If you want to look younger in 60 days time, say goodbye to these 7 habits

by Lachlan Brown | July 30, 2025, 2:46 pm

Everyone wants to maintain a youthful appearance—glowing skin, vibrant energy, and that fresh spark in the eyes. But while expensive creams and cosmetic procedures grab all the headlines, the real age accelerators often lie in our everyday habits.

If you want to look and feel younger in just two months, the key might not be in adding something new, but in letting go of the things that are aging you faster than you realize. Here are seven sneaky habits that could be making you look older—and how quitting them can rewind the clock.

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1. Sleeping poorly or irregularly

You can spend a fortune on skincare, but if you’re skimping on sleep, it will show. Chronic lack of sleep—or sleeping at irregular hours—interferes with your body’s natural repair systems.

When you sleep, your body produces collagen and human growth hormone, both of which are crucial for skin elasticity and repair. Without enough rest, fine lines deepen, dark circles become permanent residents, and your skin tone becomes dull.

What to do instead:

  • Get 7–9 hours of sleep per night consistently.

  • Try to sleep and wake at the same time each day.

  • Avoid screens at least 30 minutes before bed—blue light disrupts melatonin production.

Give it 60 days, and your skin tone, under-eye clarity, and overall vitality will noticeably improve.

2. Neglecting hydration

Many people walk around mildly dehydrated without realizing it. This doesn’t just affect your energy—it shows on your face. Dehydration reduces skin plumpness, exaggerates wrinkles, and gives your face a tired, sagging appearance.

Signs you’re not drinking enough:

  • Dry lips

  • Itchy or tight skin

  • More prominent lines and dullness

What to do instead:

  • Aim for 2.5–3 liters of water daily, depending on your climate and activity level.

  • Eat water-rich foods like cucumber, watermelon, and oranges.

  • Cut back on dehydrating substances like caffeine and alcohol.

In just a few weeks of proper hydration, your skin will look firmer, more luminous, and better toned.

3. Overdoing sugar and refined carbs

Sugar does more than add inches to your waist—it ages your skin through a process called glycation. This is when excess sugar binds to collagen and elastin, causing these essential skin proteins to stiffen and break down.

The result? Wrinkles, sagging, and a leathery texture.

Common culprits:

  • Soft drinks and fruit juices

  • White bread, pastries, and cereals

  • Snack bars labeled “low-fat” (often loaded with sugar)

Swap them out for:

  • Complex carbs (quinoa, sweet potato, brown rice)

  • Whole fruits instead of juices

  • Dark chocolate (in moderation) instead of candy

Cutting back on sugar for even 30 days can soften your skin’s texture and restore a youthful glow. At 60 days, the transformation is even more noticeable.

4. Skimping on strength training

Yes, cardio is great—but only focusing on it while ignoring strength training can lead to what experts call “skinny fat”: a soft body composition with low muscle tone and higher fat percentage, even if you’re not technically overweight.

Muscle gives your body structure. It supports posture, tightens skin, and gives you that lean, athletic look that reads as youthful.

Why this matters visually:

  • Muscle keeps your arms and face looking firm rather than droopy.

  • It improves posture, which instantly makes you look 5–10 years younger.

  • It boosts metabolism and regulates hormones tied to aging.

Start doing bodyweight exercises (push-ups, squats, planks) or light weightlifting 3x per week. You’ll notice changes in firmness and energy within two months.

5. Ignoring sun protection

UV rays are responsible for up to 80% of visible skin aging. Sun damage leads to fine lines, age spots, sagging, and uneven pigmentation—sometimes called “photoaging.”

Even worse? UV rays are present even on cloudy days, and even brief, repeated exposure adds up.

What to stop doing:

  • Skipping sunscreen because “I’m not at the beach”

  • Relying on makeup with SPF alone

  • Tanning (indoors or outdoors)

What to do instead:

  • Use broad-spectrum SPF 30+ daily, even indoors if near windows

  • Reapply every 2–3 hours if outdoors

  • Wear hats and sunglasses to shield your skin

Within 60 days, not only will your skin be protected from further aging, but many signs of sun damage will start to fade.

6. Stressing out constantly

Chronic stress leads to elevated cortisol, a hormone that breaks down collagen and increases inflammation. This leads to acne, dullness, and accelerated aging in your skin and internal systems.

Even worse, stress shortens telomeres, the caps on your DNA that determine how fast you age.

Stress shows on your face in subtle ways:

  • Deepened frown lines

  • Tired, hollowed eyes

  • Puffy or inflamed skin

What to do instead:

  • Practice mindfulness or meditation for 10–15 minutes a day

  • Go for daily walks (movement helps regulate cortisol)

  • Limit exposure to toxic social media or news

In just two months of stress management, many people report not just feeling better—but looking calmer, more rested, and even younger.

7. Eating mostly processed foods

Highly processed foods are packed with preservatives, seed oils, additives, and chemicals that cause inflammation. Chronic inflammation is one of the major causes of premature aging—both inside and out.

Processed food habits include:

  • Relying on takeout or delivery daily

  • Eating mostly from packages (chips, frozen meals, processed meats)

  • Using sauces and dressings with long ingredient lists

Instead, shift toward:

  • Whole, single-ingredient foods (vegetables, legumes, lean meats, eggs)

  • Home-cooked meals as often as possible

  • Anti-inflammatory staples: turmeric, leafy greens, olive oil, berries

When you reduce inflammation and eat nutrient-dense foods, your skin becomes clearer, your energy improves, and your face reflects that vitality. You’ll likely see a visible difference by day 45 and a full transformation by day 60.

Final Thoughts: Age is just a habit

Looking younger isn’t about chasing trends or injecting your face with the next miracle fix. It’s about removing the silent saboteurs that are aging you from the inside out.

In the next 60 days, try saying goodbye to:

  1. Poor sleep

  2. Dehydration

  3. Sugar overload

  4. No strength training

  5. UV exposure

  6. Constant stress

  7. Processed food addiction

Replace them with habits that support collagen, reduce inflammation, and elevate your energy. You’ll not only look younger—you’ll feel younger, too.

And that’s the real glow-up.

Lachlan Brown

Lachlan Brown is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Brown Brothers Media, a digital publishing network reaching tens of millions of readers monthly. He holds a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies from Deakin University, though his real education came afterward: a warehouse job shifting TVs, a stretch of anxiety in his mid-twenties, and the slow discovery that studying the mind is not the same as learning how to live well. He started experimenting with Buddhist principles during breaks at the warehouse and eventually began writing about what he was learning. That writing became Hack Spirit, a widely read personal development site, and his book Hidden Secrets of Buddhism became a bestseller. His work breaks down complex ideas into frameworks people can apply immediately, whether they are navigating a career change, a difficult relationship, or the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Lachlan splits his time between Singapore and Saigon. He writes about high-performance routines, decision-making under pressure, digital innovation, and the intersection of Eastern philosophy with modern life. His perspective comes from having built things from scratch, failed at some of them, and learned that clarity comes from practice, not theory.