.
Attend your medical appointments
Medical appointments are a must to attend, especially when they can impact your physical health. For instance, although vision usually diminishes with age, you don’t have to wait until your senior years before getting checked or screened for age-related eye conditions. Eye issues can develop at any time, which is why careful monitoring and regular appointments are crucial. Through these appointments, your eye doctor will be able to determine whether you need any procedures, such as LASIK eye surgery, to improve your vision.
Going to your opticians to get your eyes checked out and taking a visit to the dentist will help keep those pearly white gnashers nice and clean.
Some people do feel self-conscious when it comes to their teeth especially, so it might be worth speaking to your dentist about some cosmetic changes to improve the health and appearance of your teeth.
Start taking supplements
Supplements are great for your health and well-being. There are also a variety of options to choose from depending on what you want to focus on. Of course, it’s always important to check in with your doctor or healthcare professional to ensure that you can take the supplements you’re looking to try out.
There are supplements that can help with pretty much anything nowadays. For example, if you’re looking to strengthen your hair and nails, then collagen supplements such as gummies and tablets might be worth taking.
To improve gut health, there’s an abundance of supplements you could take a look at investing in and trying out. Make sure to give every supplement at least a month to try out and see if you notice a difference in the appearance of whatever it is you’re trying to improve.
Get plenty of sleep - stop sacrificing it
It’s important to have plenty of sleep and if you’re sacrificing it, then that can really do a number on your physical appearance. With that being said, try to get more sleep where you can, opting for at least several hours each night.
By not having the full seven-plus hours of sleep, you’re cutting into the recovery time your body needs to repair and reenergize itself for the following day. Sleep plays a big role in your appearance but also in both your physical and mental health.
Practice good hygiene
Finally, make sure you’re looking after your hygiene when it comes to improving your physical appearance. Whether that’s trying out new haircare products for your hair to making sure you smell fresh throughout the day. It’s the little things that can really impact your physical appearance if you don’t care for it enough.
Spending more time on your appearance is time well invested so use these tips to look good in 2023 and beyond.